The first inspection report a buyer reads is almost always frightening. Forty pages, a hundred photographs, and a vocabulary built to protect the inspector rather than inform you.
Three categories, not one
Almost everything in the report falls into one of three buckets, and only the first is worth a negotiation.
- Safety and structure. Active leaks, electrical hazards, foundation movement, anything that stops the house being insurable.
- Deferred maintenance. A water heater at the end of its life, a roof with four years left. Real money, but predictable money.
- Observations. The inspector noting that a window latch is stiff. This is the bulk of the document, and it is not a defect list.
What we ask for
Repairs to category one, a credit for category two where the timeline is short, and nothing at all for category three. Asking for everything is how a seller stops reading.
An inspection is not a renegotiation of the price. It is a check that the house you agreed to buy is the house you are buying.
When to walk
Rarely. But active foundation movement, an unpermitted addition that cannot be legalised, or a seller who refuses access for a specialist opinion are all good reasons to use the option period for its actual purpose.