Can a Seller Refuse to Make Repairs After Inspection? Wyoming Rules
Yes, you can, and here's the part sellers forget. An inspection contingency gives the buyer the right to inspect and the right to ask. It does not obligate you to agree to a single thing. You've got four legitimate responses to any repair request, and only one of them's yes.
I'm Jess LaCour, and I've been selling real estate in Gillette since 2014. I've watched a lot of good deals nearly die in the ten days after an inspection, and almost every time it's because the seller didn't know what they were allowed to say.
Before anything else. What follows is general information about how inspection contingencies and Wyoming disclosure rules work. It's not a legal opinion, and I'm not an attorney. Your contract's what actually governs your deal, and the answer to "what should I do about this specific demand" comes from your agent or a licensed Wyoming attorney who's looking at your paperwork. I'm going to tell you what the rules say. I'm not going to tell you what to do.
The short version
You have four legitimate responses to any repair request. You can agree, you can counter, you can offer a credit instead of doing the work, or you can decline.
The contingency gives the buyer the right to ask, not the right to make you agree. That's the whole ballgame, and most sellers don't know it.
Declining carries one real consequence. If the buyer's still inside their contingency window, they may have the right to walk with their earnest money. Your contract's what decides.
Wyoming has no law requiring a seller property disclosure form. It's a caveat emptor state, and that's genuinely unusual.
Under Wyo. Stat. § 33-28-303(c) the disclosure duty runs through your agent, not through you. If your listing agent knows an adverse material fact, they've got to disclose it.
The buyer's leverage ends exactly where your contract says it does. Most sellers just never read that far.
What are my options when a buyer asks for repairs after the inspection?
Four, and all four are legitimate. It's worth having these in writing before you need them, because under pressure nobody remembers all four.
Agree. Do the work they're asking for. Sometimes it's a genuine safety or system issue, and fixing it's both right and cheaper than losing the deal.
Counter. Agree to some of the list, not the rest. Most repair negotiations land here, and there's nothing weak about landing there.
Offer a credit instead. You're giving money at closing rather than doing the work yourself. This one's underused. You're not scheduling contractors on somebody else's timeline, and plenty of buyers would rather have the cash and pick their own person anyway.
Decline. Say no. It's a real option, and it's on the table for every single line item.
Here's the honest tradeoff on that last one, because I'd rather you hear it from me. If you decline while the buyer's still inside their contingency window, they may have the right to walk away with their earnest money. Saying no can carry a consequence. But it's your call to make, and it isn't theirs to force on you. Where exactly that line sits is a contract question, and your agent or attorney is the one who can read your specific paperwork and tell you.
How do I tell a real defect claim from a buyer re-trading the price?
Ask whether the problem's new and whether it's material. Those two words are doing most of the work.
A defect claim says something's genuinely wrong with the house and the inspection is how it got found. A failing roof, an electrical hazard, a cracked heat exchanger. Things you couldn't have caught by looking.
A re-trade says the buyer wants a better price and is using the inspection as the lever to get one. The tell's usually that the item isn't new information, or that the dollar figure has no relationship to what the fix actually costs.
Those two things deserve completely different responses, and they're easy to confuse when you're rattled. Address the genuine safety and system issues, and hold firm on the rest. Mixing them together's how sellers end up paying for both.
Can a buyer ask me to fix cosmetic things they saw at the showing?
They can ask. People can ask for anything, and plenty do. Whether you've got to say yes is a different question, and on cosmetic, visible, already-known items you're on strong footing to decline.
An inspection contingency is generally meant for newly discovered material problems. Chipped paint and dated fixtures were visible when they toured the home, and they wrote the offer anyway. That's not nothing. Those were conditions the buyer accepted at that price, and they knew it.
Here's what a clean response sounds like: those conditions were visible and they were reflected in the price we agreed on, and we're glad to look at any genuine defect the inspection turned up.
Hold that line politely and firmly, because caving on cosmetic items teaches the buyer there's more to get.
What if they demand money for something I already fixed?
Pull the paperwork. Receipts, permits, and whatever warranty you've got on the work, then have your agent put all of it in front of the buyer's agent.
A large demand on a system you've already replaced isn't a defect claim. It's a re-trade using the inspection as the lever, and documented completed work is one of the strongest positions a seller can be in.
There's a second thing that demand's telling you, and it's worth noticing. If a buyer's number's that far from reality, that's information about the buyer. Sometimes the right move's to hold firm with the paper trail and find out whether they're genuinely willing to walk away from a house over a problem that doesn't even exist.
Facts beat demands, and here you've got the facts.
Does a seller have to disclose defects in Wyoming?
No state law requires it, and that surprises almost everybody I tell. Wyoming is a caveat emptor state, which means buyer beware, and Wyoming courts enforce caveat emptor clauses in purchase contracts. There's no statute requiring a seller to complete a property condition disclosure form. Most states have one. Wyoming doesn't, and that's not an oversight.
That's genuinely unusual, and it matters for the conversation this whole article's about. A Wyoming seller isn't starting from a mandatory disclosure document that a buyer's going to work through line by line hunting for leverage. That's a real structural advantage, and most sellers in Campbell County have no idea they've got it.
Now the limits, because they're just as important and nobody explains those either.
You can't conceal a known defect, and you can't lie if you're asked. Caveat emptor'll protect a seller who stayed quiet. It doesn't protect a seller who actively hid something, and it won't protect one who answered a direct question falsely. That's fraudulent misrepresentation, and it's actionable.
Federal law overrides all of it on pre-1978 homes. The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, 42 U.S.C. § 4852d, requires disclosure of known lead-based paint hazards and gives the buyer a 10-day opportunity to inspect for them. State caveat emptor doctrine doesn't touch it.
And the duty runs through your agent. This is the part that surprises sellers most, and I'd rather you hear it from me. Under Wyo. Stat. § 33-28-303(c), a licensee acting as a seller's agent owes no duty to the buyer except that the licensee must disclose to any prospective buyer all adverse material facts actually known by the licensee. The statute says those facts may include ones pertaining to title, physical condition, material defects, and environmental hazards required by law to be disclosed. It also says the licensee can't perpetuate a material misrepresentation of the seller that they know or should know is false.
Read that one carefully. Your listing agent's held to a standard you aren't. If I know an adverse material fact about your house, I've got to disclose it, and that obligation's mine regardless of what you'd prefer. I'd rather you understand that going in than run into it mid-transaction.
Plenty of Wyoming sellers fill out a voluntary disclosure form anyway. There're reasonable arguments on both sides of that, and it isn't a decision I'm going to make for you in a blog post. It's a conversation to have with your agent, and if there's any real exposure in your situation, with an attorney.
Should I sell as-is or make the repairs?
There's no one-size answer, so here's the real tradeoff instead of a slogan.
First, let's clear up what as-is doesn't mean. It doesn't mean there's no inspection, and it doesn't mean you can hide problems. In most places buyers can still inspect, and they can still walk. And in Wyoming, as-is doesn't override the fraud limits or the federal lead-paint rule above.
As-is mainly sends one signal: I'm not making repairs, so price accordingly.
The case for as-is is speed and certainty for you. No repair negotiations, and it can bring in investors and cash buyers who actually want a project.
The case against is that it can mean fewer buyers and lower offers, because plenty of buyers want move-in ready and they'll discount hard for anything they can't see.
The case for repairing is that it usually nets you more from ordinary buyers, especially on the cheap high-impact items. Paint, a deep clean, fixing the obvious. It'll cost you time and money up front, though.
So here's the honest rule of thumb. As-is tends to move faster, and repaired and priced right tends to net more. Which one wins comes down to your home's condition, your timeline, and what cash you've got on hand.
That's a conversation you want with your agent before you list, not after the inspection report's landed.
What I'd want a seller to do before the inspection ever happens
Read your contract before you accept the offer, not after the report's come back. Know your contingency window, know what the buyer's remedies are, and know what's supposed to happen if you decline. Almost everything in this article's easier when you already knew the answer.
Then get all your paperwork in one place. Receipts, permits, and warranties for every major system you've replaced. That folder's worth real money the day somebody demands a concession for work you already did.
And settle your as-is question before you list, so you're making a strategy call and not a panic call.
If you're selling in Gillette, Sheridan, Newcastle, Pine Haven, or anywhere else in Northeast Wyoming and you want somebody in your corner who's read the contract before the inspection rather than after it, call me at 307-682-7767. And if your situation has any real legal exposure in it, I'll tell you that too, and I'll tell you to call an attorney.
Frequently asked questions
Can a seller refuse to make repairs after a home inspection? Yes. An inspection contingency gives the buyer the right to inspect and the right to ask, and it does not obligate the seller to agree to anything. A seller can agree, counter, offer a credit instead of doing the work, or decline. If the seller declines while the buyer is still within the contingency window, the buyer may have the right to terminate and recover their earnest money, depending on the terms of the contract.
What happens if a seller says no to repair requests? The buyer generally has to decide whether to proceed anyway or exercise their contingency. If they are still inside the inspection contingency window, that typically means they can walk away and recover their earnest money. Outside that window, their options are usually narrower. The specific remedies come from the contract, so a seller should review it with their agent or a licensed attorney before declining.
Does a seller have to disclose known defects in Wyoming? Wyoming has no statute requiring a seller to complete a property condition disclosure form, and Wyoming courts enforce caveat emptor clauses in purchase contracts. Sellers still cannot conceal a known defect or answer a direct question falsely, which can constitute fraudulent misrepresentation. Federal law separately requires lead-based paint disclosure on homes built before 1978.
Is Wyoming a caveat emptor state for real estate? Yes. Wyoming follows the doctrine of caveat emptor, meaning buyer beware, and places the burden of pre-purchase investigation on the buyer rather than requiring a standardized seller disclosure form. This differs from most states, which mandate a written property condition disclosure.
Does a Wyoming real estate agent have to disclose defects even if the seller doesn't? Yes. Under Wyo. Stat. § 33-28-303(c), a licensee acting as a seller's agent must disclose to any prospective buyer all adverse material facts actually known by the licensee, which may include facts about title, physical condition, material defects, and environmental hazards required by law to be disclosed. The statute also prohibits the licensee from perpetuating a material misrepresentation of the seller that the licensee knows or should know is false.
Can a buyer ask for repairs on cosmetic issues they saw at the showing? A buyer can ask for anything, but a seller is generally on strong footing to decline on cosmetic, visible, already-known items. Inspection contingencies are generally intended for newly discovered material problems rather than conditions the buyer observed and accepted when making the offer.
Does selling as-is mean the buyer can't inspect in Wyoming? No. Selling as-is signals that the seller does not intend to make repairs, but in most cases buyers can still inspect and still exercise their contingency to walk away. As-is also does not permit concealing known defects, and it does not override the federal lead-based paint disclosure requirement for homes built before 1978.
What is the difference between a defect claim and a re-trade? A defect claim identifies a genuine, newly discovered material problem with the property. A re-trade is an attempt to renegotiate the purchase price using the inspection as leverage, often over items that were already visible, already repaired, or priced far above the actual cost of the work. The two generally warrant different responses.
This article is general information about inspection contingencies and Wyoming disclosure rules. It is not legal advice, it does not create an attorney-client or agency relationship, and it is not a substitute for review of your specific contract. Statutes and their interpretation change. For any question about your own transaction, consult your agent or a licensed Wyoming attorney. All real estate commissions are negotiable and are not set by law or by any brokerage. Any numbers shown are examples, not rates.
About the author
Jessica "Jess" LaCour is the Broker/Owner of 411 Properties LLC in Gillette, Wyoming, serving Campbell, Crook, Weston, and Sheridan counties. She's been licensed since 2014 and has helped more than 1,500 families buy and sell across Northeast Wyoming, with over $764 million in career sales volume. She's been the #1 active producing broker in Northeast Wyoming since 2019.
RealTrends Verified ranked her #1 in Gillette and Northeast Wyoming and #9 in Wyoming by sales volume for 2026, on 113 residential transaction sides, which is the highest transaction count of anyone in the state's top ten. RealTrends counts residential transactions only, so land, lots, commercial, leases, referrals, and multi-family over four units are excluded from that figure.
She holds the CRS and RENE designations, has won the RateMyAgent Wyoming State Award five years running from 2022 through 2026, and currently serves as President and Chair of the Northeast Wyoming Board of REALTORS for 2025 to 2026.
Jessica "Jess" LaCour, Broker/Owner · 411 Properties LLC · 560 Running W Dr #120, Gillette, WY 82718 · 307-682-7767 · License WY RE-13305