What Happens During a Home Inspection (Buyer's Perspective)

Once your offer is accepted, the clock starts ticking on inspection. In Colorado, the Inspection Objection deadline is typically 7–10 days from the contract date, and it's one of the most powerful protections a buyer has. Used well, it can save you from a money pit, save you thousands in repairs, or give you the leverage to walk away from a deal that doesn't make sense. Used poorly, it can blow up an otherwise good transaction over things that don't matter.

What an Inspection Actually Is

A general home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of the property's major systems and components. Most inspections take 2–4 hours depending on the size and condition of the home. The inspector walks the roof (when safe), crawls the attic, opens the electrical panel, runs every faucet, tests every outlet they can reach, fires up the furnace and AC, opens and closes every window, and looks at the foundation, drainage, and grading. They are not looking inside walls, behind appliances, or under finished flooring.

Most general inspectors in Colorado charge $400–$650 depending on square footage and age. It's worth every dollar.

What Inspectors Look For

The big-ticket items get the most attention because they're the most expensive to fix: roof condition and remaining life, foundation movement or cracking, structural framing issues, electrical panel safety (especially older Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, which are common in mid-century Denver homes and often need replacement), plumbing supply lines (polybutylene and certain PEX recalls are real concerns), water heater age and condition, furnace and AC age and function, and signs of past or current water intrusion.

They also note dozens of smaller items: missing GFCI outlets in wet areas, improperly vented dryers, double-tapped breakers, cracked window seals, sticky doors, missing handrails, and so on. A 50-page inspection report is normal. Don't panic at the length.

Specialty Inspections to Consider

A general inspection is a starting point. Depending on the property, you may want to add specialty inspections, and your inspection objection deadline is the time to do them. Common ones in Denver: a sewer scope (critical on any home built before 1985 — clay sewer lines crack, root through, and cost $8,000–$25,000 to replace), a radon test (Colorado has some of the highest radon levels in the country and the EPA recommends mitigation above 4.0 pCi/L; mitigation runs $1,000–$2,000), a roof inspection by a roofer if hail damage is suspected (Front Range roofs take a beating), a structural engineer if the inspector flags foundation concerns, and a chimney inspection on any home with a wood-burning fireplace.

Red Flags vs. Cosmetic Issues

This is where buyers often get tripped up. A worn carpet, a chipped countertop, a stained ceiling tile in the basement — these are cosmetic. Annoying, but not deal-breakers, and not something the seller is obligated to address.

Real red flags are different: active water intrusion, foundation movement (not just settlement cracks — actual movement with horizontal cracking or stair-stepping), an electrical panel that needs replacement, a roof at end of life, a furnace at the end of its life on a winter purchase, sewer line failure, mold in conditioned spaces, evidence of unpermitted structural work. These are the items that warrant serious negotiation or, sometimes, walking away.

How to Use the Report

After the inspection, you have three main paths under the Colorado contract: accept the property as-is and proceed, submit an Inspection Objection asking the seller to repair specific items or provide a credit, or terminate the contract entirely under the inspection deadline (you get your earnest money back).

The most effective objections are short and focused. A 30-item list of cosmetic gripes signals to the seller that you're being unreasonable, and they're more likely to refuse everything. A focused list of legitimate concerns — "please replace the failing water heater, repair the active roof leak above the kitchen, and provide $3,000 toward the recommended sewer line repair" — is much harder to refuse.

Most sellers will negotiate. They know the next buyer will find the same issues. Whether you ask for repairs or a credit at closing depends on the situation — credits are often easier (you control the contractor and the timing), but on safety items like electrical or roof, you may want the seller to handle it before closing.

Be There for the Walk-Through

Most inspectors will let you join them for the last 30–45 minutes of the inspection to walk through their findings in person. Take them up on it. Reading a report is one thing; standing in the basement looking at the moisture-stained foundation while the inspector explains what's normal settling and what's a real concern is something else entirely. You'll learn things about your future home that no report can convey.

The Bottom Line

The inspection is the buyer's last best chance to truly understand what they're buying. Hire a thorough inspector (not the cheapest one your agent's brother-in-law uses), add the right specialty inspections for the property, focus your objection on what actually matters, and be present for the walk-through. Done well, the inspection process is what separates a confident purchase from a regret-filled one.