07/08/2026
A home inspection is not a pass/fail test. It's a snapshot of the home's condition on one specific day, written by one specific inspector — and how useful it is depends almost entirely on how you read it.
Here's what inspectors are trained to find: visible defects. Things they can see, access, and observe during a few hours in the house. A cracked junction box cover. Water staining on the ceiling. A soft spot near the tub. They're good at this.
Here's what they typically won't catch: anything behind walls, anything under slab, the age and remaining life of systems that appear to be working fine, and intermittent problems that weren't happening that day. They're not electricians, not plumbers, not structural engineers. If they find something that concerns them, they'll recommend you hire one — and in Hampton Roads, you should take that seriously, especially in older construction in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and parts of Hampton.
The report will likely be long. Forty, fifty, sometimes seventy pages. Most of it is standard language that protects the inspector. Your job — and mine, when I'm at the table with you — is to separate the material issues from the noise. A twenty-year-old water heater that's still functioning is different from active knob-and-tube wiring. Both might be in the same report with similar formatting.
If you've ever looked at an inspection report and had no idea what actually mattered, that's a normal reaction. It's also exactly the kind of thing I can help you think through.
Licensed with Gibbs Realty Group | jessicacurranhomes.com
What's something you saw in an inspection report that surprised you — or that you later found out wasn't as serious as it looked?
