Walking the whole inspection turned $2,500 into $6,200

First rental, 1970s three bed on a slab. I paid $525 for the general inspection and another $175 for the sewer scope, and I asked the inspector if I could follow him for the three hours instead of waiting for the PDF. He said most people don't and he prefers when they do.

Best 700 dollars I've spent. Twenty years in the trades means I know what a bad flashing detail looks like, but I don't know how an inspector words things, and hearing him say "active leak at the kitchen supply" versus "stain, no moisture reading" told me which items were real. The report came back with 29 items. Only six of them mattered.

Seller's first answer to my $6,200 ask was $2,500 and a lecture about as-is. What moved it was that I had two written bids on the two big items, water heater at 15 years sitting on a rusted pan and a section of failed cast iron the camera caught, both from licensed guys, both dated inside 48 hours. The seller's agent couldn't argue with paper. We settled at $6,200 as a credit at closing.

What I'd keep. Walking with the inspector, and getting real bids before naming a number. What I nearly blew: I opened with all 29 items and the seller stopped reading. Should have led with the six.