My inspection report is 50 pages. Should I be worried?

So you've had a home inspection and the report is long. Should you be worried, or is this normal? Well, that depends. It depends on the home inspector, the reporting software, and (obviously) the home.

Let's talk about the home inspector. Although all inspectors are trained on similar material and many get information from the same sources (i.e. InterNACHI/ASHI), every inspector is different. It can be tough to know what kind of inspector you have, but knowing what kind of inspectors are out there can help.

I could write an entirely separate article about how to get into home inspecting and who tends to do it (I think I will), but for the sake of this article I'll keep it brief. Long story short, there is no algorithm. Home inspectors come in all shapes and sizes. Some inspectors come from the trades, some just have a fascination with home building and no formal trade knowledge, and some have very little trade knowledge and no fascination with home building and simply possess the characteristics that make a good inspector.

Before we discuss how the inspector plays a role, let's take a look at reporting software. So what do you need to know as the homeowner? Well, not much. You just need to know that home inspectors use a variety of softwares to run their businesses and the foremost used is going to be the report building software. We use this software as a way of keeping track of the systems/components of the home that have been inspected, report on the condition of those components, and add any photos/videos that are helpful to you as the client. There are many different softwares out there, and they're all different. Some include helpful information that is meant to educate you on different aspects of the home, some exclude any additional information beyond photos and videos, and some are bare bones (equivalent to an excel spreadsheet).

Now that we've discussed the inspector and software, let's look at the home. Every home tells its own story. As inspectors, we have to be able to decipher what the home is trying to tell us and convey that information in a helpful manner to the client. It's one thing to report on the defects of the home, but it's another to take into account the severity of the defect. I find this to be one of the most difficult aspects of home inspecting. Deflection in the subfloor is a defect, but it can be a much larger issue on a new build home than it might be for a 100+ year old home as homes tend to settle over time. Same goes for most defects. Disclaimer: without specific knowledge of your home, I cannot speak to any of your homes defects and my examples should be just that, examples. But we, as home inspectors, have to be knowledgeable and confident enough to convey our findings in a helpful manner, and that means having some level of discernment. After all, we're the experts.

So should you be worried about your long inspection report? The answer is yes...and no. Understanding what kind of inspector you're working with will take you a long way. Often times this is why realtors are quick to suggest certain inspectors. Some are better communicators than others. You won't know the details of all the different report building softwares, but you should be able to determine if your report is well thought out and meant to educate you on all aspects of the home or if it's more a of spreadsheet. Finally, you need to take the home and your goals into account. Is it a 10 year old home or 100 year old home? Do you plan to live here for 2 years or build a family and make this your life long home?

With this knowledge you should be able to discern whether you should be worried or not. Your inspector may not always tell you. When all else fails, ask for an additional opinion. Your realtor is there to guide you through the process. You may have family or friends that have technical knowledge. They are great resources as well. Just be cautious with heavy opinions. YOU get to make the decision about your home. We're just here to help!