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One well-meaning email can slow down a closing or stop it cold, and it happens more often than you’d think. We’re Jim and Laura, and we’re pulling back the curtain on a costly mistake home buyers and real estate agents keep making: sharing the full home inspection report with the loan officer or even an insurance company. That report is detailed by design, and when it lands in underwriting, it can turn routine home inspection findings into “conditions” that trigger delays, extra inspections, and repair demands.

We walk through a true story where a minor electrical issue, basically an unfinished light fixture with exposed wiring, starts as a straightforward fix. Then the scope balloons. A full electrical report gets created, the entire document gets forwarded, and suddenly the lender is staring at a long list of older-home issues they never asked for. We explain what the lender actually needed all along: a simple confirmation that the specific item was repaired, documented cleanly and clearly.

From there, we get into the pattern we see with basement moisture, foundation questions, and confusing lender emails that lack standard language. We share how we handle those requests as home inspectors, why we push for precise questions, and how to avoid opening a new can of worms like mold testing or structural engineering when it isn’t warranted. If you’re buying a home, selling a home, or guiding clients as a real estate agent, this is practical advice for protecting your mortgage approval, reducing closing delays, and using your inspection report the way it’s intended.

If this helped, subscribe, share it with a buyer who needs it, and leave a review so more people stop making the same mistake. What part of the home buying process has surprised you most?

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To learn more about Habitation Investigation, the Three-time Winner of the Best Home Inspection Company in the Midwest Plus the Winner of Consumer Choice Award for Columbus Ohio visit Home Inspection Columbus Ohio - Habitation Investigation (homeinspectionsinohio.com)

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New Build Reality Check

New Build Reality Check •
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Standing Out in Ohio Podcast