Tips on Reading an Inspection Report
When interviewing a home inspector, ask the inspector what type of report format he or she provides. There are many styles of reports used by property inspectors, including the checklist, computer generated using inspection programs, and the narrative style.

Some reports are delivered on site and some may take as long as 4 - 6 days for delivery. All reporting systems have pros and cons.

The most important issue with an inspection report is the descriptions given for each item or component. A report that indicates the condition as "Good", "Fair" or "Poor" without a detailed explanation is vague and can be easily misinterpreted. An example of a vague condition would be:

Kitchen Sink: Condition - Good, Fair, or Poor.

None of these descriptions gives the homeowner an idea about what is wrong. Does the sink have a cosmetic problem? Does the home have a plumbing problem? A good report should supply you with descriptive information on the condition of the site and home. An example of a descriptive condition is:

Kitchen sink: Condition - Minor wear, heavy wear, damaged, rust stains, or chips in enamel finish. Recommend sealing sink at counter top.

As you can see, this narrative description includes a recommendation for repair. Narrative reports without recommendations for repairing deficient items may be difficult to comprehend, should your knowledge of construction be limited.

Take the time and become familiar with your report. Should the report have a legend, key, symbols or icons, read and understand them thoroughly. The more information provided about the site and home, the easier to understand the overall condition.

At the end of the inspection your inspector may provide a summary with a question and answer period. Use this opportunity to ask questions regarding terms or conditions that you may not be familiar with. A good inspector should be able to explain the answers to your questions. If for some reason a question cannot be answered at the time of the inspection, the inspector should research the question and obtain the answer for you. For instance, if the inspector's report states that the concrete foundation has common cracks, be sure to ask, "Why are they common?" The answer you should receive will be along these lines: common cracks are usually due to normal concrete curing and or shrinkage. The inspector's knowledge and experience is how the size and characteristics of the cracking is determined.

We recommend that you accompany your inspector through the entire inspection, if possible. This helps you to understand the condition of the home and the details of the report.

Archispec Building Inspectors© uses a narrative report style, with conventions used before each statement to make it easier for you to determine the scale and urgency of the defective item. Our conventions are unique in the industry and helpful when making repairs. The conventions are as follows:

A major concern denotes an item that may be either costly or very serious in nature. Major concern items should be promptly addressed prior to closing by qualified personnel, as per your inspection report.

We also recommend Safety Issues be promptly addressed prior to closing.  

Repair items vary in who should actually make the repair, but the use of the convention indicates that the inspector feels the item should be repaired. The sale price of the home versus the appraised value, the conditions of your contract, and many other variables come into play when it comes time to decide who repairs what. Of course, buyers want sellers to repair everything. This not very realistic.  A homeowner who has had a rubbing door for 30 years is not likely to plane it for you! Your buying agent can help you a great deal with repairs. Experienced buyers' agents can assist you when trying to get the seller or builder to repair the listed items. For the sake of our report, if they don't fix it, you should.

Items that are indicated as in need of Improvement are not the seller's or builder's responsibility. These items are put into the report by the inspector because in the inspectors opinion the improvement would be cost effective. An example of an improvement might be the installation of guttering on a 30 year old house with water in the crawl space. 

Monitoring issues should be taken very seriously. We test all water stains with a moisture meter designed for the purpose, and when the stain is dry, we may ask you to monitor the stain to be sure the leak is not active. This can be very important. We may also ask you to monitor a system such as the heating system, that was functioning, but not well. These things can also be very important. We may also use monitor to describe an item that is cosmetic in nature, and it is imperative not to confuse the two. Repair items listed in the report which would not change the sale price or adversely effect the structure of the house, cannot be listed for repair. Some examples of cosmetic items that might be listed with monitor are holes in the drywall, poor paint finishes, stained sinks or tubs, scratches to wood flooring, chipped counters, etc. This doesn't mean these items cannot be repaired by the seller, read on.  

Having said the above, let me also say I have seen many past clients absolutely take advantage and have the seller jumping through hoops repairing everything on the report and re-painting the interior to boot!  What is repaired other than the essential items (structure, plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc.) hinges on your power of negotiation.  To view a sample report, click the link below.  




Click here to view a Sample Report