What Counts as a Structural Exception to Your Agreed Price?

3 min read · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Joseph Mena, CFO of Cash Flow Deals. · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®)

With Cash Flow Deals, the number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. That exception is limited to foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, and cast-iron drain failure.

Factor	Traditional Listing	Cash Flow Deals
Timeline	A structural issue found during inspection can stall or kill a contract entirely, resetting the timeline back to square one.	A structural exception triggers a re-cost conversation, not a dead deal. Closing timeline holds unless the seller chooses to walk.
Repairs	Buyer can demand repairs or a credit for nearly anything found in inspection, cosmetic or structural.	Only undisclosed foundation, moisture, wiring, or drain issues can change the net price. Cosmetic items do not reopen the number.
Fees / Costs	Repair credits and price cuts effectively function as hidden fees, eating into what the seller nets.	Premium Cash Offer: Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line item on the closing statement. Fast Cash Offer: no listing commission to Cash Flow Deals.

The Exception, Exactly as It Works

You choose between two offers from Cash Flow Deals: the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. With Premium, your home may be listed through Silver Door Realty, a licensed Florida brokerage, with a licensed agent and scheduled showings. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. With Premium, only what the buyer's lender requires gets fixed; repair costs are settled from the sale proceeds, from our share. With Fast Cash, you sell as-is without making repairs. For either offer, the number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. The exception covers four categories: foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, and cast-iron drain failure. We disclose what we know at offer time so you can review it before signing. If your Premium buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still take the Fast Cash Offer at its own number. You choose between the Fast Cash Offer and the Premium Cash Offer.

Why Florida Law Backs This Distinction

Florida does not run on a simple caveat-emptor rule for residential home sales. The Florida Supreme Court's 1985 decision in Johnson v. Davis established that a seller who knows about a material defect that is not readily observable to the buyer has a duty to disclose it. Cash Flow Deals structures the structural exception around that same idea: known and visible conditions get priced into the net number up front, and only genuinely hidden structural conditions, the kind Johnson v. Davis was written to address, get a second look after signing. Confirm how this applies to your specific situation with a licensed FL real estate attorney.

What Does Not Count as a Structural Exception

Cosmetic wear does not qualify for the structural exception. Old paint, dated cabinets, a cracked driveway, worn flooring, and an outdated bathroom do not trigger a structural re-cost. Cash Flow Deals considers your house's as-is condition at offer time, using what is visible and disclosed, which is why the exception list stays narrow. If you painted over a small drywall crack five years ago, that is different from a foundation with an undisclosed structural crack behind a finished wall. The first is cosmetic. The second is the kind of hidden condition the exception exists for: if something structural that was not visible before signing surfaces, we re-cost it and you decide, and you can walk away.

What Does Count: The Four Categories

Foundation issues mean structural cracking, settling, or shifting that was not visible or disclosed before signing. Hidden moisture means water intrusion or damage behind walls, under flooring, or in areas that were not accessible or apparent at offer time. Old wiring means electrical systems with a genuine safety or code issue that was not disclosed, not simply an older but functional panel. Cast-iron drain failure means a failed or failing original drain line discovered after signing, not a known plumbing quirk the seller already mentioned. These four categories are the entire list. Nothing outside them reopens the number.

Cash Flow Deals' Process When an Exception Comes Up

Cash Flow Deals' Process: 1. Cash Flow Deals gets the exception documented, usually by the same contractor or inspector who found it. 2. Cash Flow Deals re-costs the specific issue and brings a revised number back to the seller. 3. The seller reviews the new number and decides, accept it or walk away from the deal entirely. 4. If the seller accepts, the closing proceeds at the revised, and now final, net price.

Common questions

Can Cash Flow Deals lower my price for something cosmetic?

No. The structural exception covers exactly four categories: foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, and cast-iron drain failure. Cosmetic items do not qualify.

What happens if I do not agree with the re-costed number?

You decide. You can walk away from the deal entirely if you do not accept the revised number.

Does Florida law require sellers to disclose known defects?

Under the Florida Supreme Court's Johnson v. Davis decision, a seller who knows about a material defect not readily observable to the buyer has a duty to disclose it. Confirm the specifics of your situation with a licensed FL real estate attorney.

Why does Cash Flow Deals say this almost never happens?

Because Cash Flow Deals discloses what it knows at offer time, before pricing the house. Most of what could trigger the exception gets caught and priced in up front instead of surfacing later.