The inspection report landed and now you're staring at 70 pages of red circles. Here's what it actually means — and what to do next in Southern Arizona.
The Arizona Home Inspection Guide Nobody Gives You
You found the home. The offer got accepted. And now someone hands you a 70-page document full of red circles, arrows, and words like “deterioration” and “recommend further evaluation.”
Welcome to the inspection period.
For a lot of buyers, this is where the excitement of buying a home quietly turns into anxiety. And that’s completely understandable — because nobody really prepares you for what the inspection process actually feels like, or what to do with everything it surfaces.
This guide is that preparation.
Before the Inspection: Setting Yourself Up Right
Most buyers think the inspection process starts when the inspector shows up. It actually starts the moment your offer is accepted.
Arizona’s inspection period is typically ten days. That sounds comfortable until you realize you’re also reviewing disclosures, coordinating with your lender, and making decisions on a timeline. Here’s how to use those ten days well.
Order everything at once. Don’t wait for the general inspection report before deciding whether to order a sewer scope or pool inspection. Schedule all of them simultaneously so reports come in around the same time and you have the full picture before your deadline.
Hire local. This cannot be overstated in Southern Arizona. An inspector who works Tucson, Oro Valley, and Marana regularly understands desert soil behavior, knows which roof systems were common in certain build years, and recognizes termite patterns specific to stucco-on-slab construction. That local depth shows up in the report in ways that matter.
Ask for sample reports before you hire. Good inspectors are proud of their work and happy to share examples. A well-organized, thorough report tells you a lot about how seriously someone takes their job.
Plan to attend. You don’t have to be there the entire time, but showing up for the last hour gives you a chance to walk through findings with the inspector directly. Seeing something in person — even briefly — is worth more than reading about it later.
During the Inspection: What to Actually Pay Attention To
When you’re walking through with the inspector, it’s easy to get distracted by minor cosmetic things. Try to stay focused on the systems and structures that are expensive or difficult to fix after closing.
Ask about the HVAC age and condition first. In this climate, HVAC systems work harder and wear faster than almost anywhere else in the country. A unit that’s twelve years old heading into a Tucson summer is a meaningful budget consideration. Ask directly: how much life is left in this system?
Look up at the ceilings in every room. Water staining tells a story — sometimes an old one, sometimes an ongoing one. Even faint discoloration is worth asking about.
Pay attention to the roof conversation. Tile roofs, flat roofs, foam roofs — Tucson, Oro Valley, and Marana have has all of them, and each has its own aging pattern. Understanding what the inspector finds on the roof, and what it means for the next five to ten years, is worth slowing down for.
Notice how the inspector talks about termite findings. In Arizona, some level of termite history is common and rarely catastrophic. What matters is whether there’s active activity, prior treatment, and any structural damage. An experienced inspector will walk you through the difference clearly.
Want a checklist to bring with you? Grab the free Southern Arizona Buyer Inspection Guide here.
When the Report Lands: How to Actually Read It
Here is the thing most buyers don’t realize until it’s too late: a long report does not mean a bad home.
Thorough inspectors document everything — aging caulk around a bathtub, a hinge that needs tightening, a suggestion to trim a tree branch near the roofline. That’s not alarm. That’s diligence. And it’s exactly what you want from a good inspector.
What you’re actually looking for is the summary section — the items flagged as major concerns or safety issues. Start there. Everything else is context.
Once you’ve identified the items that genuinely matter, sort them into three buckets:
Safety issues — anything that poses a risk to occupants. These are non-negotiable to address.
Major systems — HVAC, roof, plumbing, electrical. These are expensive to repair or replace and directly affect your cost of ownership.
Deferred maintenance — things that need attention but aren’t urgent. These inform your budget as a future homeowner, but they don’t necessarily belong in your repair request.
That third bucket is important. A lot of buyers try to negotiate every item on the report, which creates friction and can derail deals over things that don’t meaningfully affect the home’s value. Knowing what to ask for — and what to simply plan for — is a skill worth developing.
What’s Normal for Tucson, Oro Valley, and Marana Homes
Before you interpret your report, it helps to know what shows up consistently across Tucson, Oro Valley, and Pima County homes — because some findings that look alarming are simply part of owning a desert home.
Minor stucco cracking is almost universal, especially along window lines. Small foundation settling cracks are common even in newer builds. Some level of termite history or prior treatment appears frequently in homes older than fifteen years. HVAC systems nearing the end of their lifespan, aging water heaters, and GFCI outlets missing near water sources round out what appears on most reports in this area.
None of these are reasons to walk away from a home you love. They’re reasons to go in with accurate information, a realistic maintenance budget, and a negotiating position grounded in facts.
The BINSR: Where Strategy Matters More Than Most Buyers Expect
In Arizona, buyers submit a form called the BINSR — Buyer’s Inspection Notice and Seller’s Response — to formally request repairs or credits after inspections are complete. The seller can agree, counter, or decline. Both sides negotiate from there.
It sounds straightforward. The strategy behind it is anything but.
Context shapes the negotiation. If a seller has already reduced their price, covered closing costs, or made other concessions, their appetite for additional repair requests is lower going in. Understanding what’s already been given on both sides before you submit your BINSR is essential — and it’s something your agent should help you read clearly.
Fewer, bigger asks tend to outperform longer lists. Sellers respond better emotionally and practically to two meaningful requests than to a list of twelve minor ones. Even when the dollar amounts are similar, a long list feels adversarial in a way that can derail a deal.
Credits often beat repairs. When you ask a seller to fix something, you’re relying on their contractor, their timeline, and their definition of done. Asking for a credit instead lets you manage the repair yourself after closing — with your contractor, your standards, and your timing. For anything beyond simple cosmetic fixes, this is usually the smarter approach.
Keep it professional and factual. The BINSR isn’t the place for emotional language or ultimatums. Inspectors document facts. Your request should reflect that same tone. Deals die faster over how something is said than what is being asked for.
After the Negotiation: What Comes Next
Once the BINSR is resolved — whether through agreed repairs, a credit, or a combination — you’re moving toward closing. But a few things are worth doing before you get there.
If repairs were agreed upon, request receipts and documentation before closing day. A verbal agreement that work was done isn’t enough. You want written confirmation from a licensed contractor.
If you received a credit instead, make sure you’ve identified the contractors you’ll use and have a realistic sense of timing and cost. Credits feel like found money until you realize the repair is more complicated than expected.
And if the inspection period revealed something that genuinely changed how you feel about the home — trust that. The inspection process exists to give you information, and information is only useful if you act on it honestly.
A Final Thought
Every home has something. After reviewing hundreds of inspection reports across Tucson, Oro Valley, and Marana, I’ve never seen one come back completely clean — and if one ever did, I’d wonder what the inspector missed.
The goal was never a perfect report. The goal is clarity — knowing exactly what you’re buying, what it will cost to maintain, and what you can reasonably ask the seller to address before you close.
That clarity is what turns a stressful inspection period into a confident one.
If you’re navigating the inspection process right now and want a second set of eyes on your report, or if you’re still in the early stages of your search and want to understand what to expect — I’m always happy to have that conversation.
Michelle Ripley Ripley’s Real Estate Group Keller Williams Southern Arizona 📧 Michelle@LuxuryAZRE.com 📞 1-833-RIPLEYS (747-5397)
