Who pays for the home inspection?

The buyer, in nearly every case, because the inspection exists to protect the buyer. It’s paid out of pocket at or near the time of service and is not rolled into closing costs. Sellers who commission a pre-listing inspection pay for that one themselves.

How long does a home inspection take?

Two to four hours on site for a typical single-family home, longer for larger or older properties. The written report generally arrives within 24 to 48 hours.

What fixes are mandatory after a home inspection?

None. A seller has no legal obligation to repair anything a home inspection turns up. What changes the calculus is that lenders sometimes require specific safety or habitability repairs before funding, and disclosure laws in most states mean an unaddressed defect must be revealed to the next buyer too. The inspection gives you negotiating leverage rather than a repair mandate.

Can I back out of a purchase after a home inspection?

Yes, if your contract includes an inspection or due diligence contingency and you act within the specified window. Exercised correctly, you recover your earnest money. Miss the deadline or waive the contingency, and walking away can cost you that deposit and expose you to further claims.

What’s the difference between a home inspection and an appraisal?

An appraisal establishes market value for the lender, based largely on comparable sales. An inspection evaluates physical condition for the buyer. An appraiser will note obvious safety issues but is not examining your electrical panel or crawl space. You need both, and they serve different parties.

Should I get a home inspection on new construction?

Yes. New does not mean flawless — defective materials and rushed installation are common, and municipal inspections check code compliance rather than workmanship. Consider a pre-drywall inspection during construction plus a final inspection before closing, and a third near the end of the builder’s one-year warranty period.

What are the most common home inspection findings?

Roofing defects, grading and drainage problems, aging or poorly maintained HVAC equipment, electrical safety issues such as missing GFCI protection and improper wiring, plumbing leaks, and moisture in basements and crawl spaces. Nearly every inspection finds something — a clean report on a lived-in home is rare and, frankly, a little suspicious.

Do I have to attend the inspection?

You aren’t required to, but you should. Buyers who attend understand their reports better, ask better follow-up questions, and negotiate more effectively. If you truly can’t make it, ask for a phone walkthrough of the findings once the report is issued.

Is waiving the inspection ever a good idea?

In competitive markets buyers sometimes waive inspection contingencies to strengthen an offer. It’s a real risk with real consequences. A middle path is to keep an information-only inspection — you inspect and learn what you’re buying, but forfeit the right to renegotiate. That’s meaningfully better than going in blind.

How soon before closing should the inspection happen?

As early in your contingency period as possible. Booking on day one preserves the days you’ll need for contractor bids, specialty follow-ups and negotiation before your deadline.

Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers

The home inspection is the single best money you will spend during a home purchase. For roughly the cost of a plane ticket, a licensed inspector spends two to four hours cataloging everything wrong with the most expensive thing you will ever buy — while you still have the legal right to walk away.

But an inspection is only as useful as the buyer reading the report. Most people show up, follow the inspector around, nod at things they don’t understand, and then receive a sixty-page PDF with ninety-two flagged items and no idea which three actually matter. That’s how buyers end up renegotiating over a loose handrail while a failing sewer line sits on page 48.

This guide fixes that. Below you’ll find a complete home inspection checklist for buyers organized by system and by room, a breakdown of what standard inspections deliberately exclude, a triage framework that sorts findings into deal-breakers, negotiables, and noise, and a full section for sellers preparing for a home inspection on the other side of the transaction.

Quick answers:

What it costs: $300 to $500 for most single-family homes, with a national average around $343 to $400. Specialty add-ons run $100 to $600 each.
Who pays: The buyer, almost always — because the inspection exists to protect the buyer.
How long it takes: Two to four hours on site, plus 24 to 48 hours for the written report.
What’s mandatory: Nothing. Sellers are not legally obligated to fix anything. The inspection gives you leverage, not a repair order.
The one thing buyers get wrong: Treating report length as a danger signal. A thorough inspector on a well-maintained 1990s home will still write 60 pages. Read for severity, not volume.

Table of Contents

1. What a Home Inspection Covers and What It Doesn’t

A home inspection is a non-invasive, visual evaluation of a property’s condition. That phrase does a lot of work, and misunderstanding it is where most buyer disappointment comes from.

Non-invasive means the inspector will not open walls, pull up flooring, dig, or dismantle equipment. Visual means they report on what can be seen and safely accessed on the day they were there. If a finished basement wall hides a moisture problem, or the seller stacked storage bins in front of the electrical panel, the inspector writes “not accessible” and moves on.

What a standard inspection includes

Roof covering, flashing, gutters and visible roof structure
Exterior cladding, trim, grading and drainage
Foundation and visible structural framing
Attic, insulation and ventilation
Plumbing supply and drain lines where accessible, plus fixtures and the water heater
Electrical service, panel, visible wiring, outlets and switches
Heating and cooling equipment and accessible ductwork
Interior walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows and stairs
Built-in appliances and garage components including the door opener

What a standard inspection excludes by default

Anything underground: sewer laterals, septic tanks, well systems, buried oil tanks, irrigation lines
Anything airborne or chemical: radon, mold, asbestos, lead paint, formaldehyde, water quality
Anything behind a finished surface: in-wall plumbing, buried junction boxes, subfloor rot under tile
Anything requiring a specialty license: pool and spa equipment, chimney flue interiors, elevators, alarm systems
Pest activity: most inspectors will note visible evidence of termites or rodents but will not issue the wood-destroying organism report a lender may require
Code compliance: an inspector evaluates safety and function, not whether the 1978 wiring meets the 2026 code book
Anything the weather blocked: a snow-covered roof or a frozen A/C unit gets deferred, not evaluated

None of these exclusions are the inspector cutting corners — they fall outside the standards of practice published by ASHI and InterNACHI. They are available as add-ons, which we cover in section 11. The buyers who get burned are almost always the ones who assumed a $400 inspection covered the sewer line.

2. When the Inspection Happens: A Buyer’s Timeline

The inspection sits in a narrow window between offer acceptance and closing, and that window is contractual. Missing it can forfeit your right to negotiate at all.

Offer accepted, contract signed. Your inspection contingency clock starts here. Depending on your state and contract, you have somewhere between 5 and 17 days — in due diligence states like North Carolina, the period is negotiated directly into the contract.
Day 1 to 2: book immediately. Good inspectors book out a week or more in busy markets. Call the day your offer is accepted, not the day after you finish celebrating.
Day 2 to 5: the inspection itself. Two to four hours on site. Attend if you possibly can.
Day 4 to 7: report delivered. Usually 24 to 48 hours after the walkthrough.
Day 5 to 9: specialty follow-ups. If the general inspection flags something, this is when you send a roofer, structural engineer, or HVAC contractor for a real bid. Build time for this into your contingency period.
Before the contingency expires: submit your response. Repair request, credit request, price renegotiation, or termination. After the deadline passes, your leverage evaporates and your earnest money is at risk.
Post-negotiation: re-inspection if applicable. If the seller agrees to repairs, schedule a re-inspection before closing to confirm the work was actually done and done correctly.
Day before closing: final walkthrough. Separate from the inspection. You’re confirming the house is in the agreed-upon condition and the agreed repairs are complete.

The compressed timeline is the reason so many buyers accept a bad report passively. Booking on day one buys you the days you’ll need later for contractor bids.

3. How to Choose a Home Inspector

Inspector quality varies enormously, and the cheapest quote is rarely the best value. A $250 inspector who misses a $15,000 foundation issue costs you far more than the $400 inspector who catches it.

Your agent will offer a referral, and those referrals are usually fine — agents who send buyers to bad inspectors don’t stay in business. But it’s worth asking whether the referral is a relationship or a reflex, and getting a second name to compare. Use these criteria:

Licensing and certification. Many states license home inspectors. Look for ASHI or InterNACHI membership on top of any state requirement.
Sample report. Ask for one before booking. A good report has photos of every flagged item, plain-language descriptions, and a prioritized summary. A bad one is a checkbox form with the word “satisfactory” forty times.
Volume and tenure. An inspector with several thousand inspections behind them recognizes patterns a newer inspector will not.
Errors and omissions insurance. Confirm they carry it.
Whether they let you attend. Any inspector who discourages you from being present is doing you a disservice. Walk away.
Add-on capability. Inspectors who perform radon testing and sewer scopes in-house often bundle at 10 to 20 percent off versus hiring separate vendors.
Turnaround time. Confirm the report arrives within 48 hours. On a tight contingency clock, a five-day turnaround is a problem.

One warning: if the seller offers to share a pre-listing inspection they commissioned, read it — but do not rely on it. That inspector was hired by, and reports to, the other side of the transaction. Get your own.

4. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: Exterior, Roof and Grounds

The exterior is where the expensive problems live. Roof and drainage issues account for a disproportionate share of five-figure repair bills, and they’re the items most likely to be visible to an attentive buyer before the report even arrives.

Roof

Age of the roof and remaining service life — ask for the installation date and the manufacturer warranty
Missing, curling, cupping, cracked or granule-bald shingles
Sagging or wavy roof plane, which suggests a decking or framing problem underneath
Flashing condition at chimneys, valleys, skylights and roof-to-wall transitions — the most common leak point on any roof
Evidence of layered roofing (two or more shingle layers), which raises replacement cost and may violate local code
Plumbing vent boots for cracked or dried-out rubber collars
Skylight seals and condensation between panes
Moss, algae or standing debris in valleys
Chimney crown, cap, mortar joints and whether the chimney is plumb

Gutters, grading and drainage

Gutters securely attached, sloped correctly, and free of separation at seams
Downspouts discharging at least four to six feet from the foundation, not straight onto the soil at the wall
Soil graded to slope away from the house on all sides
Standing water, soft ground or mulch beds mounded above the siding line
Splash blocks, French drains or underground discharge lines present and functional
Window wells with drains and covers

Siding, trim and exterior walls

Walls straight and plumb with no bowing, bulging or sag
Siding cracks, buckling, warping, rot or insect damage — probe soft-looking wood trim with a key
Masonry cracks, especially stair-step cracking through mortar joints
Gaps or failed caulk at windows, doors and penetrations
Peeling or blistering paint, which on pre-1978 homes may indicate lead paint disturbance
Six inches or more of clearance between siding and grade
Dryer vent, exhaust vents and utility penetrations properly sealed and terminating outside

Windows and doors

Frames square, with no diagonal cracking at the corners of openings
Windows open, close and latch; sashes hold position
Fogging or moisture between double-pane glass, meaning a failed seal
Weatherstripping and thresholds intact
Exterior doors that swing shut or drift open on their own, a sign of a settling floor

Grounds and outbuildings

Driveway and walkway cracking, heaving or trip hazards
Retaining walls leaning, bulging or lacking drainage
Deck and porch ledger board attachment, joist hangers, railing height and stair rise consistency
Rot at deck posts where they meet concrete or soil
Fence condition and whether it sits on the actual property line
Detached garage, shed and workshop structure, roof and electrical
Trees with limbs overhanging the roof or root systems near the foundation and sewer line
Exterior outlets protected by GFCI and covered by in-use weatherproof covers
Hose bibs that shut off fully and are frost-proof in cold climates

5. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: Foundation, Basement and Crawl Space

Structural findings are the ones that legitimately end deals. Learn to distinguish cosmetic cracking from movement, and when in doubt, spend the money on a structural engineer rather than guessing.

Foundation

Hairline vertical cracks — usually normal concrete curing and shrinkage
Horizontal cracks — a serious sign of lateral soil pressure, and a stop-and-call-an-engineer finding
Stair-step cracks in block or brick foundation walls, particularly wider than a quarter inch
Walls bowing inward, or previous repairs such as carbon fiber straps or steel I-beams
Efflorescence, the white chalky mineral deposit that indicates water has been moving through the concrete
Crumbling or spalling concrete
Doors and windows out of square throughout the house, or floors visibly sloped

Basement

Water stains on walls, floors and at the wall-floor joint
Musty odor, which is the single most reliable indicator of a chronic moisture problem
Rust lines on appliance legs, furnace bases or storage racks, showing past standing water
Sump pump present, plugged in, with a working float switch and a discharge line that carries water well away from the house
Battery backup on the sump pump if the basement is finished
Floor drain that accepts water
Freshly painted or newly finished basement walls with no explanation — sometimes a renovation, sometimes a cover-up
Egress window in any basement bedroom, which is both a code and a safety issue

Crawl space

Ground vapor barrier present, continuous and sealed at the seams
Standing water or damp soil
Wood rot, fungal growth or mold on joists and subfloor
Insulation fallen, sagging or missing between joists
Support piers cracked, settled or shimmed with wood scraps
Evidence of termites, carpenter ants, rodents or other pests
Ductwork disconnected, crushed or with torn insulation
Adequate ventilation, or a properly executed encapsulation with a dehumidifier
Whether the crawl space is actually accessible — a locked or blocked crawl space means an unwritten section of your report

In humid regions with heavy clay soil, crawl space moisture is the single most common expensive surprise buyers encounter. If the inspector notes elevated moisture readings, get a specialist evaluation before your contingency expires.

6. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: Attic, Insulation and Ventilation

The attic tells you the truth about the roof. A roof can look fine from the driveway and still be leaking — the evidence is on the underside of the decking.

Water staining, streaking or discoloration on the underside of roof decking and on rafters
Active drips or damp insulation after recent rain
Mold or dark fungal growth on sheathing, especially near the ridge and on the north-facing slope
Sagging, cracked or previously repaired rafters and trusses
Cut or modified truss members, which is a structural defect and never a DIY-acceptable change
Insulation depth and type, and whether it is even or has been pushed aside
Insulation covering soffit vents and blocking airflow
Baffles installed at the eaves to maintain the ventilation channel
Ridge vents, gable vents, soffit vents or powered fans providing balanced intake and exhaust
Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans terminating outside the building, not dumping humid air into the attic — an extremely common defect
Exposed or unprotected electrical splices outside a junction box
Knob-and-tube wiring buried in insulation, a serious fire hazard and an insurance obstacle
Recessed lights covered by insulation without an IC rating
Attic hatch or pull-down stairs weatherstripped and insulated
Evidence of rodents, squirrels, bats or wasps
Whether the attic access was blocked by stored belongings — if so, the section is incomplete

7. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: Plumbing and Water Heater

Plumbing failures are the leading cause of homeowner insurance claims. The pipe material alone can be a five-figure finding.

Supply piping

Pipe material throughout the house — copper, PEX and CPVC are acceptable; polybutylene (usually grey or blue plastic, installed roughly 1978 to 1995) is prone to sudden failure, may be uninsurable, and often means a whole-house repipe
Galvanized steel supply lines, which corrode internally and restrict flow over time
Lead service line entering the home, particularly in housing stock built before 1986
Water pressure at fixtures — roughly 40 to 80 psi is normal; above 80 stresses fixtures and appliances
Pressure holding steady when two fixtures run simultaneously
Main water shutoff located, labeled and operable
Visible corrosion, mineral crust or active drips at joints and valves
Pipes in unheated spaces insulated against freezing

Drains and waste

Every sink, tub and shower drains promptly without gurgling
Toilets flush fully, refill, and stop; no rocking at the base and no staining on the floor around it
Cast iron drain lines in older homes, which corrode from the inside and eventually fail
Proper venting — slow drains combined with gurgling suggest a venting problem
P-traps present under every fixture and not replaced with flexible accordion tubing
Signs of past leaks in the cabinet under every sink: warped particleboard, water rings, fresh caulk
Washing machine drain standpipe of adequate height with a pan underneath if it’s on an upper floor

Water heater

Age — read the serial number; tank units typically last 8 to 12 years and a 14-year-old tank is a replacement you should budget for now
Rust or corrosion at the tank base, fittings or flue
Temperature and pressure relief valve installed with a discharge tube running to within six inches of the floor
Drip pan with a drain if located above finished space
Seismic strapping where required by local code
Proper venting with no back-drafting on gas units
Temperature set at or below 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Adequate combustion air in the closet or utility space

8. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: Electrical System

Electrical findings are the ones that most often carry a safety label, and some of them can affect your ability to get homeowner insurance at all.

Panel brand. Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels have well-documented failure histories. Many insurers will not write a policy without replacement, which typically runs $2,000 to $4,000.
Service capacity. 100 amps is workable for a modest home; 150 to 200 amps is standard for modern loads. A 60-amp service will constrain everything you want to add later.
Aluminum branch wiring. Common in homes built roughly 1965 to 1973. Not automatically dangerous, but connections need proper pigtailing with approved connectors.
Knob-and-tube wiring. Ungrounded, brittle with age, hazardous when covered by insulation, and an insurance problem.
Double-tapped breakers — two conductors on a breaker rated for one.
Breaker sizing matched to wire gauge; oversized breakers on undersized wire are a fire risk.
Panel labeling accurate and legible.
Corrosion, scorching or burnt smell inside the panel.
GFCI protection at kitchen counters, bathrooms, garage, basement, crawl space, laundry and all exterior outlets — and confirmation that each one actually trips and resets.
AFCI protection on bedroom and living area circuits in newer construction.
Three-prong outlets that are not actually grounded — a very common defect in homes where two-prong receptacles were swapped without running a ground.
Reversed polarity or open grounds at outlets throughout the house.
Outlet count per room and whether extension cords are doing permanent work.
Exposed splices, missing junction box covers, or open knockouts.
Light fixtures and ceiling fans securely mounted to rated boxes.
Smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level; carbon monoxide detectors on every level with fuel-burning appliances.
Service entrance cable intact with no fraying and adequate clearance from the roof and trees.
Grounding electrode present and connected.

9. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: HVAC and Air Quality

HVAC is the classic deferred-maintenance category: it works on inspection day, and it fails eighteen months later. Age is the number that matters most.

Equipment age. Furnaces typically last 15 to 20 years, air conditioners and heat pumps 12 to 15. Ask the inspector to read the data plate. Anything within three years of end of life should be in your budget regardless of how it performs today.
Both modes tested. Heat and cool should each be run and the temperature differential measured at the supply and return.
Refrigerant type. Systems using R-22 are obsolete; refrigerant for repairs is expensive and increasingly scarce.
Heat exchanger condition on gas furnaces. A cracked heat exchanger is a carbon monoxide hazard and effectively means a new furnace.
Flue and venting intact with no open seams, proper slope and no back-drafting.
Gas odor anywhere near the equipment, and a shutoff valve at the appliance.
Condensate drain line clear, sloped and terminating appropriately, with a secondary pan and float switch on attic units.
Exterior condenser level, clear of vegetation, with straight fins and an intact disconnect.
Ductwork connected, sealed and insulated where it passes through unconditioned space.
Supply and return in every room — rooms without returns will be uncomfortable year-round.
Filter size, condition and accessibility.
Thermostat functional and responding correctly in both modes.
Service records — ask the seller for maintenance history and any remaining manufacturer warranty, which is often transferable.
Wood stoves and fireplace inserts with documentation of professional installation.
Chimney flue lined and swept — note that a standard inspection does not include a camera scan of the flue interior.

10. Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: Interior, Room by Room

Interior findings tend to be smaller individually, but they add up, and they frequently point back to a bigger problem elsewhere. A stained ceiling is not a ceiling problem.

Kitchen

Cabinet under the sink checked for water damage, warping and active drips
Dishwasher runs a full cycle, drains, and has a properly high-looped or air-gapped drain line
Garbage disposal runs without excessive noise and does not leak at the flange
Range and oven heat on every burner and element; gas ranges checked for leaks at the connection
Range hood vents outside rather than recirculating, if the home is ducted for it
Refrigerator ice maker and water line free of leaks, with a shutoff valve accessible
GFCI protection on all counter-serving outlets
Countertops secure, backsplash sealed, and no soft spots in the substrate
Cabinet doors and drawers operating smoothly and securely mounted to the wall
Adequate clearance between the cooktop and any combustible surface above

Bathrooms

Water pressure and drainage at every fixture
Toilet stable, sealed at the base, no movement when rocked
Tub and shower surrounds with intact grout and caulk and no soft or spongy areas in the wall or floor
Shower pan holding water without leaking to the level below
Exhaust fan that actually moves air and vents outside — hold a tissue to the grille
Visible mold or mildew at ceiling corners and along the tub line
Sink cabinet interior checked for staining and swelling
GFCI outlets present and functional
Flooring firm underfoot, especially around the toilet base

Living areas and bedrooms

Ceiling and wall stains, and whether they are dry or actively damp to the touch
Cracks larger than hairline, particularly diagonal cracks running from the corners of door and window openings
Floors level — roll a marble if you want a quick read
Squeaks, soft spots or bounce in the subfloor
Doors that latch properly and do not swing open on their own
Windows operable with functioning locks, and egress windows in every bedroom
Every light switch and outlet tested
Fireplace damper operable, firebox free of cracking, and no staining on the surround
Stair treads solid, risers uniform in height, handrails secure and continuous
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in place and within their service life
Distinctive odors: musty, mildew, pet, smoke, or heavy air-freshener masking

Laundry, garage and utility

Dryer vent rigid or semi-rigid, short, and terminating outside — not vinyl flex tubing crushed behind the machine
Washer supply hoses in braided stainless rather than aging rubber
Drain pan under upper-floor laundry
Garage door reverses on contact and when the photo-eye sensor is blocked
Garage door springs, cables and track condition
Fire-rated door between garage and living space, self-closing, with no pet door cut into it
Garage floor cracks, and drywall on shared walls intact for fire separation
No gas appliance ignition source within 18 inches of the garage floor in older construction

11. Specialty Inspections Most Buyers Should Add

This is the biggest gap between buyers who negotiate well and buyers who get surprised after closing. Add-ons cost $100 to $600 each, and one of them routinely pays for the whole inspection budget several times over.

Sewer scope ($150 to $300). A camera run through the lateral from the house to the municipal main. Essential on any home over about 25 years old, and non-negotiable on homes with mature trees near the line. Sewer lateral replacement commonly runs $5,000 to $25,000 and is almost never covered by insurance. This is the highest-value add-on in the entire list.
Radon test ($150 to $300). A 48-hour continuous monitor test. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, and elevated levels are common across large parts of the country including much of the Appalachian and Piedmont regions. The EPA action level is 4.0 pCi/L. Mitigation systems run roughly $1,000 to $2,500 and are a reasonable thing to ask the seller to install.
Wood-destroying organism / termite inspection ($75 to $300). Required by VA and some other loan programs, and advisable everywhere in the Southeast. Termite damage repairs can reach five figures.
Structural engineer evaluation ($400 to $1,200). Only if the general inspection flags foundation movement. Worth every dollar, because it converts “concerning crack” into a specific diagnosis and a repair scope you can negotiate against.
Mold assessment ($400 to $1,500). Justified when there is a finished basement, a history of water intrusion, visible growth, or a persistent musty odor. Skip it if none of those conditions apply.
Septic inspection ($300 to $600). Mandatory on any home not connected to municipal sewer. A failed drain field is a $10,000 to $30,000 problem.
Well inspection and water quality test ($150 to $500). Flow rate, pressure tank condition, bacteria, nitrates and, in some regions, arsenic.
Chimney camera scan ($150 to $400). The general inspection stops at the visible firebox. Flue liner cracks are both invisible and dangerous.
Pool and spa inspection ($150 to $400). Equipment, plumbing, structure and safety barriers.
Asbestos and lead assessment. Consider on homes built before 1980 with popcorn ceilings, vinyl floor tile, pipe wrap, or original painted surfaces.
Thermal imaging ($100 to $300). Reveals moisture, missing insulation and some electrical hot spots behind finished surfaces. Often bundled inexpensively.

Ask your inspector for bundle pricing. Most discount 10 to 20 percent when several add-ons are booked together, and a total of $700 to $900 for a general inspection plus three targeted add-ons is a normal, defensible spend on a home purchase.

12. Red Flags Ranked: Deal-Breakers, Negotiables and Noise

Your report will contain dozens of findings presented at roughly equal visual weight. Sorting them is the actual skill. Here is the triage framework.

Tier 1: Stop and reconsider the purchase

These are findings where the repair cost, uncertainty, or health risk is large enough that walking away is a rational outcome. Get a specialist opinion before deciding anything.

Active structural movement — horizontal foundation cracks, bowing walls, significant floor slope
Widespread mold with an unresolved moisture source
Failed or failing septic system or drain field
Collapsed or root-invaded sewer lateral requiring full replacement
Roof at end of life combined with active leaks and interior damage — $8,000 to $30,000
Knob-and-tube or extensive unsafe wiring requiring a whole-house rewire — $8,000 to $20,000
Polybutylene supply piping requiring a full repipe — $4,000 to $15,000
Cracked heat exchanger or carbon monoxide detected in living space
Extensive termite or moisture damage to structural framing
Unpermitted additions or finished basements that create insurance and resale problems
Buried oil tank of unknown condition, which carries environmental liability that transfers with the property

Tier 2: Negotiate hard

Real money, but bounded and quotable. Get one or two written contractor bids and bring the number to the table.

HVAC system past or near end of service life — $5,000 to $12,000
Water heater over 10 years old — $1,200 to $3,000
Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel replacement — $2,000 to $4,000
Roof with five years or less remaining life but no active leak
Chronic basement or crawl space moisture requiring drainage work — $3,000 to $12,000
Failed window seals across many windows
Elevated radon requiring a mitigation system — $1,000 to $2,500
Aluminum branch wiring requiring remediation — $1,500 to $5,000
Deck with improper ledger attachment or rotted structural members
Grading and drainage corrections at the foundation — $1,500 to $6,000
Missing GFCI and AFCI protection throughout — individually cheap, collectively worth a credit

Tier 3: Note it, fix it yourself, move on

Requesting these makes you look unserious and burns goodwill you will want for the Tier 2 conversation.

Missing outlet covers, loose switch plates, burned-out bulbs
Dirty HVAC filter
Caulk and grout touch-ups
Sticky doors, loose cabinet hardware, minor drywall nail pops
Dryer vent cleaning
Gutter cleaning and minor downspout extensions
Loose toilet seat, running flapper, slow-draining sink
Hairline settlement cracks in drywall and concrete
Deferred cosmetic paint
Anything the report labels “monitor” or “maintenance item”

A practical rule: if it costs less than $250 and you could fix it in a Saturday, absorb it. Concentrate your negotiation on the three to five items that represent real, documented, four-figure exposure.

13. Home Inspection Advice for Inspection Day

The report is the deliverable, but the walkthrough is where you learn what the report actually means. Buyers who attend consistently negotiate better, because context does not survive the trip into a PDF.

Attend, and block the full window. Don’t schedule it during your lunch break.
Arrive at the start, but do the tight following at the end. Let the inspector work uninterrupted through the technical portions, then ask for a wrap-up walkthrough of the significant findings.
Bring a phone and take your own photos and video. Especially of the panel, the water heater and furnace data plates, and anything the inspector flags.
Bring this checklist and note anything you observed that doesn’t appear in the final report.
Ask the three questions that matter: What here would you fix first? What here would keep you up at night? What here is normal for a house of this age?
Ask for the remaining service life on the roof, HVAC, water heater and major appliances. Numbers, not adjectives.
Note everything marked “not inspected” or “inaccessible.” Then ask the seller to clear access and get those areas evaluated. Blind spots are where problems hide.
Open every door yourself. Closets, cabinets, the electrical panel, the attic hatch, the crawl space entry.
Run water at multiple fixtures simultaneously and watch pressure.
Look for what’s been recently painted or newly carpeted without an obvious renovation reason.
Trust your nose. Musty, sour, or aggressively fragranced air all mean something.
Talk to the inspector, not the listing agent. Save your reactions for the car.
Don’t bring the whole family. You need to concentrate, and children in an active work zone create liability the inspector will justifiably shut down.

14. What to Do After the Inspection Report Lands

You have days, not weeks. Work this sequence.

Read the summary first, then the full report. Most reports open with a prioritized summary. Read it, then read the body anyway — summaries miss things.
Sort every finding into the three tiers from section 12. Do it on paper. Ignore item count entirely.
Get written bids on your Tier 1 and Tier 2 items. This is the step that separates successful negotiations from unsuccessful ones. “The report says the HVAC is old” is a feeling. “Here are two bids averaging $8,400” is a number, and numbers move sellers.
Decide what you actually want. There are four possible asks, and they are not equally good:
- Seller-completed repairs. Best for safety issues and anything a lender requires. Downside: the seller controls the contractor and has every incentive to choose the cheapest one. Always specify licensed work with receipts and a right of re-inspection.
- Closing cost credit. Usually the best option. You keep control of the work, choose your own contractor, and improve your cash position at closing. Confirm with your lender first, because credits are capped as a percentage of the purchase price.
- Price reduction. Cleaner than a credit but slower to benefit you, since it spreads across a 30-year loan rather than putting cash in your pocket at closing. It can also trip an appraisal issue.
- Walk away. If you have a valid inspection contingency and you exercise it inside the window, you recover your earnest money.
Submit a short, specific request. Three to five items with documented costs beats a fifteen-item list every time. A long list reads as buyer’s remorse and invites a blanket refusal.
Expect a counter. Sellers frequently agree to safety items and split the difference on the rest. Know in advance which items you will not concede.
Get every agreement in writing as a signed contract amendment. A verbal promise to replace the water heater is worth nothing at closing.
Re-inspect before closing. A $150 re-inspection to confirm agreed repairs is cheap insurance. Ask for permits and receipts on anything structural, electrical or mechanical.

One note on leverage: sellers are not legally required to fix anything, but they also know that a defect disclosed to one buyer generally has to be disclosed to the next. Most states have disclosure laws that make an unaddressed inspection finding follow the property. That reality is what gives your request weight.

15. Seller Home Inspection: Things to Do Before the Inspection

If you’re on the other side of this transaction, the checklist above is also a preview of exactly what a stranger is about to write down about your house. Preparing for a home inspection well can be the difference between a clean report and a $6,000 credit request.

Consider a pre-listing inspection

Paying $350 to $500 to inspect your own home before listing gives you two advantages: you fix problems on your schedule at your contractor’s pricing rather than under deadline pressure at the buyer’s, and you eliminate the mid-transaction surprises that kill deals. The tradeoff is that anything you learn generally becomes a disclosure obligation. For most sellers, that tradeoff favors knowing.

Clear access to everything — this is the biggest one

An inspector cannot evaluate what they cannot reach, and every “inaccessible” note in the report is a place a buyer’s imagination fills in with something expensive. Blocked access is the most common and most self-inflicted seller mistake. Make sure the inspector can physically get to:

The electrical panel, with at least three feet of clear space in front of it
The water heater and the furnace or air handler, on all serviceable sides
The attic hatch or pull-down stairs, with nothing stored on or under them
The crawl space entry, unlocked and unblocked
The basement perimeter walls, which means moving shelving and boxes away from the foundation
Every sink cabinet interior
The main water shutoff and the gas meter
The interior perimeter of the garage
Both sides of the house exterior, meaning trimmed shrubs and moved trash cans

Realistically, this means the contents of a garage, an attic and a basement need somewhere else to be for a few days — and given that you’re selling anyway, moving them out permanently makes the house show better at the same time.

Things to do before a home inspection: the seller’s list

Replace every burned-out bulb in the house, including closets and the basement — a dead bulb reads as “fixture inoperable” on a report
Replace HVAC filters and have the system professionally serviced, and leave the receipt on the counter
Test every smoke and carbon monoxide detector, and replace any unit past its 10-year date stamp
Clean gutters and extend downspouts away from the foundation
Reseal caulk at tubs, showers, sinks and exterior penetrations
Fix visible leaks, running toilets and slow drains
Re-secure loose railings, handrails, gutters and toilets
Make sure every door and window opens, closes and latches
Confirm GFCI outlets trip and reset
Clean the dryer vent line all the way to the exterior termination
Trim vegetation at least a foot back from siding and the A/C condenser
Repair damaged screens and torn weatherstripping
Leave all utilities on — an inspector cannot test a system with the gas shut off, and that becomes a re-inspection fee and a delay
Unlock every gate, shed, garage and outbuilding, and leave keys labeled on the counter
Gather permits, warranties and service records for the roof, HVAC, water heater and any major work
Secure or remove pets for the entire window
Leave the house, and take the family with you — a hovering seller makes buyers uncomfortable and slows the inspector down
Plan to be gone for four hours, not two, since inspections routinely run long

What not to do

Don’t paint over water stains without fixing the source. Inspectors have moisture meters, and a fresh patch on a ceiling is a magnet for scrutiny.
Don’t DIY electrical or plumbing work right before an inspection. Amateur repairs are obvious, and they raise questions about what else was done that way.
Don’t mask odors with plug-ins and candles. It signals a cover-up even when there isn’t one.
Don’t conceal known defects. Disclosure laws in most states make this a legal liability that outlives the closing.

16. How Much Does a Home Inspection Cost

A standard home inspection runs $300 to $500 for most single-family homes, with the national average landing around $343 to $400 and a typical range of roughly $296 to $424. The full spread stretches from about $200 for a small condo in a low-cost market to $700 or more for a large home in an expensive metro.

What moves the number:

Square footage, the biggest single driver. Many inspectors charge $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot, or a flat fee up to 2,000 square feet plus roughly $25 per additional 500.
Home age. Pre-1980 homes take longer and often add $25 to $75.
Foundation type. Crawl spaces and basements add inspection time versus slab.
Location. Regional cost of living swings the fee substantially in both directions.
Detached structures. Guest houses, detached garages and barns typically add $25 to $50 each.
Inspector credentials. Highly experienced, well-reviewed inspectors often charge 10 to 20 percent above local average — and are generally worth it.
Add-ons, which are where budgets actually grow. Radon, mold, termite, sewer scope and pool inspections run $100 to $600 each.

A realistic all-in budget for a 2,000-square-foot, 30-year-old home with a sewer scope and radon test is roughly $700 to $800. Set against a purchase price in the hundreds of thousands, and against the fact that a single sewer or foundation finding can be worth $10,000 or more in negotiation, it is the highest-return money in the entire transaction.

Clearing Space Before Your Inspection

Whichever side of the transaction you’re on, the inspection creates the same practical problem: things need to be out of the way. Sellers have to clear the attic hatch, the electrical panel, the crawl space entry and the basement perimeter, because anything an inspector can’t reach becomes an “inaccessible” note that makes buyers nervous. Buyers frequently find that inspection negotiations push the closing date, leaving a gap between moving out and moving in.

A short-term storage unit solves both. Clearing the garage, attic and basement into a unit for a few weeks means a complete, unqualified inspection report and a house that shows better at the same time — and if a repair negotiation stretches your timeline, your belongings are already somewhere safe and accessible.

10 Federal Storage offers month-to-month rentals with no long-term commitment, so you only pay for the weeks you actually need. Units can be reserved and accessed entirely from your phone, which matters when your schedule is already full of inspectors, contractors and closing appointments.

Find a storage unit near you and get your home inspection-ready today.

Home Inspection Checklist for Buyers: The Complete Room-by-Room Guide