Selling as-is means expecting buyers to price the risk into their offer, often more conservatively than the actual repair cost, because a buyer's own home inspection, typically $400 to $600, cannot be certain what else an unresolved issue has affected.
That discount is real but it is not the same as being stuck. A homeowner who genuinely cannot afford a roof, furnace or foundation repair still holds the equity in the house itself, and a sale converts that equity into cash without requiring the repair first.
Whether fixing it first or selling as-is nets more depends on the specific repair and the timeline available. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.