After the Home Inspection: What Sellers Must Fix in Missouri

How the inspection period works

Your contract sets an inspection period. The buyer hires an inspector, reviews the report and then decides whether to ask for repairs, a credit, a price change, or to end the contract within the terms.

The seller's choices

1. Agree to make the repairs
2. Offer a credit instead of repairs
3. Counter with some repairs or a smaller credit
4. Decline, knowing the buyer may be able to cancel under the contract

What may be required

• City occupancy or point of sale inspection items in many St. Louis area cities
• Lender-required repairs for some loan types, often safety or habitability items
• Anything you agreed to in the contract

Repairs versus credits

Credits are often simpler. The buyer controls the work after closing, and you avoid scheduling contractors under a deadline. Repairs can make sense for safety items or when the lender requires them.

Reduce surprises

A pre-listing inspection lets you fix, price for or disclose issues before a buyer finds them. See what to fix before selling.

Keep it in writing

Every agreement should be in a written amendment, using the approved forms. Your agent should track deadlines carefully.

Calm negotiation wins

Focus on big-ticket and safety items. Small cosmetic requests often get resolved with a modest credit.

Plan ahead

I plan inspection strategy before you list, so negotiations stay calm. Request your Clear Path Plan.

Items buyers commonly ask about

• Roof leaks or age
• Water heater or HVAC age and function
• Electrical safety issues
• Plumbing leaks
• Foundation or drainage concerns
• Missing handrails and smoke detectors (often city inspection items too)

Mistakes sellers make

• Reacting emotionally to a long report
• Missing the response deadline
• Making repairs without receipts or proper permits

Ask for receipts from licensed contractors for any agreed repair and share them before closing.

How it usually works in St. Louis

• Inspection period: set in the contract; the buyer's inspector checks structure, roof, systems and more.
• Optional specialists: sewer lateral scope, radon test, termite inspection, structural engineer.
• Buyer's response: within the deadline, the buyer accepts the property, requests repairs or credits, or ends the contract under its terms.
• Seller's response: agree, counter or decline, in writing on the approved form.

Separate from the city inspection

Municipal occupancy inspections, such as those University City, Kirkwood and Webster Groves require before a new owner moves in, are a different process. The city's list may require items regardless of what the buyer asked for. Coordinate both so repairs are done once.

Example

A buyer asks for a new roof, a water heater replacement and minor caulking. The seller has the roof inspected by a roofer, who finds it has several years of life left. The seller offers to replace the 18-year-old water heater and give a small credit for the caulking. The buyer accepts. Clear, documented, and both sides move forward.

Lender-required repairs

FHA and VA appraisers may require items such as peeling paint on older homes, missing handrails or safety hazards to be fixed before closing. Discuss early with the buyer's agent.

Keep the deal on schedule

Repairs agreed after inspection should be completed by licensed contractors where required, with receipts and any permits finaled before closing. Schedule early; contractor calendars fill quickly in spring and summer. If a repair cannot be finished in time, a credit or an escrow holdback agreed in writing may keep the closing date.