Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the home inspector says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories: 1. Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure. 2. Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example. 3. Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home. 4. Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel. Anything in these c