Selling a House As-Is in California: What You Still Have to Disclose

Yes, you can sell a house as-is in California, but "as-is" only means you won't make repairs or give credits for them. It does not remove your legal duty to tell buyers what you know about the property's condition. Most of the problems in as-is sales come from sellers who confuse those two things.

Below is how an as-is sale actually works here, what you still owe the buyer, and how to price and plan for it.

What does "as-is" actually mean in a California sale?

An as-is sale means you're offering the home in its current condition and you aren't agreeing to fix anything the buyer finds. The buyer can still order inspections, and they can still ask for repairs or credits. You are simply free to say no.

What the buyer cannot be asked to do is waive your disclosure obligations. A buyer who accepts a home as-is is accepting the condition you've disclosed, plus whatever their own inspections uncover. They are not accepting problems you knew about and kept quiet.

If you want the broader Southern California picture, including how as-is sales differ by market, our guide on how to sell a house as-is in Southern California covers it. This article focuses on the California rules and the mechanics.

What do I still have to disclose when I sell as-is?

California sellers of most one-to-four unit residential properties must deliver written disclosures, and as-is status doesn't change that. The core set usually includes:

• Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS): your answers about the property's condition, known defects, and any work done on the home.
• Seller property questionnaire: a longer set of questions on things like past repairs, neighborhood noise, nuisances, and legal or boundary issues.
• Natural hazard disclosure: a report, typically ordered from a third-party company, showing whether the property sits in mapped flood, fire, earthquake or similar hazard zones.
• Lead-based paint disclosure: required for homes built before 1978.
• Other point-of-sale items: smoke and carbon monoxide detector compliance, water heater bracing, and any local requirements for your city or county.

Beyond the forms, California law also requires you to disclose known facts that materially affect the home's value or desirability, even if no form asks about them. If you know about a past roof leak, a foundation repair, or a permit that was never finalized, it belongs in the disclosures.

Local rules vary. Some cities require their own property report or inspection at sale, so it's worth confirming what applies to your address early rather than at the end of escrow.

Can a buyer still inspect an as-is house?

Yes, and they almost always do. In a standard California contract, the buyer has an inspection contingency period, and during it they can walk away or negotiate based on what they learn. As-is doesn't take that right away unless the buyer chooses to waive it, which is their decision, not something you can require.

After inspections, the buyer will usually do one of three things: proceed as-is, ask for repairs or credits, or cancel. You can respond to a request by agreeing, countering, or declining. Declining is within your rights, but expect that the buyer may then cancel or renegotiate the price.

For a clear picture of what the report covers and how both sides use it, see our guide to the California home inspection.

Should I get my own inspection before listing?

For an as-is sale, a pre-listing inspection is often worth considering. It does two things. It shows you what a buyer is likely to find, so the first inspection report doesn't land as a surprise. It also lets you disclose accurately from the start, which protects you.

The tradeoff is that once you have the report, you know about every item in it, and you'll need to disclose what it shows. That isn't a reason to skip it, but it's a reason to go in with your eyes open. A broker can walk you through whether it makes sense for your particular house and timeline.

Which repairs are worth making anyway?

Selling as-is doesn't mean you must do nothing. It means you get to choose. Small, inexpensive fixes can change how a buyer reads the whole property, while major projects rarely pay off on a rushed timeline.

In real terms, the useful question is whether a repair removes a reason for the buyer to worry. Things like active leaks, missing handrails, non-working outlets or broken windows tend to make buyers assume there's more wrong underneath. Our guide on what to fix before listing your house (and what to skip) helps sort the worthwhile from the wasteful.

How does as-is change pricing?

An as-is home generally sells to a narrower group of buyers, often investors, cash buyers, and renovators, along with buyers whose financing allows for the condition. Some loan programs require the property to meet minimum condition standards at appraisal, which can limit who can close on a home with serious defects.

That's why pricing matters more here, not less. Price against what comparable homes in similar condition have actually sold for, not against fully updated homes down the street. A broker's comparative market analysis, built on closed sales, is the right starting point, and our piece on how to price your home to sell in Los Angeles walks through the method. Because condition varies so much from street to street, local knowledge counts. Homes in places like Palmdale and the rest of the Antelope Valley can price quite differently from one block to the next based on age, lot and upkeep.

I'd encourage sellers to be wary of any promise about a specific price or timeline for an as-is sale. Condition, financing and demand all move the outcome, and no one can guarantee it.

What will I actually net from an as-is sale?

The sale price is not what you walk away with. Your net depends on commissions, closing costs, any credits you agree to, and your payoff. Build the estimate before you commit to a price or accept an offer.

Two resources help here: what closing costs home sellers pay in California and our explanation of the seller net sheet. If you're unsure how the closing itself works, how escrow works in California fills in the steps.

Landlords selling a tenant-occupied or worn rental have a few additional wrinkles, covered in selling a rental property as-is in Southern California.

Is an as-is sale right for me?

It can be a good fit if the home needs more work than you want to take on, if you're settling an estate, if you're relocating on a deadline, or if the repair costs and disruption outweigh the likely price difference. It's a weaker fit if the house is in decent shape and a few modest fixes would broaden your buyer pool.

If you're weighing it, a conversation is a low-pressure way to compare options. You can see how we approach selling your home or reach out directly for an honest read on your property.