Keighbor / Guides / The buyer's inspection, and what happens after
The buyer's inspection, and what happens after
What an inspection commonly covers and the general options that may follow a repair request. Your contract and professional advisers determine what applies.
Keighbor keeps "The buyer's inspection, and what happens after" in your own room, with this guide beside each step and your work saved into it.
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Under contract · 5 steps · free · the same words a Keighbor seller reads
Why this page existsNearly every report finds something, and knowing that in advance is most of the calm.
Key takeaways
You have written confirmation of the date and time.
You have walked the inspector's route and everything is accessible.
You can tell what is real from what is cosmetic.
You have a signed inspection amendment, or a clean walk-away.
Everything is in one place and you can find any document in under a minute.
1
Coordinate access for the inspector
You're done when: You have written confirmation of the date and time.
Confirming the inspection time locks in the contract's inspection window, which most of the other deadlines hang off.
How to do it
Confirm the date, arrival time, and expected duration in writing.
Ask who is attending. Typically the inspector, the buyer, and the buyer's agent, and sometimes specialists for radon or pests.
Plan to be out of the house for the whole window - usually two to four hours, longer for a larger or older home.
If you cannot be there to unlock, use the lockbox code or leave a key with a note.
Put the contract's response deadline on your calendar. It is usually a few days after the inspection.
Worth knowing
Sellers being present makes buyers hesitant to speak freely. Leave.
Delays here shift every date after them.
Two to four hours is standard. If someone quotes you 45 minutes, ask what is being skipped.
What it costs
The buyer pays, typically $350-600
Where to check
Written confirmation from the buyer or their agent
2
Give the inspector clear access
You're done when: You have walked the inspector's route and everything is accessible.
Inspectors report anything they cannot reach as "inaccessible, recommend further evaluation", which invites a second inspection and a delay. Access is the cheapest way to keep the report clean.
How to do it
Clear a path to the attic hatch, the crawlspace, and the electrical panel.
Unlock gates, sheds, the garage, and any exterior water shutoff.
Move stored items away from the water heater, furnace, and air conditioning unit.
Replace burned-out bulbs so nothing gets logged as inoperable.
Leave labeled keys for anything you cannot leave unlocked.
Worth knowing
Pets should be out of the home. Inspectors leave doors open and indoor cats escape; some inspectors will not enter a room with a loose dog, which stalls the report.
Airing the house out beforehand helps. Inspectors notice smells too.
An "inaccessible" note costs you more than the five minutes of moving boxes would have.
What it costs
Free, or $30-60 for a day of pet daycare
Where to check
Walk the same route the inspector will take
3
Review the inspection report calmly
You're done when: You can tell what is real from what is cosmetic.
The report will be long and will sound alarming. Thirty to eighty pages is typical for any home, new or old. Every seller opens theirs bracing for disaster and almost nobody's is one.
How to do it
Read the summary section first. That is where the inspector flags what they consider material.
Sort every item into three buckets: safety, structure and major systems; systems near end of life; and cosmetic.
Get quotes on anything in the first bucket before the buyer responds, so you are negotiating with real numbers rather than their worst-case estimate.
Compare each item to what you already disclosed.
Remember that length is not severity.
Worth knowing
Water, roof, foundation, and electrical are the four categories that move money.
Even new construction gets long reports.
You are not obliged to fix everything, and buyers rarely expect it.
What it costs
Free to read. Contractor quotes are usually free
Where to check
A licensed contractor, for anything in the safety bucket
4
Negotiate the response
You're done when: You have a signed inspection amendment, or a clean walk-away.
The buyer will typically ask for repairs, credits, a price reduction, or some combination. This is a negotiation, not a verdict, and how you respond affects both your net and your certainty of closing.
How to do it
Respond in writing inside the contract's response window.
For each requested item choose one: repair, credit, price reduction, or decline.
Price each item with a real quote, not the buyer's estimate.
Consider a credit at closing instead of doing the work. It costs you the same, removes schedule risk, and lets the buyer control the quality.
Decline cosmetic and normal-maintenance items, with a brief reason.
Worth knowing
Lender concession caps apply: conventional 3% with under 10% down, 6% at 10 to 24.99%, 9% at 25% or more; FHA up to 6%; VA up to 4% plus actual closing costs.
Anything this inspection has now revealed to you has to be disclosed to the next buyer if this deal falls apart.
Keep receipts and warranties for every repair you do complete.
What it costs
Varies. Credits typically land at 1-2% of the price
Where to check
A written amendment signed by both sides
5
Keep your documentation organized
You're done when: Everything is in one place and you can find any document in under a minute.
Through due diligence you accumulate reports, quotes, amendments, receipts, and disclosures. Keeping them together is both legal protection and the reason closing happens on schedule.
How to do it
Keep everything in the room by default - contracts, disclosures, inspection reports, quotes, amendments, and repair receipts, all in one indexed place.
Keep proof of completed repairs: invoices, and before-and-after photos.
Share documents with your title company or attorney straight from the room.
Keep the whole folder for at least three to seven years after closing.
Worth knowing
Documented repairs and disclosures are what answer a post-closing claim.
Improvement receipts raise your tax cost basis and can reduce capital-gains tax.
Disputes and tax questions surface long after the keys change hands.
What it costs
Free
Where to check
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