You love the house. What will the inspection tell you?
A home inspection can turn a vague worry into a specific next step. Here's what a real sample report shows, what Massachusetts' inspection-waiver rules cover, and how to find an inspector near the home you're buying.
By Boston Dwelling · Published · 3 min read
You've pictured your furniture in the living room. The commute works. You've checked the mortgage payment more times than you'd like to admit.
Now someone needs to look past the things that made you fall for the place.
A home inspection can turn "the roof looks fine" into a specific question for a roofer. It can flag an electrical issue you wouldn't recognize during an open house. And it can help you understand what owning the home might involve after moving day.
For Greater Boston buyers, the useful question isn't simply whether a house has problems. It's which problems need attention, what remains unknown, and whether you can handle the next steps.
What a report can actually tell you
You don't have to wait until buying a home to see an inspection report.
Greater Boston firm JBS Home Inspections publishes a 50-page sample report (opens in a new tab) dated January 12, 2022, with an anonymized address. It includes photographs, findings and recommendations. These examples are paraphrased from that sample, not findings about a home currently for sale.
| Finding in the sample | What that means for a buyer | Useful follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Missing and cracked roof shingles; replacement recommended | Roofing could require substantial work | Ask a qualified roofer to assess the work and provide a written quote |
| Electrical-panel wiring flagged as a safety issue | Something an ordinary showing might not reveal needs attention | Have a licensed electrician evaluate it |
| Corrosion and water near a boiler's relief-valve discharge | The heating equipment needs further investigation | Arrange an assessment by a heating professional before making assumptions about the repair |
Source: JBS sample report, PDF pages 5-6 and 8 (January 12, 2022). Follow-up questions are Boston Dwelling's practical interpretation.
That distinction between a finding and a diagnosis matters. Water near a boiler doesn't automatically tell you which component has failed or what fixing it will cost.
Our view: a useful report should help you prioritize your next decisions. A long list of observations is less helpful if you still can't tell what needs a specialist, what can be planned for, and what couldn't be inspected.
The local concern behind the protections
In a June 2025 Boston.com interview (opens in a new tab), Morgan Cohen, owner of Watertown-based MKC Associates, described post-purchase inspections that uncovered wiring concerns and underground oil tanks after buyers had skipped inspections.
That is an inspector's reported experience, not a measure of how often those problems occur. But it explains the household stakes: discovering an issue before purchasing gives you choices you may not have afterward.
Massachusetts' rules (opens in a new tab) now generally prevent sellers from conditioning acceptance on an inspection waiver or accepting an offer after a buyer signals that intention. Covered properties include individual condos in buildings of any size and residential buildings with one to four units. Exceptions apply. Buyers may independently forgo an inspection later, under the regulation's conditions.
Your contract still matters. Ask your attorney to explain inspection deadlines, repair thresholds and deposit consequences before signing.
Are buyers still getting inspections?
In its 2026 buyer report (opens in a new tab), published October 14, Zillow reports that:
- 69% of surveyed buyers included an inspection contingency in their final offer.
- 15% reported having no inspections before purchasing.
Those measure different things. Having an inspection and making the purchase conditional on its results are not interchangeable. These are national findings, not Boston percentages, and they don't demonstrate the effect of Massachusetts' law.
Finding someone near the home you're buying
Start with ASHI's inspector directory (opens in a new tab), which accepts city, state and ZIP-code searches, or InterNACHI's address-based search (opens in a new tab). You can use the property's location whether you're shopping in Boston, MetroWest, the North Shore or the South Shore. These are professional-membership directories, not independent quality rankings.
Before booking, ask:
- Have you inspected homes like this one? Describe the building's age, construction and whether it's a condo or multifamily.
- Can I see a sample report and attend? Look for clear explanations, photographs and follow-up recommendations.
- What is included, excluded and separately priced? Confirm the inspector's Massachusetts license, the scope and when you'll receive the report.
The goal is to understand the home well enough to decide whether you still want it, and what you'll need to take care of if you do.