After a home inspection in Pennsylvania, you have three options. You can ask the seller for repairs or a credit, accept the home as-is, or walk away. Under the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors Standard Agreement of Sale, all three choices run on a clock, and your home inspection report drives each one.
This guide explains how the PA inspection contingency works, how to sort the report so you ask for the right things, how repairs compare with credits and price reductions, what sellers must disclose, why inspectors do not price repairs, and what a realistic timeline looks like. It is general information rather than legal advice. Your agent and, when needed, a real estate attorney apply it to your contract.
What does the inspection contingency in the PA Agreement of Sale allow?
The inspection contingency sits in Paragraph 13 of PAR’s Standard Agreement for the Sale of Real Estate, known as Form ASR. According to PAR’s own Legal Hotline guidance on the inspection contingency, the buyer has three choices once the inspections are complete. Accept the property. Terminate the agreement. Or present the seller with a Written Corrective Proposal that lists the corrections or credits the buyer wants.
The contingency runs in three timed segments. The inspection contingency period is when you complete your inspections and deliver your decision, with copies of the reports, to the seller. If you submit a corrective proposal, a negotiation period follows, which PAR describes as five days under the standard form. If that period ends with no written agreement, you then choose to accept the property or terminate.
Two deadlines matter most. Your decision and your reports are due by the last day of the contingency period, not on the day of the inspection. And once you submit a corrective proposal, PAR notes that you cannot withdraw it, change it, or terminate until the negotiation period ends. If you miss the contingency deadline and the seller is no longer obligated to negotiate, you give up the right to terminate under this contingency.
How do you sort the report? Safety and structural vs. cosmetic
The report is not a repair list for the seller. It is the home’s full condition, and the fastest way to lose a negotiation is to ask for everything. Sort the findings into tiers before you write a proposal.
| Priority | Typical findings | How to handle it |
| Tier 1. Safety and structural | Active roof leaks, a furnace or boiler that did not operate, knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, foundation movement, elevated radon, active water intrusion | Always include. Request repair by a licensed contractor or a credit sized to a written estimate. |
| Tier 2. Major systems near end of life | Roof or heating system with little life left, aging water heater, older plumbing or electrical panel | Include when the cost is significant. A credit is often more practical than a seller repair. |
| Tier 3. Deferred maintenance | Clogged gutters, missing GFCI protection, grading that slopes toward the house, failed caulk and seals | Include selectively, usually as a small credit or a grouped request. |
| Tier 4. Cosmetic | Paint, worn flooring, cracked tile, sticking doors | Leave out. These weaken the proposal and are expected in a resale home. |
Lead with Tier 1. A proposal built on documented safety and structural findings is hard for a seller to dismiss. Pull the largest items from the categories on the Pennsylvania home inspection checklist, which are the roof, heating, electrical, plumbing, and water, and let the cosmetic items go.
Repair vs. credit vs. price reduction
A corrective proposal can ask for corrections, credits, or both. PAR’s Form BRI is the document buyers use to deliver that choice. Each option has trade-offs.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
| Seller completes repairs | No cash out of your pocket at closing. The work is done before you move in. | You do not control the contractor or the quality. Rushed work before settlement is common, so require receipts or a re-inspection. |
| Credit at settlement | You choose the contractor and the timing. Simple to document on the settlement sheet. | Lender rules can cap seller credits. You carry the project after closing. |
| Price reduction | Lowers the loan amount and the long-term cost. | Puts less cash in your hand at closing than a credit. Can prompt an appraisal review. |
| Walk away | Removes all of the risk. The deposit is typically returned when you terminate under the contingency. | You lose the home and the cost of the inspection. |
Most buyers in NEPA do best asking the seller to fix true safety items and taking a credit for everything else. Ask your lender early how large a seller credit your loan allows, because that number shapes the proposal. For who typically pays for what in a Pennsylvania transaction, see Does the Buyer or Seller Pay for the Home Inspection?
What must sellers disclose under Pennsylvania’s Seller Disclosure Law?
The Pennsylvania Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law, found at Chapter 73 of Title 68, requires any seller transferring an interest in residential property to disclose known material defects to the buyer by completing a property disclosure statement. The law defines a material defect as a problem with the property that would have a significant adverse impact on its value or that involves an unreasonable risk to people on the property.
The law also sets limits on what matters in a negotiation. A component that is simply at or beyond the end of its normal useful life is not by itself a material defect, so an old roof the seller disclosed as old is not a disclosure violation. The seller must not make statements they know are false or misleading and must not fail to disclose a known material defect, and an agent is liable only with actual knowledge of an undisclosed defect.
Use the disclosure statement alongside the inspection report. When the report finds a defect the seller did not disclose, that is a strong basis for a corrective proposal. When the report confirms something the seller already disclosed, you knew it when you made your offer, and the seller will say so. Questions about a possible violation belong with a real estate attorney.
Why do inspectors not price repairs, and who does?
A home inspector identifies and documents defects. Under the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, the inspection is a visual, non-invasive evaluation that reports the condition of the home’s systems, and it is not a repair estimate. Mountain to Valley does not provide repair quotes, and that separation is what makes the report credible to a seller. The inspector has no stake in the size of the repair.
Pricing comes from licensed contractors. For a Tier 1 roof, heating, or electrical finding, get at least one written estimate during the contingency period, and two for anything large. Attach the estimates to your corrective proposal. A credit request backed by a contractor’s number is far harder to argue with than a round figure.
This is where a clear, photo-based report pays off. Every finding in a Mountain to Valley report carries photos and a plain description, so your agent, the seller, and the contractor are all looking at the same thing. Wood-destroying organism findings, for example, come with the photos a treatment company needs to quote.
What does a realistic negotiation timeline look like?
Timelines depend on the contingency period written into your agreement, so treat this as a sequence rather than a schedule.
- Days 1 to 2. Schedule the inspection and any add-ons such as radon, well water, or septic. Fast availability matters, because the clock started when the agreement was signed.
- Inspection day. Walk the home with the inspector. Ask questions on site while the findings are in front of you.
- Within 24 hours. Review the report with your agent and sort it into tiers.
- Next 2 to 4 days. Get contractor estimates for the Tier 1 and Tier 2 items.
- Before the contingency deadline. Deliver your decision, copies of the reports, and the Written Corrective Proposal on Form BRI.
- Negotiation period. Offers and counteroffers go back and forth. Your proposal stays on the table until this period ends.
- After the negotiation period. Sign the agreed changes. If there is no agreement, accept the property or terminate.
Every one of the 15 reasons you need a home inspection in NEPA comes down to this stretch of days, when the report turns into money and safety. Treat the deadlines as hard.
Turn the report into leverage
A clear report, a sorted proposal, and contractor numbers behind it are what move a seller. Mountain to Valley delivers photo-based reports with fast turnaround so you have time to get estimates before the contingency deadline, and we inspect radon, well water, septic, and wood-destroying organisms on the same visit when you need them.
FAQs
How long do I have to negotiate repairs after a home inspection in Pennsylvania?
Your inspection contingency period is set in the Agreement of Sale, and your decision and reports are due by its last day. If you submit a Written Corrective Proposal, PAR describes a five-day negotiation period under the standard form, after which you accept the property or terminate if there is no agreement.
Can I ask for a credit instead of repairs?
Yes. The Written Corrective Proposal on PAR’s Form BRI can list corrections, credits, or both. Check with your lender first, because loan rules can cap how much a seller is allowed to credit.
Can the seller refuse to make repairs?
Yes. The seller can reject or counter your proposal. If the negotiation period ends without a written agreement, you choose to accept the property as it is or terminate under the contingency.
Does a home inspector give repair costs?
No. The inspector identifies and documents defects. Repair pricing comes from licensed contractors, and attaching their written estimates to your proposal strengthens it.
What if the seller did not disclose a defect the inspection found?
Pennsylvania’s Seller Disclosure Law requires sellers to disclose known material defects. An undisclosed defect supports your corrective proposal, and questions about a possible violation belong with a real estate attorney.