The repairs that stall a regular sale
Inspectors and lenders flag the same things over and over in older Bay Area houses: cracked or unreinforced foundations, knob-and-tube wiring, electrical panels insurers won't cover, galvanized pipes, sewer laterals full of roots and roofs on their second or third layer. Any one of them can sink a buyer's loan or turn into a long repair request after inspection.
Earthquakes and older houses
A lot of houses built before 1980 aren't bolted to their foundations, and many sit on short crawlspace walls, called cripple walls, that can fail in a strong quake. Retrofits are common here. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers grants in some ZIP codes, and Berkeley refunds part of its transfer tax for seismic upgrades. If you'd rather not take that on, a cash buyer will buy the house without it. The California Geological Survey publishes the hazard maps buyers and insurers look at.
Fire and water damage
After a fire or a burst pipe, you may be weighing an insurance claim against a sale. Some owners settle the claim and sell the house unrepaired, which is allowed. Ask your insurer what happens to the payout if you sell and keep every piece of paperwork. If a claim stalls, the California Department of Insurance runs a consumer help line.
As-is still means telling the buyer what you know
Selling as-is doesn't switch off California's disclosure rules. In most sales you still fill out the Transfer Disclosure Statement and tell the buyer what you know about the house (Civil Code 1102 and the sections after it). Many probate and trust sales are exempt from the full form, but hiding a known defect is still a problem. The difference with a cash buyer is that they expect problems, price them in and don't ask you to fix them. Honest disclosure is what protects you after closing.
How repairs show up in the offer
The buyer starts from what the house would sell for once it's fixed, then subtracts the repairs, the cost of carrying the house while the work happens and the cost of reselling it. Ask to see those lines. If a repair estimate looks high, say so and ask where it came from. And if you decide to fix some things yourself first, check the contractor's license with the Contractors State License Board.