How to read a home inspection report
Start with the summary, pull out safety, water, structure and major-system findings, skip the maintenance notes, then price what's left.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
How do you read a home inspection report?
Start with the summary, not page one. Pull out every finding that's a safety issue, active water, structure, or a major system like the roof, electrical, plumbing, or heating and cooling. Set the maintenance notes aside. Then put a price on each finding that made the cut, because that short priced list is what you negotiate with, not the whole report.
Key takeaways
- Reports are sorted by system, not by how serious a problem is, so the summary is where the big items live.
- "Unsafe," "material defect," and "further evaluation" matter. "Monitor" and "maintenance" usually don't belong in a repair request.
- Anything marked for further evaluation needs a specialist booked inside your window, because the answer can change the whole deal.
How is a home inspection report organized?
Most reports walk through the house one system at a time: roof, exterior, structure, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, interiors, then add-ons like a pool or septic system. Each finding sits in its system's section with a photo and a severity word next to it. A loose outlet cover and a missing smoke alarm can land far apart, and so can two findings that point to the same leak.
Many reports open with a summary that pulls the most serious findings into one list. If yours has one, read it first. If it doesn't, skim each section for the severity words below and build that list yourself.
Then find the part that says what the inspector didn't look at. The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) standard requires the report to name systems that were present "but were not inspected and the reason(s) why" (ASHI Standard of Practice, section 2.2). A roof nobody walked on or an attic nobody entered is a gap in what you know, not a clean result. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) standard doesn't even require the inspector to "walk on any roof surface" (InterNACHI Standards of Practice).
What do the severity words in an inspection report mean?
The word next to each finding tells you how much to care about it. The definitions come from the standards inspectors are trained on: ASHI for "unsafe" and "further evaluation," InterNACHI for "material defect" and end of life.
| Phrase in the report | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Unsafe, or safety hazard | Risk of injury in normal, everyday use | Put it on your request |
| Material defect | A real hit to value, or an unreasonable risk to people | Put it on your request, with a price |
| Further evaluation recommended | The inspector saw a sign; a specialist has to find the cause | Book the specialist now |
| Repair or replace | The inspector names the fix, not the cost | Get a price |
| Near end of life | Still works, just old. InterNACHI says a system near, at, or beyond the end of its normal, useful life is not, in itself, a material defect | Budget for it; an old furnace that still runs is a hard item to ask a seller to replace |
| Monitor | The inspector wants it watched | Watch it; if it touches structure or water, treat it as further evaluation |
| Maintenance or servicing | Routine upkeep like filters, caulk, or gutters | Skip it |
Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours.
Which findings should you actually care about?
Sort every finding into one of three piles:
- Ask for it. Safety hazards, active leaks, structural movement, and major systems that are failing now. These are the items worth negotiating over.
- Get it checked. Anything marked for further evaluation. A crack note can be cosmetic or a foundation problem, and only the specialist can tell you which. Book them inside your window, since their answer can change the whole deal.
- Leave it. Maintenance, cosmetic wear, and old-but-working systems. A long list of small items usually weakens your ask on the big ones.
For the findings that tend to sink deals, see the biggest red flags in a home inspection.
How do you put a price on each finding?
Inspectors don't price repairs: ASHI's standard says they aren't required to determine "methods, materials, and costs of corrections" (section 13.2). Get contractor quotes on the one or two biggest items, and price the rest from the report. Quotes take time to schedule, so start on day one; how to get repair estimates during the inspection period covers who to call first.
Write each item as location, fix, and price, so the seller's agent can see exactly what the number is for. The home repair estimate template shows the layout.
What if the report names a defect you've never heard of?
Look it up by the name the inspector used. These cover the findings buyers ask about most, with the hazard, the usual fix, and who to call:
- Foundation crack
- Federal Pacific panel
- Aluminum wiring
- Polybutylene pipes
- Galvanized pipes
- Double-tapped breaker
What do you do once you've read the report?
You have three moves:
- Ask for repairs, a credit, or a lower price. What to ask for after a home inspection covers which items to include, and repairs vs. credit vs. price reduction helps you pick the form.
- Walk away. If your priced list is dominated by structure or safety items, read when to walk away after a home inspection.
- Accept the house as is. Reasonable when the list is mostly maintenance and old-but-working systems.
Most inspection contingencies let you ask for repairs or cancel inside a set window. Your contract sets the exact dates and terms, so confirm them with your agent.
Does the report tell you whether to buy the house?
No. InterNACHI's standard says an inspection "does not determine the advisability or inadvisability of the purchase of the inspected property." That call is yours, made with your agent and a priced list in front of you.
Is the inspector checking the house against building code?
No. ASHI excludes "compliance of systems and components with past and present requirements and guidelines" from the inspection. Older houses often have things that were fine when built and aren't allowed today, and a report may flag them without saying they have to change.
Is a long inspection report a bad sign?
Not by itself. Length mostly reflects the inspector's style and how many photos they include. A long report full of maintenance notes can describe a better house than a short one with a structural finding.
If your window is short and you need a number on every finding, upload your inspection report to Kept.
Sources
Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.