KeptGuides
Home inspection guides for buyers and buyer's agents.
Guides for buyers and buyer's agents working inside the inspection contingency window: what a finding means, what it costs, and how to ask for it before the window closes.
Negotiating after the inspection
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Buyer repair request letter template
A repair request that works names the finding, report section, remedy, and a sourced dollar figure on every line. Copy the template and fill in numbers.
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Seller credit for repairs: how it works at closing
A seller credit reduces your cash to close instead of paying for a fix, and shows as its own line on your Closing Disclosure. Confirm your loan's cap.
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Repair estimates during your inspection period
Six ways to get a real number before your window closes, from a contractor's visit to a report-pricing service. Pick the one that fits your deadline.
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How to read a home inspection report
A report is organized by system, not by severity, so the summary section is where triage should start. Pull every safety hazard from it first.
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The repair addendum after a home inspection
A repair addendum lists what you want fixed, credited, or reduced, line by line, for example a $2,375 water heater swap. Name the scope and the trade.
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Repairs vs. credit vs. price reduction: which to pick
Choose based on the dollar figure and how much you trust the seller's contractor, not which sounds thorough. A credit frees more cash than a price cut.
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What to ask for after a home inspection
Ask for safety, function, and hidden-cost findings, each with its own dollar figure; skip cosmetic wear and routine maintenance items.
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When to walk away after a home inspection
Walk when a finding's cost is both large and unknown before your deadline, or the seller won't move on a known cost you can't absorb.
Pricing an inspection report
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Services that price a home inspection report, compared
At least eight services turn a report into a repair estimate, priced free to $109.99 and delivered in minutes to days. Compare price and speed first.
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How Kept prices a repair
Kept prices each finding from trade wages, materials, and local tax, not a flat guess. A memo on your full report costs $79, usually under 4 hours.
Electrical findings
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Aluminum wiring: pigtailing vs. rewiring cost
Aluminum wiring is a documented fire hazard. Pigtailing runs $3,000 to $15,000, a full copper rewire $2,000 to $20,000. What to ask the seller for.
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Are double-tapped breakers dangerous? The fix and cost
A double-tapped breaker risks a poor connection and overheating. The fix runs $100 for an open slot to $800 or more for a subpanel.
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Do all Federal Pacific panels need to be replaced?
Only panels with Stab-Lok breakers, confirmed by an electrician, need replacing. A full 200A upgrade runs $2,750 to $4,800.
Plumbing findings
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Galvanized pipe replacement cost: PEX, copper, partial
Galvanized pipe corrodes from the inside and does not always need replacing. A single-run fix runs $370 to $2,130, a full repipe $1,500 to $8,000.
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Does polybutylene pipe need replacing? Cost and time
No code requires replacing polybutylene pipe, but a whole-house repipe runs $2,280 to $5,120 and takes 1 to 5 days. Get a plumber's written quote first.
Foundation and structure findings
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Is a foundation crack serious? How to tell, and the cost
A vertical hairline crack is usually just shrinkage; a horizontal crack or bowing wall means real damage. An engineer's visit runs $400 to $1,500.
For buyer's agents
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Pricing inspection findings as a buyer's agent
Unpriced repair requests read as a wish list; sourced lines, like $1,439 for a scoped shingle repair, get taken seriously. Attach a basis to every line.