What to Do After a Home Inspection
Use the day the report lands — contingency periods move fast.
The report arrives long and slightly alarming. Almost every home produces findings; the work now is sorting them by consequence and deciding which ones change anything.
What you can request, and by when, depends on your contract and your state. Confirm your options and deadlines with the appropriate professionals before acting.
Step one: triage every finding
Read once for an overview, then a second time sorting each item into a bucket.
- Safety issues and anything actively leaking or failing.
- Major systems near or past end of service life.
- Items requiring further evaluation by a specialist.
- Deferred maintenance you can schedule after closing.
- Cosmetic and informational notes.
Step two: chase the 'further evaluation' items
These lines are the report's open questions. Leaving them unresolved means you never actually learned what the inspection was pointing at.
- Ask the inspector what specifically concerned them and what specialist they would call.
- Book the specialist promptly — availability, not your decision, is often the constraint.
- Ask specialists for written findings, not verbal reassurance.
- Note which items cannot be resolved before your deadline, and factor that in.
Step three: get real numbers
Repair costs vary enormously by region, scope and contractor. Local quotes are the only useful figures.
Step four: decide what to raise
Options and leverage vary by contract, state and market. Broadly, buyers consider some combination of the following.
- Proceed as agreed, now better informed.
- Request repairs before closing, with agreed scope and evidence of completion.
- Request a credit or price adjustment instead of repairs.
- Request more time to investigate a specific item.
- Exercise a contingency, where your contract provides one.
Step five: put it in writing and verify it
Step six: keep the report as your maintenance plan
The findings you chose not to act on do not disappear — they are your first two years of homeownership, already prioritized by a professional. Turn them into a dated list rather than filing the PDF away.
Common mistakes
- Reacting to the number of pages instead of the severity of items.
- Skipping recommended specialist evaluations.
- Negotiating on items you never priced.
- Accepting verbal repair promises.
- Missing a contingency deadline while gathering estimates.
- Never checking at the walkthrough whether agreed repairs happened.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask the seller to fix after an inspection?
Most buyers focus on safety issues, active leaks and major system failures rather than cosmetic items. What you can request, and what leverage you have, depends on your contract and market.
Can I back out after a home inspection?
That depends entirely on your contract and state law, including which contingencies you kept and their deadlines. Ask the appropriate professional about your specific agreement.
Should I ask for repairs or a credit?
Both are used. Repairs put the work on the seller's timeline and quality control; a credit gives you control over who does the work. Availability varies by contract and lender rules.
What if the inspector recommends another inspection?
Treat it as an unanswered question and book the specialist. A general inspection is visual and non-invasive, so those referrals exist precisely where the general scope stops.