What Does a Home Inspection Actually Turn Up in a Las Vegas House?

Every seller I work with asks some version of the same question once we are under contract. What is the inspector going to find?

After 20 years of reading inspection reports on valley homes, the answer is not a mystery. The same handful of things show up over and over, and most of them are fixable before the sign ever goes in the yard.

Here is what to expect, what buyers do with it, and what I would handle before listing.

The air conditioner. Nothing in a Las Vegas house works harder. Inspectors check the age of the unit, how cold the air is coming out of the vents, and whether the system keeps up. An older system that still runs will be noted as older. A system that struggles will be noted as struggling, and the buyer will read that note in August.

The roof. Most valley homes have tile roofs, and tile lasts a long time. The underlayment beneath it does not. Inspectors look for slipped or cracked tiles, exposed underlayment, and the flashing around vents and skylights. On a flat section, they look for pooling.

The water heater. Age, corrosion, the strap that holds it to the wall, the pan under it, and whether the pressure relief valve is plumbed correctly. Small item, always on the report.

Stucco and the slab. Hairline cracks in stucco are normal here. Wider cracks, or cracks that run in a pattern, get called out. Inspectors also look at the slab edge and any doors that stick, which can point at settling.

The pool. If you have one, the equipment gets its own section. Pump, filter, heater if there is one, the condition of the plaster, and whether the safety barriers meet code. Pool equipment is where a lot of deferred maintenance hides.

Water. Our water is hard on everything. Inspectors note mineral buildup on fixtures, the condition of the water softener if there is one, slow drains, and any sign of a past leak under sinks. Irrigation gets a look too, especially drip lines in desert landscaping.

The rest of the report is the usual list: outlets, GFCI protection, the garage door safety reverse, window seals that have failed and fogged, and smoke detectors.

A buyer’s inspection is not a pass-or-fail test. It is a negotiation document.

Nevada contracts give the buyer a due diligence period. They inspect, they read the report, and then they come back with one of three things: a request that you fix specific items, a request for a credit at closing so they can fix it themselves, or nothing, because they are fine with what they saw.

What they ask for depends less on the size of the problem than on how surprised they are. A buyer who was told about the older AC before they wrote the offer usually accepts it. A buyer who discovers it on page four of a report feels misled, even when nobody misled them, and asks for more.

That is the whole reason to deal with this before you list.

Not everything. The list is shorter than people expect.

Fix what is broken or obviously deferred. The sticking door, the running toilet, the outlet that does not work, the sprinkler head spraying the wall. Buyers do not add up small items. They form an impression, and a house with ten small things undone makes them wonder what else was skipped.

Service the AC and keep the receipt. A recent service record answers the biggest question on the report before it gets asked.

Get the roof looked at if it is older. A roofer’s note that says the roof is sound, or a small repair to slipped tiles, is worth far more than the credit a buyer will ask for after their inspector flags it.

Disclose what you know. Nevada requires sellers to complete a Seller’s Real Property Disclosure. Fill it out carefully. A problem you disclosed is a fact. A problem you did not disclose that turns up later is a fight.

Leave the rest. An older water heater that works is an older water heater that works. You do not need a new one to sell the house. Spending big money on items a buyer might not even ask about is how sellers give away their equity twice.

Sometimes it is worth paying an inspector before you list, and getting the report yourself. It makes sense when the house is older, when you have not lived in it for a while, or when you suspect something and would rather know now than find out with a buyer waiting.

Most of the time it is not necessary. A walk-through with me before we list covers most of it, because I know what the reports say about houses like yours.

The inspection is going to happen. The only question is whether you meet it prepared or surprised. Prepared sellers keep more of their price, because nothing in the report is news.

Call 702-881-6562 or email JArendt658@gmail.com. Tell me the age of the house and the neighborhood. I will walk it with you, tell you what an inspector is likely to write, and which of those things is worth fixing first. If the answer is that your house is ready as it stands, I will tell you that too.

John Arendt has sold homes across the Las Vegas valley for 20 years, in Henderson, Summerlin, Southern Highlands, Anthem, Boulder City and North Las Vegas.

This article is general information about the home selling process, not an inspection or a legal opinion. Every house is different. Rely on a licensed inspector’s report for your specific property.