The Ultimate Guide To Home Inspection Repairs

When dealing with repair requests after you get an inspection report, there is always a question about whether you want to ask for money in lieu of repairs or ask the seller to have a qualified contractor to make repairs to the items you have requested before closing. Reading and understanding the inspection report and determining what repairs are known versus what repairs need further evaluation (unknown) will help you determine what steps to take next.

PROPER DUE DILIGENCE ON HOME REPAIRS DOESN’T END WITH A HOME INSPECTION.

For unknown repair then you defiantly want the seller to get that deficiency look at and repaired by a qualified contractor. Especially high costs and critical home systems such as HVAC systems, roof, major electrical components, main sewer lines, and foundations. Even if those items seem minor, I would still have them evaluated by a qualified contractor and depending on the results of the evaluation request to have those items repaired. The last thing you want is the ask for $3000 in lieu of repairs, and then later find out after purchasing the house that is the repair is actually going to costs $12,000.

For known repairs or less critical deficiencies it is perfectly acceptable to ask for money in lieu of repairs as the risk these items could be something more complex or expensive then what they visibly appear to be present far less risk overall. These repairs items includes things like loose toilets, leaking shower heads, extensions to downspouts, clogged or slow drains on plumbing fixtures, loose electrical outlets, burnt out light bulbs, loose door handles, missing sediment or drip legs on gas appliances, missing screens, dirty air filters, 1 inch clearance on flue pipes, missing GFCI outlets in wet areas, and many more minor repair items. 

Keep in mind most home inspectors are generalists who know a little about a lot. They have enough knowledge to point out the obvious and identify when a system or component is not working correctly, or is there is a safety concern. They overall do a good job of protecting home buyers and reducing their overall risk when deciding on purchasing a home. However even though they know something is wrong with a system, they often have no real world experience on the entire scope of what the work entails, how to actually repair an item or even know the total extent of the problem. Their job stops at pointing out there is a problem, the contractor’s job starts at evaluating the issue, diagnosing the problem, and executing a proper repair. Often times the contractor will come out and assess a problem and then state that the home inspector didn’t find this problem or missed this other deficiency, or the home inspector should of also told you about this or that. This is normal and expected because it is common for contractors to find other issues with a component that home inspector did not know about, because the contractor is the expert not the home inspector. Home inspectors do not dissemble components and cannot do an in-depth and invasive analysis like the contractor can, or they simply lack the knowledge that the contractor has about their specific expertise on a particular subject or trade.