After Your Inspection
The report's in your inbox, it's longer than you expected, and there's a clock running. Here's exactly what to do next — in the order I'd do it.
What should I do after I get my home inspection report?
Read the summary first, before the detail sections. Sort the findings into four piles: safety issues, major systems near the end of their service life, ordinary maintenance, and cosmetic — most of any report is the last two. Get written bids from licensed trades for anything you plan to negotiate over, because a contractor's number carries more weight than an estimate. Work backward from your option period deadline rather than forward from today, since contractors need scheduling time. Then decide with your agent whether to ask for repairs or a price credit. If the seller agrees to repairs, arrange a re-inspection to verify the work was actually done — a receipt is not verification.
- Report arrives
- Within 12 hours
- Read first
- The summary, all the way through
- Negotiate over
- Safety items and major systems — rarely the whole list
- Most-skipped step
- Verifying the repairs actually got done
From Report to Front Door Key
Ten steps. Most people are through the first four in an evening.
📄 The Report Lands
Within 12 hours, usually the same evening. It's digital, it's full of photos, and it's organized by priority — the things that matter are at the top, not buried on page 31. Open it on a laptop rather than your phone if you can. You'll want the photos big.
😮💨 Don't Panic at the Length
Every house has findings. Every single one. A brand-new build has findings. My report on a well-kept home can still run thirty pages, because I document what I see rather than deciding for you what's worth mentioning. Length is not severity.
🗂️ Sort It Into Four Piles
Safety items. Major systems near the end of their life. Ordinary maintenance. Cosmetic. Most of any report is the last two. What you actually negotiate over is almost always the first two — and that's usually a much shorter list than the report's page count suggests.
🧾 Get Real Numbers
Before you ask for anything, find out what it actually costs. Get bids from licensed trades — a roofer for the roof, an electrician for the panel. A number from a contractor is worth considerably more in a negotiation than an estimate from anybody, including me.
⏳ Watch the Clock
Your option period is however many days you negotiated, and it runs on calendar days, not business days. Contractors need scheduling time. Work backward from your deadline, not forward from today — that's the mistake I watch people make most.
🤝 Repairs or Credit
Two ways to go. Ask the seller to make repairs, or ask for a price reduction or credit and handle it yourself after closing. Repairs mean it's done before you move in but you don't choose the contractor. A credit means you control the quality but you're managing it yourself. Your agent will have a strong opinion — that's what they're for.
✅ Verify the Work
Here's the step most buyers skip: the seller agrees to repairs, and then nobody checks. A receipt isn't verification. I come back out, look at every item on the list, photograph it, and send you a same-day report you can hand to your lender and title company.
🔑 Moving In
First week, do four things: find and tag the main water shutoff, find the gas shutoff and the electrical panel, press TEST on every GFCI outlet, and change the HVAC filter. That's twenty minutes and it's the highest-value twenty minutes of your first month.
🛡️ The 90-Day Window
For 90 days after your inspection you're covered on electrical systems, mechanical systems, structural elements, appliances, and HVAC systems. That's the window when you're still learning the house and least able to absorb a surprise.
📞 Call Me Whenever
There's no expiration on asking me about your report. Six months from now, when a contractor says something that doesn't sound right, call me. I'd rather answer a question than have you guess. That's part of what you paid for and I mean it.
Your Report Is Not a Repair Demand
This is the thing I most wish every buyer understood before they open that PDF.
My job is to document the condition of the house — everything I can see, whether it's a cracked heat exchanger or a loose handrail. That's a complete picture, and a complete picture is always longer than a problem list.
What you take to the negotiating table is a much shorter document, and you build it by asking one question about each finding: would I have made a different offer if I'd known this? A twenty-year-old water heater might change your number. A missing outlet cover almost certainly doesn't.
And if you're not sure which pile something belongs in — that's what my phone is for. I'd rather spend fifteen minutes on the phone than have you either lose a good house over a maintenance list or buy a bad one because the report looked short.
Cardinal DealGuard
Here's the part most buyers don't think about: the seller agrees to make repairs, and then… who actually checks? I do. When the work is done I come back out, verify every item on the list, photograph it, and send a same-day report you can hand to your lender and title company. Three tiers starting at $100 — see what fits your repair list →
Questions People Ask Me After the Report
How long does it take to get my inspection report?
My inspection report is 40 pages. Is the house in bad shape?
Should I ask the seller for repairs or for a credit?
Will my inspector give me repair estimates?
Who checks that the seller actually made the repairs?
What should I do the first week after moving in?
Everything in your report was photographed
If a finding is in there, there's a picture of it, taken at the house. You should never have to take my word for something you can't see.
Watch: 60 Seconds on This
Sixty seconds, no jargon. Same thing I'd tell you standing in the driveway.
How That Went for Other People
Verbatim from Google.
Jeff Stalnaker with Cardinal Inspections did a great job of reviewing all systems and aspects of the home that I selected. Jeff made sure that I understood all issues and was able to help me prioritize the most critical issues. He explained maintenance tasks that I needed to take care of. I would recommend Jeff to anyone who wants a thorough inspection.
Jeff made us feel like a priority. We needed him to come 2 different times and he came quickly both times. When the mortgage company needed something extra from the report he got it to us right away. He was always so polite and the prices he charges were reasonable. Thanks Jeff!
Our inspector was very friendly and knowledgeable. Gave us a detailed explanation and walked us through how to go about handling each found problem. We feel much more confident in the purchase after his recommendations.
Go Deeper
The rest of the story, in both directions.
What Happens During an Inspection
The five steps before this page picks up.
Read moreReport Glossary
Look up any term in your report.
Read moreCardinal DealGuard
How re-inspection works and what the three tiers cover.
Read moreService Life Tables
Is that water heater actually near the end?
Read moreThe Texas Option Period
How the clock actually works.
Read moreAnatomy of an Inspection
How each system works and fails.
Read moreStill Have Questions About Your Report?
Call or text me — whether I wrote the report or somebody else did. I'd rather talk you through it than have you make a six-figure decision on a guess.
📅 Book Your Inspection 📞 (903) 808-3898