Home inspection repairs: what to fix before closing, and what to leave

Repair what the report calls a safety hazard, anything wet or rotting, and what Oregon expects at sale, such as working smoke and CO alarms. Cosmetic notes can stay. Electrical, gas and roof lines go to those trades. Most handyman lists from a report run $500 to $4,000, usually near $1,500, labour only (Portland-area market data, November 2026) .

Slava writes this guide; he's worked hands-on in home repair for 7 years. If you'd rather pass the whole report along, read how we handle pre-sale and inspection repair lists.

Which home inspection repairs should you fix before closing?

Before quoting, I split a report four ways:

• Safety: a stair rail that moves, a raised edge that catches toes, a missing or chirping alarm.
• Water and rot: soft wood, caulk that has let go at the tub or siding, gutters spilling beside the foundation, damage a stopped leak left behind.
• Required at sale or by code: alarms and water heater straps, covered further down.
• Cosmetic and "monitor" lines: tired paint, hairline drywall cracks, scuffed floors.

Do the first three; let the fourth go. Rot and leaks spread and get flagged again on the return visit; a sound fix now beats a bigger one later. Repair versus credit is for you and the agents to settle.

With our long wet season, a west-side water item rarely belongs in the monitor pile.

What does the inspector's wording mean for the repair?

An inspector records what was visible that day and prices nothing; the number comes from whoever does the work. Common phrases :

• "Recommend evaluation by a qualified contractor": somebody needs to open it, look and quote.
• "Monitor": no work needed now.
• "Deferred maintenance": small jobs that stacked up.
• "Evidence of moisture": find the source first, then fix the stain.
• "Safety concern": handle it before closing.

Home inspection repair checklist: what can a handyman fix?

This table follows the inspector's path around the house.

Decayed trim and sills lead most exterior sections, our rot and siding work. Age shapes the list. Cedar Mill's tall-fir lots with 1960s-70s houses tend to collect gutter and rot notes, original Cedar Hills houses from the 50s and 60s lean toward doors and windows, and Bethany's 25-to-30-year-old houses now get water heater and deck lines.

Reports also flag garage doors, furnaces, gas lines, locks, popcorn ceilings, old peeling paint, pests and moss. Those aren't ours; see who handles them.

Three things sellers tend to overlook before closing: .

What do common home inspection repairs cost?

Figures are Portland-area market ranges (November 2026), not our quotes; typical in brackets. "Labour only" means materials are extra.

A list climbs with its line count, the number of trades, decay beyond what showed, ladder work, materials on labour-only rows , and a closing date that's close. Even two items carry a trip minimum; our hourly rate guide explains it.

Plenty of lists pass $2,000, and past that line Oregon wants home repair work in writing, even if the job started smaller and grew; what the contract must include.

Which inspection items hide a bigger repair?

• Blistered or soft paint low on trim usually means wet wood under it.
• A ceiling stain is a leak first, drywall second.
• A door that only lately began to stick could be seasonal swelling or a shifting frame (telling them apart).
• Tired caulk around a tub may sit over a spongy subfloor.

An honest quote prices what shows, says where that price stops, and calls you before opening more .

Some sales add a wood destroying organism report. If it turns up insects, treatment by a pest firm comes first and wood repair after.

After a wet winter, sills, fascia and post bases are the usual west-side rot spots, worst under Cedar Mill's firs and on West Slope lots draining toward the house.

Which repairs need a specialist or permit in Oregon?

That covers GFCI, open ground, double tap, hard-wired alarm and new porch light lines.

A new water heater requires a plumbing permit; water heater replacement has its own page. Like-for-like carpentry needs no permit unless it cuts into walls, a structural beam or a bearing support, or changes a required exit; when unsure, ask the local building department. Roof, furnace and sewer items belong to those trades.

Which Oregon items should be done before the final walk-through?

• Smoke alarms. A seller is responsible for having them installed the way the state's building and fire rules require. Test every one; swap dead or expired units.
• CO alarms. Any house with a carbon monoxide source must have working ones in place before it's sold, and every house built in 2011 or after needs one anyway. We fit and test alarms.
• Water heater straps. Oregon's plumbing code calls for tank heaters to be anchored or strapped.
• The bolting question. Oregon's disclosure form asks sellers of houses built before 1974 about foundation bolting. That answer is yours; some owners bolt before listing (seismic retrofit prices).
• Paint on pre-1978 houses. Touch-up can cross the lead threshold: over 6 sq ft in a room, or 20 sq ft outdoors. Beyond it, paint work goes to a certified lead-safe firm .

Much of Cedar Hills, Cedar Mill and older Beaverton predates 1974, so the last two come up often.

In what order should repairs be done before closing?

Trades lead: roof, plumbing leak, electrical. Rot and carpentry next, then drywall, caulk and paint; alarms and a walk-through with the report close it out. Paint over a live leak, or a patch on damp framing, shows again before move-in.

Closing in March or April? Outside paint may wait, with new wood only primed (why timing matters).

How do you show the buyer the repairs were done?

Whoever did the work, the buyer should get:

• an itemized invoice naming each report line by number;
• dated before and after photos per item;
• a permit final wherever a permit was pulled.

The buyer's inspector may come back to check agreed items, so keep it together.