What Should I Do After a Home Inspection?
- Home
- Home Inspection Guide
- Home Inspection Reports
- What Should I Do After a Home Inspection?
What to do after a home inspection in Texas: read the full report the day you receive it, sort the findings into safety issues, major systems and routine maintenance, then use your option period to get contractor bids and decide with your agent whether to request repairs, ask for a credit, accept the house as is, or walk away.
What to Do After a Home Inspection: Start With the Full Report
The inspection ends with an in-person walkthrough, and the written report from The Smart Inspector arrives the same day. The first step in what to do after a home inspection is to read all of it, not just the summary. The summary tells you what was flagged; the body tells you where, why and how much it matters, with photos and, where relevant, thermal images.
Read it once straight through while the walkthrough is still fresh. Mark anything you did not understand and anything that surprised you. Then look specifically at two categories: items marked Deficient, which are the findings, and items marked Not Inspected, which are gaps. A blocked attic or a locked utility room means part of the house is still unknown, and that is worth resolving before your option period ends.
If you have questions, ask the inspector. That is part of the service, and a five-minute call can settle whether a note about a water heater is a routine item or a reason to bring in a plumber. Our page on when you get your home inspection report explains how the report is organized and what each mark means.
Sort the Findings Into Three Buckets
A long list of deficiencies is overwhelming until you sort it. Nearly every finding fits into one of three groups, and the group determines how you respond.
| Bucket | Examples | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Safety issues | Missing or inoperative smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, electrical hazards in the panel, missing GFCI protection, gas leaks, a garage door opener that does not reverse, loose railings | Address before or immediately after closing; strong candidates for a repair request |
| Major systems and structure | Foundation movement, roof covering at end of life or hail damaged, HVAC not cooling under load, water heater failure, active plumbing leaks, evidence of moisture in walls or ceilings | Get contractor bids; these drive the negotiation because they cost real money |
| Maintenance and minor items | Worn weatherstripping, a dripping faucet, missing downspout extensions, minor caulking, a sticking window | Usually accept and handle after closing; not worth spending negotiating capital on |
Put every Deficient item in a bucket. When you are done, you will have a short list of things that actually matter to the deal and a longer list of things you will take care of as an owner. That short list is what you take to your agent.
Understand the Texas Option Period
In a Texas residential contract, the option period is a negotiated number of days during which the buyer can terminate the contract for any reason. It is the window in which the inspection happens and in which you decide how to respond to it. Because it is short, a same-day report matters, and so does moving quickly on bids.
This page is not legal advice, and the specifics of your contract belong in a conversation with your agent. Broadly, though, the option period is when you gather information, ask for what you want and decide whether to proceed. Once it ends, your ability to walk away without consequence changes, so the timeline drives everything that follows.
Watch the calendar: schedule the inspection as early in the option period as you can. If the report calls for a specialist, a sewer scope or a re-inspection, you want days left to arrange it, not hours.
Repair Requests Versus Credits
Once you know what matters, the next question in what to do after a home inspection is how to ask for it, and you and your agent choose that together. There are two common paths. A repair request asks the seller to fix specific items before closing. A credit or price reduction leaves the items as they are and adjusts the money so you can handle the work yourself afterward.
Repairs by the seller have the advantage of being done before you own the house, but you do not control who does the work or how well. A credit gives you control over the contractor and the quality, and it avoids the risk of a rushed repair, but it means managing the project after you move in. Many buyers ask for repairs on safety items and credits on larger, more subjective ones.
Whatever you ask for, be specific and attach the relevant report items and bids. A request that says the roof is at the end of its life and here is what replacement costs is far more persuasive than a request that says fix everything on the list. Texas does not require a seller to make any repairs; what they agree to is a matter of negotiation, which is why your agent’s judgment matters here.
Get Contractor Bids Before You Negotiate
A finding is an observation. A bid is a number. Negotiations run on numbers, so getting estimates on the major items is the most important thing you can do after a home inspection. Here is a workable sequence.
- Pull the major-system items from your report. Roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and any structural concern.
- Share the specific report entries with contractors. Because the report is web-based, you can send the exact item with its photos rather than describing it from memory.
- Ask for written estimates. Two bids on a big item are better than one; the range itself is useful information.
- Decide if a specialist inspection is needed. If the report raises a foundation or sewer concern, a foundation level measurement or a sewer scope turns an observation into data. See our page on sewer scope inspection cost for what that add-on involves.
- Bring the numbers to your agent. Together, decide what to request, what to accept and what would make you walk.
Note that your home inspector does not provide repair bids. TREC rules prohibit an inspector from performing repairs on a home they inspected within the period TREC defines, which keeps the inspection independent. The inspector tells you what is wrong; contractors tell you what it costs.
Re-Inspection After Repairs
If the seller agrees to make repairs, do not take the receipt as proof. Schedule a re-inspection so the same inspector can return and confirm that each agreed item was actually fixed, and fixed properly. Repairs done under deadline by whoever was available are exactly the kind of work that deserves a second look.
A re-inspection is limited to the items on the repair agreement, so it is a shorter visit than the original. The Smart Inspector offers re-inspection of repairs as its own service, and the results are documented in the same web-based format. Our page on re-inspection after repairs explains how to schedule it and what to expect.
Ask for repair documentation as well: invoices, permits where required and any warranties on the work. That paperwork is useful to you as an owner and may matter when you eventually sell.
When Walking Away Is the Right Call
Any honest guide to what to do after a home inspection has to include this option. Most inspections do not end the deal. A house with a list of deficiencies is normal; every house has them, and older DFW homes on clay soil have their share of foundation and plumbing findings. What matters is whether the major items are ones you can afford and are willing to take on, and whether the seller will meet you somewhere reasonable.
Sometimes the answer is no. A combination of significant structural movement, a failed sewer line and a roof at end of life, with a seller unwilling to negotiate, can add up to more house than you want. The option period exists so that you can make that call without penalty. Talk it through with your agent, look at the numbers honestly and remember that the inspection did its job by showing you the house as it is.
And if you do walk, the process starts over with the next house. When it does, our booking form lets you request the same inspector by name so the second inspection benefits from what you learned in the first.
Frequently asked questions
What fixes are mandatory after a home inspection in Texas?
None, in the sense of a legal requirement on the seller. Texas does not require a seller to make repairs based on a buyer's inspection; what gets fixed is a matter of negotiation during the option period. Lenders may have their own conditions for certain loan types, so ask your agent and lender about anything that could affect financing. This page is general information, not legal advice.
What should I do after a bad home inspection?
Take a breath, then sort the report. Separate safety issues, major systems and minor maintenance, and get contractor bids on the major items so you are working with numbers rather than worry. Talk to your agent about requesting repairs, asking for a credit, or terminating during the option period. A long list of findings is common; what matters is the cost and risk of the significant ones.
Should I ask for repairs or a price reduction?
It depends on the item. Repairs by the seller get the work done before closing but leave the contractor choice and quality out of your hands. A credit gives you control over the work after you own the house. Many buyers request repairs on safety items and credits on larger or more subjective ones. Your agent can advise on what sellers in your market are likely to accept.
Can my home inspector give me a repair estimate?
No. Texas inspectors report on the condition of the house, and TREC rules prohibit an inspector from performing repairs on a home they inspected within the period TREC defines. That independence is a feature. For pricing, share the specific report items with licensed contractors and ask for written bids. The inspector can help you understand a finding, but the number comes from the trade.
Do I need a re-inspection if the seller says the repairs are done?
Yes, if the repairs mattered enough to negotiate for. A re-inspection has the inspector return to confirm each agreed item was completed and done properly, and it is limited to those items, so it is a shorter visit. Ask the seller for invoices and any permits or warranties as well. Rushed pre-closing repairs are exactly the kind of work that benefits from a second look.
Ready to schedule? Every inspection includes complimentary thermal imaging, a same-day report and an in-person walkthrough.