What to Do With Your Home Inspection Report
A report full of findings doesn't mean the house is a lemon — most of it is normal wear. Here's how to tell what's worth negotiating over and what isn't.
A home inspection report can run 40+ pages and look alarming even for a genuinely well-maintained home — inspectors document everything, including cosmetic issues that exist in nearly every house. The skill isn't reading the whole report closely. It's knowing which findings are just documentation and which ones change the deal.
What's normal for any home's age
Every inspection turns up something. A long list of minor items — a dripping tap, a cracked outlet cover, worn caulking, a squeaky door — is normal documentation, not a reason for concern on its own. These are also the items most agents will tell you not to bother negotiating over; they cost more in negotiation goodwill than in actual repair dollars.
What's usually worth a repair credit or price adjustment
- A major system at or near end of life with a clear, quotable replacement cost — roof, furnace, water heater
- Anything flagged as a safety issue: exposed wiring, an outdated electrical panel, a gas leak, missing GFCI protection where required
- Evidence of past water intrusion, even if currently dry — get a moisture reading, not just a visual opinion
- A finding that affects insurability or financing, like knob-and-tube wiring or an oil tank that doesn't meet current standards
Get an actual quote for the repair before countering — "fix the roof" is a weaker negotiating position than "the roofer quoted $8,400 for a full replacement within 2 years."
What's a legitimate reason to walk away
- Active structural movement or foundation failure the seller wasn't previously disclosing
- Extensive, undisclosed water damage or mould behind walls
- A pattern of unpermitted work that affects the home's legal status or insurability
- Any finding the inspector explicitly recommends a specialist evaluate further, before that evaluation has happened — don't negotiate on an unknown
If the inspection condition in your offer is genuinely conditional, walking away over a serious finding isn't a failure of the process — it's exactly what the condition exists for.
Turn this into a printable system
Every post pairs with a binder or checklist you can actually put on the fridge.
Take this with you: the free Home Inspection Checklist for Canadian Buyers
A printable PDF of the full checklist, emailed to you. What's included by default, what's an add-on, and the questions that matter more than the report's length.
Frequently asked questions
Not on its own. Inspectors document everything, including minor cosmetic issues present in nearly every home. Length isn't a severity signal — read for the specific findings, not the page count.
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