Home Inspection Decoder

---
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."
homepage: https://mohitagw15856.github.io/pm-claude-skills/skill/home-inspection-decoder.html
metadata:
  {
    "openclaw": { "emoji": "🗓" }
  }
---

# 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

1. **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.
2. **Translate the jargon.** Explain what each serious finding means and its rough implication, so the buyer isn't guessing.
3. **Separate deal-breakers from bargaining chips.** Some findings justify walking; many justify a credit or repair. Identify each.
4. **Flag specialist follow-ups.** Where the general inspector says "recommend further evaluation," treat it seriously — get the specialist quote *before* finalizing.
5. **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
- [ ] Findings are triaged by real severity, not report order
- [ ] Serious items are translated into plain meaning
- [ ] Negotiation targets are identified
- [ ] Specialist follow-ups are flagged for "further evaluation" items
- [ ] Gives an honest proceed/negotiate/walk read
- [ ] Defers to the inspector/specialists as the authority

## 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?"