These are the most common items that I receive as a result of home inspections!
1. Broken, missing, loose or displaced roof tiles. Many times the hardest part is finding the same color roof tiles. A licensed roofer can fix these for usually a nominal amount.
2. Inoperable or broken shutoff valves at the various sink and toilet locations. These are relatively easily and inexpensively replaced and should be a matter of routine maintenance but most homeowners rarely if ever use them.
3. Double tap to a single breaker in the breaker box (usually it is the sprinkler controls that are added). This means two circuits connected to one breaker. The sprinkler controls are usually added to an existing breaker to save the cost of installing a second breaker.
4. Inoperable or not present GFCI outlets in and around water sources (pool, baths, kitchen etc.) Many times the home inspectors call these in error. If both bathrooms are on the same GFCI circuit that should be sufficient.
5. Missing or insufficient insulation around the AC coolant lines. This hurts efficiency and is an easy fix with the pipe insulation from your local hardware store.
6. Missing or ineffective weather stripping around doors including garage doors. If you can see daylight then obviously air and dust is passing through the same opening.
7. Broken windows or broken seals within and surrounding dual pane windows especially the small ones. The expansion and contraction due to our weather tends to break the seal around small windows with smaller surface area to absorb expansion blowing out the rubber seals.
8. Leaking or past leaks under bath or kitchen sinks resulting in water damage. This includes drains, dishwashers, and shut off valves. The water damage is usually not significant but can lead to mold growth.
9. Cracked or leaking garbage disposals. This is also a common source of leaks.
10. Dry rot on the fascia or leading edge of patio covers. This has been and will continue to be a major source of repairs in our neighborhood due to defects in original construction. Most have been repaired but I see it every week.