A through report is worth a thousand pictures...
At the conclusion of the home inspection, the home buyer will be well informed and will know the condition of the home. If anything is wrong, the home buyer will know what needs to be done to correct the problems (or safety hazards), what repair alternatives are available, what priorities to assign to the problems to reduce repair costs, which repair costs are significant, which repair costs are minor, which costs are nonessential improvements, whether or not there are any risks of concealed damage, and whether further investigation is recommended.
Although some home inspection companies will provide you with a preprinted hand written checklist at the conclusion of the home inspection, these boiler plate formats often do not provide the level of detail and advice and that a formal detailed written home inspection report can provide. It is one thing for the home inspector to check off good, fair, poor, acceptable, or not acceptable, but it is another thing to describe what's wrong, why its wrong, and what needs to be done about it. Anybody can check off a form that indicates that a stairway is tilting, but a written home inspection report can tell you why the stairway is tilting and what needs to be done about it.
Carefully read your home inspection report and make a list of items that need correction; this will help you to determine your future expenditures for repairs and maintenance. My report contains useful information that serves as a reference for you in the future. A home can not fail an inspection, the home inspection report records the condition of the home, both positives and negatives. If you have questions regarding your report, feel free to call Thompson Home Inspections.