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The home inspection guide

Your one deep, professional look inside the walls — how to get everything out of it.

What an inspection is (and isn't)

A licensed inspector examines the accessible condition of the home: roof, structure, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and safety items, then delivers a written report, usually within 24–48 hours. It is not a pass/fail and not an appraisal — it's a risk list. Typical cost runs roughly $300–$600 depending on size and market; specialised tests (radon, termite, sewer scope) are separate line items worth considering by region.

Attend it — and sort findings into three buckets

• Safety (act): exposed wiring, gas leaks, missing handrails, active water intrusion. These shape negotiation immediately.
• Big-ticket mechanical (negotiate or walk): roof nearing end of life, failing HVAC, foundation movement, ageing water heater. Price the remaining life, not the catastrophe.
• Cosmetics (accept): scuffed paint, dated fixtures. Every house has them; asking sellers to fix them weakens your repair asks.

Negotiating repairs without blowing up the deal

Lead with the safety and big-ticket items, ask for credits rather than seller-done repairs (you control quality), and get contractor quotes for anything structural before countering. Sellers respond to organised requests: a one-page summary with quotes attached moves faster than a forty-page report dump.

For sellers: the pre-listing inspection

Inspecting before listing converts surprises into choices. You can fix on your schedule, price known items into the list price, and hand buyers a clean report — deals with fewer last-minute discoveries are calmer and less likely to re-trade.

Questions to ask any inspector

• Are you licensed and insured — and may I see a sample report?
• What's excluded from this inspection?
• Can I walk along with you? (The answer should be an enthusiastic yes.)
• Which items would you escalate first, and why?

The inspection doesn't kill deals — surprises do. Information, gathered early, is what keeps closings calm.