After the Inspection: How to Read Your Report and Know What Matters

Based on our experience with more than 40,000 inspections across Northwest Washington, we know a new inspection report can feel overwhelming. Your Titan report arrives within 24 hours of the inspection. On first read, it can look like a long list of problems. Not every item carries the same weight, though. Some findings affect safety, some affect your budget, and many are routine upkeep that comes with any home.

This guide covers what to do next, from sorting findings to confirming repairs. To see how the report is laid out first, start with our guide to what a home inspection report looks like.

The same steps apply to sellers after a pre-listing inspection.

Start With the Summary at the Top of Your Report

Titan’s reports put the summary right at the top, and it’s the most helpful place to start. The report separates safety hazards from other recommended items to fix or ask about, so the most important findings are easy to spot.

Read the summary once from start to finish before you research anything. Then go back through the full report section by section. The reports include many photos to help you remember what you’re looking at, and those photos are useful when you talk with your agent or a contractor.

Keep the inspection’s scope in mind as you read. Washington’s standards of practice for home inspectors state, “A home inspection is not technically exhaustive and does not identify concealed conditions or latent defects.” Our inspectors evaluate what is visible and accessible on inspection day. The page on what we inspect lists the areas our inspectors cover, from the roof to the basement or crawlspace. If the report mentions an area that was blocked or out of reach, ask your agent whether it needs a second look before your contingency ends.

Sort Every Finding Into Four Groups

After you read the full report, sort the findings into four groups:

• Safety issues. Conditions that can put people at risk belong here. Examples include exposed wiring, a missing smoke or carbon monoxide detector, and a gas appliance that doesn’t vent properly. Plan to address these first, using the type of contractor the report names, such as an electrician for exposed wiring.

• Major system defects. These involve the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, or heating system, and they can be costly to repair. An active roof leak and signs of foundation movement both fall here.

• Maintenance items. Clogged gutters, worn caulking, and minor repairs are routine upkeep. You’ll find some in every home.

• Minor and cosmetic notes. Examples include worn paint, scuffed floors, and a sticky door. You can handle these on your own schedule.

A long report doesn’t mean a bad house. Our inspectors document what they see, so a thorough report on a well-kept home can still run long. The number of findings in the first two groups tells you more than the total count.

Brian Dodds, owner of Titan Inspection Services, explains on our qualifications page that our inspectors explain findings so you don’t overthink them, while also knowing when things aren’t a big deal. Use the same balance when you sort your own report.

Key Takeaway: Sort findings into safety issues, major system defects, maintenance items, and minor notes. Put your time and your negotiating energy into the first two groups.

How Do You Read a Single Finding?

Read each finding for four things: what our inspector observed, where it is, why it matters, and who should look at it next. For that last point, Titan’s report names the type of contractor to call for each defect, such as an electrician, a plumber, or a roofer.

That referral is part of the inspector’s job. Washington’s standards put it this way: “A home inspector is a generalist that identifies existing conditions in the home that may need to be referred to a specialist.” For the plumbing system, for example, the standards direct the inspector to “describe and identify any condition of these systems or components in the inspection report that may need to be referred to a specialist.”

When a finding recommends further evaluation, a contractor in that trade should take a closer look. That professional can tell you what the repair involves and how much it costs. For example, a finding might note water staining on the ceiling below an upstairs bathroom and recommend that a plumber evaluate the lines above it. The observation tells you what our inspector saw. The recommendation tells you whose opinion you need before you price the repair.

Key Takeaway: Read each finding for what was observed, where it is, why it matters, and who to call. When the report recommends a specialist, get that evaluation before you make your repair request.

What Should You Take to Your Agent?

Your inspection contingency has a deadline. Check your contingency terms with your agent as soon as the report arrives.

Bring your sorted list to that conversation. Safety issues and major defects are the usual focus of repair negotiations, and your agent can help you decide whether to ask the seller for repairs, a credit, or an updated price. Titan’s report includes a built-in repair request tool, so you can work from the report itself when you put that request together.

For bigger items, get contractor quotes before you negotiate. We can recommend a few contractors we’ve worked with in the past, but we still suggest you contact at least three in each trade and do your own research. Quotes give you and your agent real numbers to work with. Maintenance items and cosmetic notes usually stay off the request and go on your to-do list after closing.

If you’re selling, a pre-listing report works the same way. You can decide which issues to repair before you list, collect quotes for the rest, and go into the buyer’s inspection without surprises.

Key Takeaway: Check your contingency terms with your agent, and focus your repair request on safety issues and major defects. Back each request with a contractor’s quote.

When Does a Specialist, Sewer Scope, or Mold Test Make Sense?

A specialist evaluation makes sense any time the report refers a condition to a specialist. Book it soon after the report arrives, because the specialist needs time to visit and write up findings before your contingency ends.

Consider a Sewer Scope

A standard home inspection covers the plumbing our inspectors can see. The sewer pipe that runs from the house to the street connection is buried, so a standard inspection can’t show its condition. A sewer scope sends a camera inside the pipe to look for problems such as a partial break or a low spot where the line has settled.

Titan performs sewer scopes in-house, and we recommend one on essentially every home, including new construction. If you didn’t add one to your inspection, you can still book it on its own for $280. It’s $220 when you add it to a home inspection.

Consider Mold Testing

Our inspectors check the attic for signs of mold and water damage as part of the standard inspection. If the report notes possible mold, mold testing adds lab results to what our inspectors can see. Mold testing is $350 as an add-on to a home inspection, and you can also order it on its own.

Key Takeaway: Book any recommended specialist soon after the report arrives. Because the sewer pipe is buried, a sewer scope provides information a standard inspection can’t.

Confirm Repairs Before Closing

If the seller agrees to make repairs, confirm the work before closing. Ask the seller for receipts from the contractors who did the work so you have a record of the repairs.

Titan’s price list includes an Individual Item or Follow Up visit for $200, or $250 with a report. You can use this visit to confirm the seller’s repairs before closing. One Follow Up fee covers the repaired items, within reason. Call our office at 206.451.1120 to schedule it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schedule Your Inspection

Titan Inspection Services has completed more than 40,000 inspections across Northwest Washington and holds a 4.9-star rating. Every standard inspection covers 150+ items, and each report names the type of contractor to call for every defect it notes.

Call 206.451.1120 or visit titaninspectionservices.com to book. We can usually get you in the same day, and your full report lands within 24 hours.