How to Wade Through a Home Inspection’s Sea of Info

understanding the 3 main buckets of problems that might come up

Brent the Broker coaches on how to parse through a home inspection, including health and safety issues, big-ticket cost items, and the minutia of your inspection report.

More of a reader? Catch the video transcript below!

All right, today we’re talking all about home inspections and; more importantly, how to parse through the main three buckets in the home inspection report. We’re going to look at health and safety items, big-ticket cost items that might not be health-related (but might cost you a fortune), and of course, all the minutia and how to parse through what’s important and what’s not.

What are the most important items in a home inspection?

So, you just got your home inspection back and there are 150 comments and items and pictures to wade through. You’re probably wondering…how do I know what’s important and what isn’t in my home inspection report?

Health and Safety Items

Home inspectors will make note of any health and safety hazards in the home. These safety hazards can come in varying degrees of price and difficulty to resolve.

For example, if there isn’t an anti-tip bracket on your stove, the inspector will make note of that because that’s what holds the foot of the stove down so that it won’t tip over if a child tries to climb on it. This is a very inexpensive fix and will probably run you less than $10 from Home Depot.

On the other hand, if your report comes back with a wall covered in black toxic mold, you’ll have to have a mold remediation company come in and solve the issue.

When you’re parsing through the health and safety issues, it’s important to know which ones will be an easy fix and which ones will be time-consuming and/or expensive.

Make sure you’re working with an agent or inspector who can help guide you and parse through these things because not all health and safety issues are created equal!

Big-Ticket Cost Items

Buying a home is probably one of the most expensive purchases you’ll ever make. The last thing you want to do is pay an exorbitant amount of money on something like a roof repair, a plumbing leak, or a new foundation.

So, the next items you really want to pay attention to in your home inspection report are the big-ticket items and repairs.

These big-ticket, big-money items include anything related to the foundation, plumbing, electrical, roof, and HVAC.

For example, in the first house that I bought, the AC worked fine on the inspection, but when I moved in, I noticed it clicked off after 10 minutes. So, I had an HVAC professional come out and they told me, “Yeah, your system is shot. It’s 30 years old. It needs to be replaced and it’ll cost $15,000.”

Well, I got a second opinion because I didn’t just want to write a check for $15,000. The next HVAC expert that came in said, “Oh, there are two wires that are flip-flopped in your thermostat. I’ll fix it for you for no charge.”

And guess what? It worked for the next five years I lived there!

So, when it comes to these big-ticket items, we also want to make sure we’re bringing in quality, trusted professionals so we can get the most accurate information and fair pricing.

The Minutia

Let’s face it: most of the home inspection report is going to be minutia. I mean, your inspector’s job is to tear this place apart and tell you every tiny little thing that’s going on in the home: if you’ve got a cracked tile here, a loose faucet there, reversed hot and cold lines, dirty carpet, various nicks and scuffs in the paint…it’s all minutia.

I know it’s a sea of information and can be difficult and time-consuming to wade through; however, it’s so worth it to go through and look at what can be done quickly and inexpensively and what will be a more costly repair.

Pro Tip of the Day

So, the pro tip of the day here is that you want to make sure that you’re working with a good inspector and a good agent AND bringing in good specialists to make sure that everything is being captured so that you have a full understanding of what repairs and replacements may be involved.

You also want to make sure you aren’t being unnecessarily spooked. It would be really tragic if someone walked away from a deal or a seller canceled on you because you were worried about a $15,000 HVAC replacement when it really only cost you a couple bucks to flip some wires.

So, it’s crucial that you have a team of good pros on your side when you’re making a huge purchase like buying a home.

That’ll be it for me today, guys, and I’ll see you in the next one!

Brent Edwards (aka Brent the Broker) is a residential real estate agent and Realtor in San Diego, CA who helps clients buy and sell homes in San Diego, California and all surrounding areas. Brent is a highly-recommended Realtor in San Diego by family, friends and past clients. Call Brent today at 619-550-8070 if you have any questions about real estate in San Diego or you'd like to buy or sell a home.