This is a question I’ve heard plenty of times.
Without knowing how a home inspector “grades” a house, it’s pretty easy to imagine the inspection as some kind of test — the house either passes or fails, and everybody waits nervously for the red pen to come out.
Here’s the thing: there is no test.
The real question isn’t whether the house fails my inspection. It’s whether the house fails your needs, your budget, your risk tolerance, and your plans. I’m just writing the paper. You’re the one grading it.
It’s not uncommon for a house that most people would consider perfectly decent to generate 40 defects in my report. To some buyers, that sounds appalling. But 40 items doesn’t mean 40 disasters. It might mean a missing GFCI outlet, a loose handrail, a few plumbing leaks, some aging roof flashing, a tired water heater, an unsealed exterior penetration, a bunch of maintenance items, and one or two things that deserve more immediate attention.
That’s not “this house is bad.” That’s just a house with a list. Most houses have a list.
As a home inspector, I flag plenty of stuff that I live with happily in my own home. My house was built in the 1800s. It’s got a stone foundation and a basement with a dirt floor. That doesn’t exactly pass muster by modern standards, but it’s been that way for about 150 years, and it’s actually in pretty good shape.
My stairs are too steep. The rise and run of the treads doesn’t come close to meeting current building standards. They’ve been there since a renovation done in the 1920s, and I like the woodwork. I don’t plan to rip them out.
“But Austin, didn’t you just say you like them? So you’re telling me they’re bad?”
Nope. Let me walk you through the nuance, because this is exactly the kind of thing I’d write up if I found it in someone else’s house:
Stairs — Steep Rise, Shallow Run (Original Staircase)
The main staircase appears to be original or very old, with period woodwork and construction details that would be difficult to replace in kind. At the time of inspection, the staircase was serviceable in use, and no obvious movement, rot, or loose treads were observed.
The stair geometry does not match modern residential stair standards. The risers are steeper and the treads are shallower than what is allowed in current residential construction. As a guide, stairs must have a maximum riser of 7-3/4 inches and a minimum tread of 10 inches.
This is very common in older homes.That said, steep stairs and shallow treads are a safety concern. They can increase the risk of a misstep or fall, especially for children, older occupants, guests, or anyone unfamiliar with the stairs.
Correction may require substantial alteration or full reconstruction of the staircase, and that work could affect original materials and historic character. A qualified contractor should be consulted if correction or alteration is desired, required, or planned. At minimum, the client should understand this limitation and consider practical safety improvements such as secure graspable handrails, good lighting, and keeping the stairway clear of trip hazards.
So yes — you could say these stairs “failed” their inspection. I wouldn’t say that. I’d say they’re old, steep, common for the period, worth understanding, and probably not something most people would rebuild unless they had a specific reason to.
Would they be more safe if they were rebuilt to modern code? Undoubtedly. Would it be safer to live in a one story house with no basement to avoid using stairs altogether? Yes, this would be much safer yet.
That’s the difference between a useful inspection report and a report without context that causes you to panic.
Our house was affordable, and there’s a good reason for that. It needed work. It still needs work. But it has great bones, real character, and features you just don’t see in modern construction. It was a good fit for us because we take joy in doing the work, and we have the skills and equipment to take it on. Another buyer might have walked away from the same house immediately, and they wouldn’t have been wrong either.
That’s the point. A house doesn’t exist in a vacuum. A defect doesn’t mean the same thing to every buyer.
A 25-year-old roof might be a dealbreaker for one person and a negotiating point for another. A damp stone basement might scare off a buyer who wants a dry finished space, while another buyer of an old farmhouse might see it as normal and unsurprising. An outdated electrical panel might be a major concern if there’s no room in the budget after closing — or it might simply become part of the project list for someone already planning renovations.
The inspection gives you the information. The decision is yours. My job isn’t to decide whether you should buy the house. My job is to help you understand what you’re buying — what’s unsafe, what’s worn out, what’s outdated, what needs further evaluation, what’s common for the age of the home, and what’s simply worth keeping an eye on.
Some defects matter right now. Some matter later. Some are expensive, some are cheap. Some are safety concerns, some are just maintenance. Some are the kind of thing every old-house owner learns to live with.
The value of an inspection isn’t just finding problems — it’s sorting them so you’re not treating every item in the report like it carries the same weight. Because they don’t. A missing outlet cover and a failing foundation wall shouldn’t produce the same level of concern. A loose toilet and active knob-and-tube wiring aren’t the same conversation. A steep old staircase and a rotted structural beam aren’t the same kind of problem.
That’s where experience matters. I spent twenty years building and fixing houses before I became a home inspector. I’ve lived in old houses, worked on old houses, renovated tired houses, and seen plenty of buildings that were ugly but sound, pretty but poorly built, old but solid, and new but somehow already a mess.
So when I inspect a house, I’m not just filling a checklist. I’m asking: what’s normal here? What’s sloppy? What’s serious? What’s negotiable? What’s likely to become expensive? What would I worry about if it were my house?
Everybody has their own metrics for what meets their needs. I don’t pretend to know what yours are — unless you choose to share them with me, which I’d genuinely recommend. It changes how useful the conversation can be.
So, what fails a home inspection?
Nothing, technically.
But a house can fail to meet your needs. It can fail to fit your budget. It can fail to match your tolerance for repairs. It can fail to make sense for your family, your timeline, your loan, your insurance, or your plans after closing.
And sometimes, yes, the inspection uncovers enough serious issues that walking away is the right move.
That’s not the inspector failing the house. That’s you making an informed decision. And that’s exactly what the inspection is supposed to help you do.
If you’re buying an older home and want an inspector who can tell the difference between character and what’s out of the ordinary for a home of that age, I’d be glad to help. Schedule an inspection, or feel free to reach out with questions first — no pressure, just information.
Call or text: (802) 289-0025
Email: connect@resonanthomesnh.com
Austin Reida is a NH-licensed Home Inspector and VT-licensed Property Inspector, and the owner of Resonant Homes LLC. He spent over 20 years running a general contracting business before becoming an inspector — a business that’s still active today. He lives in a 1800s farmhouse in Alstead, NH with his wife and business partner, Kayla, where he’s slowly working through the very kind of “defect list” this post describes.
Related Questions:
How many defects does a typical home inspection report find?
It varies widely, but reports with 30–40 items are common, even on homes in genuinely good condition. Most of those items are minor maintenance notes, not serious problems. A long report doesn’t mean a bad house.
If an old house doesn’t meet modern building code, does that mean it’s unsafe?
That depends on what standards you are applying. Strictly speaking, safety-related deficiencies that do not meet current standards are less safe than conditions that do. That’s why I cite the steep staircase, for instance.
Homes are generally held to the code in effect when they were built, not current code, unless they’ve had renovations that trigger updated requirements. Much older houses and houses built in rural areas typically had no oversight at all from a building department. Older features like steep stairs or a stone foundation often reflect period construction practices. It’s your choice whether to accept those differences, I am informing you so that you can make that choice.
Should I be worried if my inspection report has more defects than a friend’s house?
Not on its own. Every home is different, and inspectors vary in how thoroughly they document minor items. What matters is the substance of the findings — the number of line items says very little by itself.
Will the inspector tell me whether I should buy the house?
No, and be cautious of anyone who does. An inspector’s job is to give you a clear, accurate picture of the home’s condition. Whether a given issue is a dealbreaker depends on your budget, timeline, risk tolerance, and plans — only you can weigh that.
How do I know which defects actually matter?
A good inspection report should distinguish between safety issues, functional problems, and routine maintenance rather than flagging everything with equal urgency. If a report doesn’t make that distinction clear, it’s worth asking the inspector directly which items they’d actually worry about.
Does a long inspection report give me negotiating leverage?
Sometimes, but not automatically. Sellers and agents are used to seeing long reports, and most items on a typical list aren’t going to move a negotiation. The findings worth raising are usually the safety concerns, major system issues, and anything with a real cost attached — not every line item.