National Home Inspector Exam (NHIE) Analysis of Findings and Reporting Summary

A clear defect statement has three parts: what the inspector saw and where (observation), why it matters (implication), and what to do about it (recommendation, often including who should do it). This helps the client understand and act.

Wrong choices

• Only a photo, with no written comment: Photos help, but the client also needs a description, the reason it matters, and a recommendation.
• The inspector's opinion of the asking price: Price opinions are outside the inspector's role.
• A guarantee of the repair cost: Inspectors do not guarantee repair costs.

Reports often sort findings into safety hazards, major defects, and maintenance items. A missing guard on a raised deck creates a serious fall risk, so it is a safety hazard. Filters, paint, and drips are maintenance or minor repairs.

Wrong choices

• A dirty furnace filter: This is routine maintenance.
• Peeling paint on exterior trim: This is maintenance unless lead paint is a separate concern.
• A dripping faucet: This is a minor repair.

A home inspector is a generalist. When a condition needs deeper evaluation, such as possible structural movement, the report should describe it and recommend evaluation by the right specialist. The inspector should not guess at the cause or the fix.

Wrong choices

• Promise the problem is minor: The inspector cannot know this without further evaluation.
• Give an exact repair design: Designing repairs is beyond the inspector's role.
• Leave it out to avoid worrying the client: Hiding findings fails the client.

Limitations are part of the findings. When an area or system cannot be inspected, the report should say so, explain why (blocked, unsafe, locked, etc.), and recommend inspecting it once the problem is removed. This protects the client and the inspector.

Wrong choices

• Leave the crawlspace out of the report: The client needs to know an area was not inspected.
• Describe it as if it were inspected: This would be false and misleading.
• Say it is in good condition: The inspector has no basis for this.

Reports should help clients see what matters most. Life-safety issues like possible carbon monoxide spillage come first, then major defects, then maintenance and cosmetic items.

Wrong choices

• Worn carpet in a hallway: This is cosmetic.
• A loose cabinet door: This is minor.
• Missing caulk at the kitchen backsplash: This is minor maintenance.

Standards of practice generally define a material defect as a specific problem with a system or component that would have a significant adverse effect on the value of the property, or that poses an unreasonable risk to people. Normal wear and cosmetic items usually are not material defects.

Wrong choices

• Any cosmetic flaw: Cosmetic flaws usually are not material defects.
• A defect only in building materials, not in systems: The term covers systems and components too.
• Something the seller already repaired: A completed repair is not a current defect.

Good photos show the problem clearly, often with a close-up and a wider shot for location. Each photo should be tied to the written comment so the client knows what they are looking at and what to do.

Wrong choices

• Replace written descriptions entirely: Photos support the text; they do not replace explanation and recommendations.
• Show only the home's best features: The report is about condition, including problems.
• Mainly show people at the inspection: People photos do not document conditions.

Clients are not tradespeople. Good report language is plain, specific about location and condition, and gives a clear next step. Avoid jargon, vague comments, and false reassurance.

Wrong choices

• Ceiling bad.: This is too vague; it does not say where, what, why, or what to do.
• Possible H2O intrusion of indeterminate etiology.: Jargon makes the finding hard to understand.
• Everything is fine; nothing to worry about.: This ignores a visible finding.

Not every finding needs urgent action. For minor, stable conditions such as small shrinkage cracks, a reasonable recommendation is to monitor and repair if the condition changes. The inspector should still describe it clearly.

Wrong choices

• Replace it immediately at any cost: This overstates a minor issue.
• Ignore it and leave it out of the report: Minor items should still be reported.
• Tell the buyer to cancel the purchase: Advising on the purchase decision is not the inspector's role.

Many reports include a summary of the most significant findings, such as safety hazards and major defects. It helps the client focus, but it does not replace the full report, which contains all findings, details, and limitations.

Wrong choices

• To replace the full report: The full report holds details and limitations the client needs.
• To list only cosmetic issues: The summary focuses on significant items.
• To give an estimate of the home's value: Value is an appraiser's job.