Navigating the Home Inspection Report

Once you receive the home inspection report, you’ll need to review it thoroughly. Reports can be 25+ pages long with just as many or more “issues” that need to be repaired. It can look daunting, but it is typical. Every home has something that could use repair or replace. 

With that said, there is a big difference between small cosmetic repairs, such as needing to touch up paint or a broken handle on a cabinet, and large issues such as there needs to be a support beam in the basement or there are signs of an active leak behind a wall. 

Remember, the home inspection is an informational report for you, not a honey-do list for the seller. We should focus on structural and safety issues, or appliances/mechanicals not working. 

Tips for reading the inspection report:

• Pay particular attention to issues relating to the electrical, plumbing, roof, foundation, or water intrusion issues. Those can be major repair issues. 

• If there are any major issues that are concerning to you, decide if you’d like to have additional inspections performed. You can bring in a structural engineer, sewer inspector, electrician, pest inspector, etc. Please note, you will be responsible for the fees for bringing in additional professionals. 

• Make a list of items you feel the seller must repair or you’re not willing to go through the transaction. 

• Make a second list of items you’d like the seller to fix, but would be willing to still close on the house without the seller fixing. 

• Make a third list of the items you’re okay with fixing yourself or don’t feel the need to be fixed.

• Once you’ve done this, email me your list and I’ll review it and give you my recommendation.

• You can also decide to terminate the agreement due to your inspection and investigation findings without recourse. 

• Remember, the Seller has 3 days to respond to your requests and can accept, negotiate or terminate the contract with no penalty once you request repairs or repair credit. So make sure that you are ok with that before proceeding.

• Remember that the things on the report that are the most important are:

  • Discover health and safety issues

  • See if there are structural issues

  • Determine if there are needed repairs to working components like the furnace or water heater.

  • Our focus is not on minor cosmetic imperfections such as paint colors or dents in flooring, and understand that every home, even new construction, will have some flaws that need to be accepted or addressed. We will need to accept the house with its cosmetic flaws or find a new house. 

Remember, we are mainly concerned with health and safety issues and things not working.

If there are items you’d like resolved and once we have an agreed-upon strategy, we’ll negotiate the repairs with the seller’s agent. The sellers have 3 days to respond. If the items needing repair are extensive, we may need to extend the inspection period to allow for professionals to be brought in to give estimates. 

►►► If you decide to put a proposal together based on the inspection findings, this opens the contract up for negotiation and a seller can decide to accept the proposed terms, negotiate, or terminate the contract without penalty. 

If we can come to an agreement with the sellers, we’ll draft an addendum for all to sign. If repairs are to be done, they need to be done before closing and receipts will need to be sent to me to confirm they were repaired. We will view the work during the final walkthrough. 

In the event we are not able to come to an agreement, you or the seller have the right to walk away from the transaction, a mutual release form will need to be signed to ensure you receive your EMD back.

Empowering clients to build and preserve wealth through real estate.

Ready to connect? Reach out! I look forward to helping you on this journey!

► Go to Step 17

Monique Hanson is a REALTOR® serving the greater West Michigan area. Monique helps people buy and sell homes in Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties. You can contact Monique by calling or texting 616-805-9177 or emailing hello@moniquehanson.com.