How to read a home inspection report
A home-inspection report can run 40+ pages and bury the things that matter in boilerplate. Here's how to read it like a negotiator, not a worrier.
The structure
Most reports walk system by system — roof, exterior, structure, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, interior, insulation. Each finding usually carries a severity (safety hazard, repair, monitor) and a photo. The summary up front is a teaser; the detail pages are where the money is.
What actually matters
- Safety + major systems first. Roof, foundation, electrical service, HVAC, sewer/plumbing. These are the four- and five-figure line items.
- Active vs. cosmetic. A stained ceiling from a fixed leak is different from an active one. Look for "active," "evidence of moisture," "recommend further evaluation."
- "Further evaluation by a specialist." This phrase is an inspector flagging risk they can't price — treat it as a potential big cost until proven otherwise.
Red flags that should change your offer
- Federal Pacific / Zinsco electrical panels (fire risk)
- Foundation cracks with displacement, or doors/windows out of square
- Grading or downspouts directing water toward the house
- Roof at end of life, multiple shingle layers
- Knob-and-tube or aluminum branch wiring; galvanized supply plumbing
- Signs of deferred maintenance everywhere — often a tell for what's hidden
From findings to a number
Inspectors deliberately don't give prices — that's not their job, and liability keeps them vague. That's exactly the gap an Expresstimate fills: it prices each finding, cites the code it implicates, and rolls it into a severity-weighted "expected repairs" figure you can take to the seller.