Home Inspection Found Problems? What to Do Next in North Carolina
First thing: slow down. A long report doesn’t mean it’s a bad house. Almost every house has findings, and that’s what an inspection is for. The job now is sorting the real items from the noise, and doing it before your deadline runs out.
Sort the report before you react
There’s no pass or fail on an inspection. I went through that one in the myths people believe. The report is a list of what I found, and your first move is to sort it into piles.
Safety and structure. Water coming in, foundation or framing movement, electrical problems, a heating system that’s dead. These are the items that change deals.
Big systems near the end of their life. The roof, the HVAC, the water heater. Not a defect today, but a bill that’s coming.
Small stuff. A loose handrail, failed caulk, a door that sticks. That’s a weekend and a trip to the hardware store.
If a word in the report trips you up, here’s what those terms mean. And if something needs a specialist, like a plumber or a structural engineer, take that seriously and get them out to the house before your deadline, not after.
Know your deadline
In North Carolina, the clock that matters is your due diligence period. Look in your contract for the end date, because every decision after the report hangs on it.
During that period you can terminate for any reason or no reason. It has to be in writing, and the seller doesn’t have to agree. In the standard NC contract you typically get your earnest money back, but not the due diligence fee, since that’s what you paid the seller for the right to look the place over. Your contract can be changed by an addendum, so read yours instead of trusting mine.
Once the period ends, that right to walk away is gone and your earnest money is at risk. So don’t sit on the report. Go through it the day you get it.
What you can ask for
Once you know which items matter, you’ve got four options:
Ask the seller to make repairs before closing.
Ask for a credit or a lower price, and handle the work yourself after you close.
Take the house as it is.
Terminate during the due diligence period.
The first two are requests, and the seller doesn’t have to agree to either one. If they say no, you can walk or you can go forward without the repairs. A request isn’t binding until it’s agreed to in writing, so ask your agent how that’s done on your contract. Which items to ask for and how hard to push is a call for you and your agent. That part isn’t mine.
Get a real number from a contractor
I’ll tell you what I found and why it matters. I won’t put a repair price on it from the report. A number has to come from a licensed contractor who’ll write it down. Contractors take time to call back, so make those calls the day the report lands.
Don’t let the negotiating run out the clock
This is where buyers get hurt. If you and the seller are still going back and forth when the due diligence period ends, you can’t walk away just because talks stalled. The seller isn’t required to give you more time, and an extension only counts if it’s in writing. The NC Real Estate Commission’s guidance is to terminate before the period expires unless the seller agrees to more time in writing. If the deal looks shaky, talk to your agent about that before the deadline, not after.
If the seller agrees to repairs
Under the standard contract, agreed repairs have to be done in a good and workmanlike way before closing, and you’ve got the right to check that they were. The final walk-through is your chance. Don’t give that right up lightly, and ask your agent before you do. If a repair matters to you, have someone qualified look at it before you close. Under the standard contract the buyer generally pays for that.
Some findings come with extra steps
Financing. Your lender can have its own list of repairs it requires. I explained how that works in home inspection vs. appraisal.
Termites. If the termite report turns up activity or damage, this is what that report covers and who has to sign it.
Water. Damp crawlspaces are common around here. This is what I look at when I’m under one.
Old sewer lines. A standard inspection can’t see inside the pipe. That’s what a sewer scope is for.
What I can help with
I’m not a lawyer or a real estate agent. Whether to stay in the deal is between you and your agent, with an attorney if you want one. What I can do is explain what I found, and you can reach out with follow-up questions after you read the report. Reports typically come back within 24 hours, which matters when your clock is running.
Book your home inspection early in the due diligence period so you’ve got room to use what it tells you. Inspections start at $399.