Expect a list of issues, because finding them is the inspector's whole job. An inspector is paid to flag problems, and in 20-plus years in real estate we have rarely seen a truly major one. Most findings are minor or correctable: cosmetic items like cracks in concrete, or things that reflect how building code has changed over the years, like the allowed gap in a stair railing. A general inspector checks the electrical, plumbing, water heater, HVAC, roof, and everything else accessible without opening up walls. Health-and-safety items usually get flagged in red on the report even when they are small, which can make a solid house look alarming on paper. The real work starts when the report arrives, and that work is yours: deciding where your own line sits between items you can live with and problems worth negotiating over. Anything on the negotiating side goes back to the seller through your agent, potentially as a repair or a credit. Read the report as a prioritized to-do list rather than a verdict on the house, and lean on your agent to separate the truly significant items from the noise.