Sample report

Below is a sample of my home inspection report. In cases where there will be a considerable amount of negotiation with the seller, a Summary Section is useful as it contains repeats the material defects contained in the report. For ease of viewing, the redundant summary section has not been included in this sample.

How to Read This Report

Navigation (Colored Tabs): 
Each of the nine systems to be inspected is represented by a clickable tab at the top of the PDF page. Click on a tab to navigate to that system in the report. The last tab is for the Reference section which has links to helpful documents that have been prepared by industry experts especially for home buyers.

Summary Section: 
This document consists of a Summary and the Full Report. The Summary includes issues that may have a significant, adverse impact on the value of the property, or that poses an unreasonable risk to you or your loved ones. The Summary does not include the photos that are displayed within the full report. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT READING THIS SUMMARY IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR READING THE FULL REPORT! There is valuable information in the full report INCLUDING SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS that you will want to be aware of. 

Reporting Sections: 
Each system has three sections; 1st - Description; 2nd - Observations and Recommendations; 3rd - Inspection Methods and Limitations. While the Observations and Recommendations section has the information that you'll be most interested in, the other sections provide context about your home, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON LIMITATIONS OF THE INSPECTION and how certain inspections were performed.

​Observations and Recommendations Include:
  1. Condition: This is a brief title.
  2. Link: The Condition/Title may be a link which provides additional information.
  3. Notes: Information about the condition may follow the condition, but these are optional and will not always be present.
  4. Implication(s): This is a brief statement about the possible implications of the condition. For the sake of brevity, these are often broad and state the more severe implications possible. The implications stated are not exhaustive and if the implication is not labeled separately, it will be explained within the Notes.
  5. Location: General or specific location of the Condition.
  6. Task: This will state in a few words how you should respond to the Condition. A home inspection report is written in an advisory capacity and neither the buyer nor the seller are required to perform the tasks recommended. These decisions should be made using your own best judgement based on your budget and capabilities. Understand that all  recommendations are important in their own way and your consideration and decision making should reflect that.

Task Categories: 
Though there are times that a Condition can belong to multiple categories, I try to point you in the right direction by identifying them in the Tasks line as "Safety Item", Deficiency", "Maintenance Item", "Recommended Upgrade" etc. Deficiencies are typically things that are broken, missing or inadequate. Other items could ideally be better but are not necessarily deficiencies. A common example of this would be a low, but not deficiently low amount of attic insulation. Here, I say Recommended Upgrade. I often make recommendations to upgrade components that will enhance your safety such as GFCIs, handrails and others. These recommendations should be taken seriously.

Task Actions: 
Along with the Task Category, I include recommendations such as Repair, Replace, Provide, Correct etc. Just like when you visit your doctor (well, not just like that), some issues observed may require a specialist, and for those I'll recommend that "Further Evaluation" is needed. Sometimes you just need to keep an eye on a Condition to be sure it doesn't progress or get worse. For those, I'll use "Monitor".  For some of the larger systems/components that are nearing their life expectancy, I'll recommend that you "Budget to Replace", even if it is not currently failing. 
​Contractor Needed?: 
While it is generally recommended that you have a qualified contractor address all conditions, there are many repairs, replacements etc that homeowners are comfortable and capable of handling on their own. These include trimming shrubs, changing filters, and sometimes cleaning gutters. Some DIY homeowners do more. In cases where work is commonly done by homeowners (or DIYers), I say "by a qualified handyman". Some homeowners qualify as a handyman, but I value your safety! If you're not qualified, then this does not mean you. Use your best judgment and when you're unsure, contact a qualified contractor.