When you have to walk away

If you are like most people you hate to invest in something and then try to forget about the time, energy, and money you spent on it. That happened to some clients of mine recently.  Their story was an important reminder about why I inspect homes. 
It's true that most of the houses I inspect are in relatively decent condition.  That is not to say that most are perfect- a house that doesn't have a few small issues is extremely rare.  If the house you've put an offer on has a few small things to repair you should feel good about your purchase.   Houses are like pets or kids- they eat your cash and your time. Period.
From the street the house looked pretty.  It wasn't until we started the inspection process we realized that there were several significant problems with the structure.  Some of them were just poor maintenance, but some were just poor construction practices. The unstable foundation had a repair price between $35K - $70,000!!  The roof had three layers of shingles and needed to be replaced- $6000 (it was a small house).  And the detached garage was suffering from settlement problems of its own.  Can you put a value on the price of that inspection? 
Needles to say these clients ultimately decided to search for a different home.