The short answer is: no repairs are required after a home inspection. Your home inspection serves as a tool for understanding the health of the systems in your home, and as a negotiating tool to request some of the most critical repairs to be undertaken by the seller before you close on your new home.
A home buyer having a home inspection completed and finding issues does not mean that the home seller will, or is required, to fix any of the issues found. Remember, a home inspection is not a “pass” or “fail” type of report, and just because there may be some findings noted on your home inspection report does not mean that either the seller – or you – is required to make any repairs (in most cases).
Some issues found after a home inspection will be more critical than others, which you can determine from the home inspection report and in discussions with your real estate agent. Some common findings that we recommend you immediately consider for repairs and replacements first have to do with health and safety issues:
- Mold or water damage.
- Pest or wildlife infestation.
- Fire or electrical hazards.
- Toxic or chemical hazards.
- Major structural hazards or building code violations.
- Trip hazards.
There are also differences between which repairs a buyer wants, and which repairs are going to be required by a lender in order to obtain a mortgage, or an underwriter to obtain insurance. It could be possible that you could be denied mortgage funding if repairs are not done, or done to the satisfaction of your mortgage broker.
Some additional issues aren’t necessarily for health or safety but help make your home more livable, such as:
- HVAC issues
- Plumbing issues like poor water pressure or leaks
- Broken appliances
- Roofing (if not categorized as a structural hazard)
- Drainage issues
Cosmetic repairs – such as painting – are rarely a concern and can easily be scheduled at any point in the future after the closing occurs. While you could negotiate for these items as part of your contract process, in the majority of cases they do not impact health, safety or livability and therefore need to be a major concern.
For commercial property inspections in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, including a thorough and informative home inspection report, learn more at
or request a quote for a commercial inspection at
682-351-2267