| name | home-inspection-decoder |
| description | Make sense of a home-inspection report before you buy — what's serious vs cosmetic, what to negotiate, and what to investigate further. Use when asked to explain my home inspection, is this inspection finding serious, what should I negotiate after inspection, or decode my inspection report. Produces a triage of findings by severity (safety/structural/expensive vs minor/cosmetic), plain-English translations, the items worth a repair credit or price negotiation, what warrants a specialist follow-up, and a walk-vs-proceed read — flagging that the inspector and specialists are the authority. |
Home-Inspection Decoder
A home-inspection report is a scary wall of findings where a cracked outlet cover sits next to a failing foundation with equal visual weight. This triages it: what's actually serious, what's cosmetic, what to negotiate, and what needs a specialist before you commit — so you make the buy/negotiate/walk call with clarity instead of panic.
What This Skill Produces
- A severity triage — findings sorted into safety/structural/big-ticket vs. maintenance vs. cosmetic
- Plain-English translations — what each significant finding actually means and roughly why it matters
- Negotiation targets — which items justify a repair credit, price reduction, or seller fix
- Follow-up flags — findings that warrant a specialist (structural engineer, electrician, roofer) before proceeding
- A proceed/negotiate/walk read — an overall gut-check based on the serious findings and your risk tolerance
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The report — the findings (paste them or the key items)
- The deal stage — under contract, deciding whether to proceed, or negotiating
- The home — age, type, price, and how much cushion you have for repairs
- Your risk tolerance — appetite for a project vs. wanting move-in-ready
- Location — affects norms and who to call for follow-ups
Framework: Triage, Translate, Negotiate
- Sort by severity, not report order. Safety, structural, and expensive-system issues (foundation, roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, water intrusion) matter; a sticking door doesn't.
- Translate the jargon. Explain what each serious finding means and its rough implication, so the buyer isn't guessing.
- Separate deal-breakers from bargaining chips. Some findings justify walking; many justify a credit or repair. Identify each.
- Flag specialist follow-ups. Where the general inspector says "recommend further evaluation," treat it seriously — get the specialist quote before finalizing.
- Give an honest overall read. Proceed, negotiate, or walk — tied to the serious findings and the buyer's tolerance, not a false all-clear.
Output Format
Inspection decode: [home] · [price] · stage: [x]
Serious (safety/structural/expensive)
- [finding] → what it means: [plain] · action: [negotiate / specialist / dealbreaker].
Worth negotiating: [items → credit/repair/reduction].
Get a specialist for: [findings needing structural/electrical/roof/etc. follow-up].
Minor/cosmetic (don't sweat): [list].
Overall read: [proceed / negotiate hard / walk] — because [serious findings + your tolerance].
The inspector and specialists are the authority — get quotes/evaluations on the flagged items before finalizing.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Treating every finding as equal weight.
- Panic over cosmetic issues or dismissing structural ones.
- No negotiation guidance on legitimately chargeable items.
- Ignoring "recommend further evaluation" flags.
- A false all-clear that overrides the inspector.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Can you explain my home inspection report? Some of it sounds scary."
- "Is this foundation finding a dealbreaker or negotiable?"
- "What should I ask the seller to fix or credit after inspection?"
- "Which of these inspection items need a specialist?"
- "Should I still buy this house given the inspection?"
