Key Takeaways
- Finding 20–40 issues on a typical home inspection is completely normal — no home is perfect.
- The 9 I see most: poor grading, missing GFCI protection, reversed polarity, attic bypasses, inadequate insulation, missing kick-out flashing, unsafe handrails, improper bathroom venting, and aging water heaters.
- Most are inexpensive to fix; a handful are safety items that need immediate attention.
- Use the inspection report’s repair list as a negotiating tool before closing.
No home is perfect — I write that in almost every report. A home inspection will always have findings. Sometimes they're minor nuisances. Sometimes they're reasons to renegotiate. Occasionally they're reasons to walk away. But these 9 items below? They're so common I almost expect to find them before I even arrive.
1. Electrical problems
It's rare to write a report without at least one electrical finding. The most common: double-taps at breakers, where two wires are connected to a single breaker (most panel manufacturers specifically prohibit this and it creates a fire hazard). Close behind: ungrounded receptacles, usually from an improperly wired ground wire. I also regularly find missing covers on junction boxes, loose light fixtures, and improperly wired bathroom fans. Any electrical issue should be treated as a priority — the failure modes are fire and electrocution.
2. Poor lot grading
The lawn around your home should slope downward at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet away from the foundation. When it doesn't — or when it slopes toward the house — that water ends up in your basement. This is probably the single biggest contributor to wet basements I see, and it's almost always fixable with basic landscaping work.
3. Ventilation issues
Moisture needs to get out of the house. Bathroom exhaust fans should vent to the exterior through a wall or roof cap — not into the attic. I find attic-terminating bathroom fans constantly. The result is concentrated moisture in the attic space, which leads to condensation on sheathing, mould, and rot. Soffit vents blocked by insulation are also common. Simple plastic baffles (available at any hardware store for a few dollars each) keep insulation from covering the soffits and allow the attic to breathe properly.
4. Plants too close to the house
Landscaping looks great, but plants touching the house cause real problems. Shrubs and perennials should have at least 6 inches of clearance from the foundation and siding. Overhanging tree branches should be trimmed well back from the roof — they cause abrasive wear on shingles, block drying, deposit debris that breeds moss, clog gutters, and can fall. Tree roots near the foundation can damage both the foundation and the weeping tile. Trim back aggressively and do it regularly.
5. Missing or improper TPRV discharge tube
Every water heater has a Temperature-Pressure Relief Valve (TPRV) — a critical safety device that opens if temperature or pressure inside the tank exceeds safe limits. Without it, an overheated water heater can become a dangerous projectile. The valve itself must also have a discharge tube that directs any released steam toward the floor, not into the room where someone might be standing. I find missing discharge tubes on roughly one in four inspections. A few dollars and 15 minutes to fix; a genuine safety risk to leave.
6. Attic access hatch not weatherstripped or insulated
The attic access hatch is a hole in your insulated ceiling. An uninsulated, unsealed hatch leaks warm air directly into the attic — even a small gap can allow more than enough heat loss to cause condensation and ice damming. Weatherstripping the perimeter of the hatch takes 20 minutes and costs almost nothing. Adding rigid insulation to the top of the hatch costs a few more dollars. Both together make a real difference in energy efficiency.
7. Plumbing issues
A loose toilet is probably the most universal finding in this category. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but a rocking toilet breaks down the wax seal, leading to a slow leak that can go undetected for a long time and cause serious subfloor damage. Tighten the floor bolts. I also routinely find small leaks under sinks, failed shut-off valves, and metal hangers used to support copper pipe (dissimilar metals in direct contact corrode; use plastic or add a layer of electrical tape). Water heater temperature above 120°F is also common — anything higher risks scalding, especially for children and the elderly.
8. Missing guardrails at stairs
Guardrails prevent falls. They're required by code from the bottom to the top of any staircase, and they need to be solid — not decorative. I regularly find loose, wobbly, or entirely missing guardrails on both interior and exterior stairs. It's a straightforward fix and a genuine safety issue, particularly for children and older adults.
9. Downspout extensions too short
Downspouts that discharge right next to the foundation are sending a concentrated stream of roof runoff directly where you least want it. Extensions that direct water at least 4 feet from the foundation — and ideally onto a properly sloped lot that carries it further away — make a significant difference. They're not pretty, but they work. This finding appears in almost every report I write.
Good news: Most of these deficiencies are inexpensive to fix. The ones on this list that aren't free take an afternoon at most. Ignoring them costs more.