Your morning market pulse — April 13, 2026
Your buyer's inspection came back with $12,000 in repairs. Most agents ask for $6,000 in credits and call it a negotiation. That's not negotiating — that's splitting the difference, and it trains the other side to always start high.
Instead, anchor the repair request around items that affect financing and insurability. Lead with: "The lender is going to flag the roof and the electrical panel. These aren't negotiable — they have to be fixed or the loan doesn't close." Then list the cosmetic items separately and offer to waive them as a goodwill gesture.
You just repositioned the conversation from "how much do we knock off?" to "what does the lender require?" That's leverage. The seller credits the must-fix items, your buyer gets the real repairs covered, and the deal closes without either side feeling squeezed.