A buyer's inspection request is a negotiating decision, not automatically a seller's repair bill. For your Salt Lake City sale, first separate work you already owe under the agreement from additional concessions the buyer wants. Then compare a defined repair, an allowable closing-cost contribution or a price change against the actual problem, cost and time remaining.
The best response addresses what could prevent this buyer from closing without promising work you cannot finish or paying for an issue that has not been properly understood. Your agent can organize the discussion; a qualified inspector or contractor should explain the physical problem, and legal questions belong with your attorney.
Start with the agreement and the decision date
Utah's Real Estate Purchase Contract, effective December 4, 2024, makes the Due Diligence Condition an election. If it applies, Section 8.1 describes timely cancellation or written resolution of objections before the agreed deadline, with stated consequences if neither occurs. A request alone is not a completed resolution. Review the selected condition, amendments and notice requirements in your signed agreement with your agent or attorney.
The form's as-is language does not erase Section 10.3. That section preserves specified seller duties, including disclosure of certain known defects, delivery in substantially the same general condition and repair of seller- or tenant-moving damage. Have any disputed obligation assessed before treating it as optional bargaining.
An unanswered request is not the same as an agreed extension. If bids or specialist access will take longer, discuss a written extension while there is still time to obtain one. Do not assume a continuing conversation has changed the deadline.
Find out what actually needs to be resolved
Ask for the relevant inspection pages and a specific description of the buyer's concern. A photograph of staining, for example, does not by itself explain whether the cause is active, what work is needed or what that work will cost.
Separate the diagnosis from the requested remedy. “Replace the entire system” is a proposal; a specialist may identify a narrower repair, or may find that the concern is more extensive than it first appeared. Get a written scope and estimate before comparing alternatives. Check whether the quote includes investigation, restoration of affected finishes and any necessary permit work, rather than comparing totals for different jobs.
For construction work, Utah's Construction Business Registry can help identify active licensees by trade and scope. It lists only those who have opted in, so absence from its results does not prove that someone is unlicensed. Use the licensing agency's verification route to check the actual person or business being considered. A registry entry is not a guarantee of availability, workmanship or suitability for your job.
Compare the outcome, not just the dollar amount
The Utah Division of Real Estate's 2019 guidance on inspection addenda, pages 8–9, discusses three possible structures: seller repairs, a seller contribution toward buyer closing costs and a purchase-price reduction. It emphasizes involving the lender and documenting the true agreement. These are options to evaluate, not a rule that every buyer request must receive one.
| Response | What it can accomplish | Question to settle before agreeing |
|---|---|---|
| Seller completes a repair | Addresses a defined condition before the buyer takes over | Can the right professional finish the agreed scope and provide the required verification in time? |
| Seller contributes toward buyer closing costs | May leave more of the buyer's own funds available for work afterward | Will the lender permit the contribution, and will the buyer have usable cash and an acceptable property condition at closing? |
| Seller reduces the purchase price | Changes the purchase economics without requiring the seller to manage the work | What does the lender's revised loan-and-cash calculation show? A lower price is not automatically cash available for repairs. |
| Seller counters or declines additional concessions | Limits the seller's added commitment | What rights remain under the agreement, and is the seller prepared for the buyer's available response? |
A contribution cannot solve every property-condition or financing concern. Before settling on one, ask the buyer to obtain the lender's treatment of both the proposed concession and the underlying issue. Do not promise a particular loan outcome or agree to keep the problem out of the transaction documents.
Work through a concrete example
Suppose, hypothetically, a buyer requests a $6,000 closing-cost contribution after an inspection identifies a leak and damaged finish. A contractor provides a $2,400 estimate covering the identified repair and restoration, with work available before closing. These figures are illustrations, not Salt Lake City prices or a diagnosis of a real home.
The immediate dollar difference is $3,600, but that does not automatically make the repair the better response. First compare the same scope: does the quote address the cause, account for access and restore the finish, or does it leave the buyer with additional work? Ask how the result will be checked and what happens if the job runs late.
If the buyer prefers a contribution, establish whether the lender permits it and whether enough eligible closing costs remain to use it. If a price reduction is proposed instead, have the lender recalculate the buyer's loan and cash. A $6,000 lower price and a $6,000 closing-cost contribution should not be described as identical benefits to a financed buyer.
Now the decision is useful: the seller can compare a supported scope, a workable schedule and the actual closing treatment. A counteroffer can address those particulars instead of splitting the original request merely to end the conversation.
Put the resolution in writing and check completion
Use the appropriate contract document with your agent or attorney. For work the seller will perform, discuss the item and location, agreed scope, responsible party, completion date, access, documentation and any follow-up inspection. Resolve how incomplete work will be handled before it becomes a closing-day dispute.
For a financial concession, make the amount and treatment clear to the lender and closing team. The Division's cited inspection-addendum guidance warns against withholding repair agreements from the lender, title company or brokerage file. Keep the final signed resolution with the transaction documents and deliver it to the parties who need it.
Retain the contractor's invoice and any agreed permit, warranty or inspection records. Give the buyer a practical opportunity to check the promised result within the agreed schedule. An invoice documents a charge; it is not a substitute for confirming that the agreed work was completed.
Plan your Salt Lake City repair response with Kamee Shrope. Bring the buyer's request, relevant report pages, signed agreement and any comparable written estimates. That makes it possible to discuss a specific response, its effect on your sale and the next deadline.