Oh my gosh… the pipes are leaking, the ceiling tiles are damaged, the furnace is not working properly, there are electrical problems, the deck needs attention… geez… what do I do now? Is this house, the house I’ve fallen so deeply in love with, falling apart?

Well… maybe yes and maybe no. There is no such thing as a perfectly built or perfectly maintained home… at least, I have never inspected such a thing nor do I expect ever to. However, rest assured, there are houses out there that are simply in very poor condition. However, the problems identified on a home inspection report are most likely problems typical of a home of a given or particular age. While this is not always the case, the problems can most likely be fixed. Most things can be fixed. Even more serious items, such as structural problems, water intrusion and resulting damage, heating and air conditioning systems that need to be replaced, etc., can be repaired. Once problems, regardless of their severity, have been identified, it becomes a question of whether or not they are going to be fixed, how and who might fix them, how much those repairs will cost, and what part is going to be fixed. be financially responsible for those repairs.

First…and in my opinion…the details of what a Home Inspection is, and how a Home Inspection report is typically used in a real estate transaction, should have been fully explained to the buyer by their real estate agent before the Inspection period. Then, at the beginning of the Home Inspection, the Home Inspector should explain to the client what they can expect from the Home Inspector and the Home Inspection report. The Housing Inspectorate report, and again in my very humble opinion, should not be considered as an exhaustive list to be used to severely hit the selling party on the head and shoulders. There will likely be…almost certainly there will be…items in the report that, while required to be reported by the rules governing Home Inspection, may not be within the scope of the Real Estate Offer to Purchase Contact as items that can be repaired by the seller. It is best to leave that determination, or interpretation, to a real estate agent or attorney. The issues identified in the report, in their entirety, are information…information provided as part of the basis upon which to make an informed purchasing decision. That’s why you had an inspection in the first place, right? You paid for a professional home appraisal to make a more informed buying decision.

Second… take a half step back, take a deep breath or two, and reread the report. I promise you the world has not come to an end as a result of the report. If there are numerous individual items to consider, try to list those issues in the order of their importance to YOU. The report can categorize the issues to some degree, but the home inspector can’t decide how much importance YOU should give to any given item. The Inspector should also not advise you whether or not to buy the house; such advice or guidance is simply outside the scope of a Home Inspection. There are two questions that I personally have never answered. The first is “Would you buy this house?” and the second is “How would you rate this house on a scale of 1-10?” There is too much a home inspector simply doesn’t know to be able to answer such questions. Sure, they know a lot about the physical condition of the home when the inspection is complete, but that’s only part of the equation. They don’t know how much the house is worth, they don’t know the financial condition of the clients, and they don’t know what the financial arrangements might be. I suggest, too, that they should not want to know.

Third… let’s start collecting even more information. Information… accurate information… and the resulting knowledge gained are your dearest friends. You must associate a dollar value with the necessary repairs. Will the repairs require a structural evaluation by a licensed professional engineer? Are the necessary repairs such that they will require implementation by a licensed general contractor? Can any of the items be corrected by a maintenance personnel specialized in general repairs? Search and get estimates from the contractors who will be doing the repairs. Use all available resources to obtain information and make good decisions. Your professional and experienced real estate agent, assuming you have retained that service, is in an excellent position to assist you in this endeavor. The typical professional real estate agent has at their disposal a wealth of knowledge and resources on how to address the content and issues of a home inspection report. That’s part of what they do when representing their clients during a real estate transaction.

Your success in your real estate transaction depends, at least in part, on gathering proper information, processing that information, and making informed decisions based on that information. If you do it in a calm, direct and direct way…with as few emotions as possible involved…it will probably contribute to a positive outcome.