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Focus on the systems that are expensive to fix and hard to ignore, not the length of the report itself: roof condition, foundation, HVAC age, plumbing, electrical, and any sign of past water intrusion. In the Houston area specifically, HVAC systems run nearly year-round and foundations sit on expansive clay soil, so both deserve a closer look than they might elsewhere. In Texas, a buyer's real leverage here comes from the option period: while it's still open, you can request repairs, ask for a credit, or terminate the contract altogether, forfeiting only the (typically small) option fee rather than any real penalty.

A must-have affects safety, structure, or a major system: an active roof leak, foundation movement an engineer flags as active, failing HVAC, or an electrical hazard. A nice-to-have is everything you'd likely change anyway if you owned the home, like dated fixtures, cosmetic wear, or an older-but-functional appliance. Treating the second category as leverage tends to cost buyers goodwill in negotiations without moving the needle much on price.

Buyer closing costs typically run 2% to 5% of the purchase price, covering lender fees, title work, and prepaid taxes and insurance; Texas has no state transfer tax, which keeps that total a bit lower than in many other states. Sellers can also contribute toward a buyer's closing costs as part of an offer, capped at a dollar amount the contract specifies. The real limits on how that money gets used come from the buyer's lender, though: loan-program rules generally cap seller contributions as a percentage of the price and restrict them to legitimate settlement charges, never a buyer's down payment or cash back at closing.

Remove it. Paint applied directly over wallpaper tends to telegraph itself once humidity reaches the seams, especially in a Gulf Coast climate, and a buyer (or their inspector) who spots it starts wondering what else got a shortcut treatment. A clean, neutral repaint after removal is one of the more reliably cost-effective updates before listing, and it reads as genuine upkeep rather than a patch job.