How to turn a home inspection report into a priced fix list
Quick answer: Send us the buyer's inspection report and get a ballpark within 24 hours. Most of the small findings on a report have published repair ranges between $65 and $500 each. The report tells you what was found, not what it costs, so getting to one price takes three steps: sort the findings, scope the short pile, and price it as one list.
Pre-listing walkthroughs and repairs for real estate agents
Sort the findings into three piles
A long report is not the same thing as a long repair list. Read it once with one question for each line: which pile?
- What truly needs fixing. Safety, water, and things that do not work. A loose handrail, a slow leak under a sink, a dead outlet, a door that will not latch, a downspout loose at the eave.
- What needs a specialist first. Anything the inspector marked for further evaluation, such as the roof, the foundation or the sewer line. These get their own report before anyone prices a repair.
- What does not. A hairline crack in the driveway, worn finish on deck boards, an older fixture working as intended. Worth a plain sentence to your client, not a repair.
Sorting is where a deal stays calm. The first pile is short, and it is the only one that needs a price today.
Scope the short pile
A repair team can price the first pile quickly when it has:
- The summary pages of the report, and the photo page for each item. A photo of the summary pages is enough to start.
- The property city and the date your repair window closes.
- How access works, and who approves the price.
- Any specialty reports that came with it.
Termite and pest, mold, sewer camera, thermal imaging, pool and spa: on a high-end sale every specialty report is another list. Send them with the home inspection and we sort them the same way, calmly, and fix what needs fixing before close.
We work from the reports. Tru Service does not perform home inspections or tests.
Price it: what the common findings cost
These are 2026 national ranges from HomeGuide, per item. Treat them as planning numbers, not quotes.
| Finding on the report | Published range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leaking faucet | $65 to $150 | repair; a new faucet installed is $120 to $300 in labor |
| Running or loose toilet | $130 to $300 | professional repair |
| Missing or expired smoke alarm | $110 to $410 | per unit installed, and up for smart units |
| Missing carbon monoxide alarm | $120 to $360 | per unit installed |
| Failed light fixture | $65 to $175 | a like for like replacement |
| Door frame damage | $75 to $220 | split or loose jambs and stops |
| Lock that does not work | $75 to $200 | replacement, per lock |
| Failed caulk at a tub, sink or window | $150 to $300 | |
| Worn weather stripping | $150 to $400 | installation |
| Loose or leaking gutter | $150 to $500 | repair |
| Torn window screen | $15 to $50 | each |
| Wall or ceiling damage | $200 to $800 | drywall repair |
Bay Area labor sits above those national numbers: HomeGuide lists handyman rates in San Francisco at $60 to $110 an hour, against $50 to $80 nationally for a self-employed handyman. For scale, HomeGuide puts the home inspection itself at $350 to $500 in California.
Tru Service starting prices run from $120 to $165 a job. A report gets one price for the whole repair list, in writing, before any work starts. Anything on the list that belongs to another trade, we flag before you approve it.
One price, then the date
A written price gives both sides a number to work from, whatever the answer turns out to be.
When the answer is a repair, we work to the date in your contract. You walk the finished repairs before anyone pays.
Listing side or buying side
Send any report, listing side or buying side. If we already work the house for the seller, both agents know up front, and the list and the price are the same.
Not under contract yet? See what pre-listing repairs cost in the Bay Area, and find it before the buyer does.
Frequently asked
How much does it cost to fix the items on a home inspection report?
Most of the small findings on a report have published national repair ranges between $65 and $500 each in HomeGuide's 2026 data, and Bay Area labor runs higher. Tru Service starting prices run from $120 to $165 a job, and a report gets one price for the whole repair list, in writing, before any work starts.
How fast can I get repair prices from an inspection report?
Send us the buyer's inspection report and get a ballpark within 24 hours. A photo of the summary pages is enough to start.
Does Tru Service do home inspections?
No. Tru Service does not perform home inspections or tests. We work from the report the inspector wrote, and we do the repairs.
Can the repairs be finished inside the repair window?
We work to the date in your contract. You walk the finished repairs before anyone pays.
Do you work with the listing agent or the buyer's agent?
Either. Send any report, listing side or buying side. If we already work the house for the seller, both agents know up front, and the list and the price are the same.
Market figures on this page were read on the source pages in October 2026: HomeGuide's 2026 handyman price list, its smoke detector, toilet repair and home inspection cost guides (national ranges, plus its San Francisco hourly rates and California inspection range). The starting prices are Tru Service's own. The price for a real list depends on scope, materials and access, and is confirmed in writing before work starts. This page is about repairs and prices. It is not advice on a contract.