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Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the
opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist,
photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the
seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are
nice to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

1.   Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
2.   Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
3.   Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both
life and property (especially in categories 2 and 3).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are
under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Don't kill
your deal over things that don't matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions
already listed on the seller's disclosure, or nit-picky items. There are smoke deadly mistakes that buyers make without a
home inspection.