When I was buying my first house, everything seemed too good to be true—at least at the start of the process. I found a home within a couple of weeks, the price was fabulously low, it was in a cute lake community with a style I loved, and funding came through quickly and easily. I even received a first-time home buyer’s bonus for tax time. Plus, I didn’t need much of a down payment.

But it turned out too good to be true. My smooth path to homeownership suddenly became rocky when the inspection report came back with a big fat failure on it. I immediately panicked. What did it mean? Was I still able to buy the house? And if I did, was it going to fall apart?

After a few calls with my real estate agent (who, at that point, had become more of a home-buying therapist), I learned that a bad inspection isn’t that rare. In fact, my new home wasn’t in as bad of shape as I initially feared. We were able to make some repairs and, after a second inspection, the house was appraised and the sale was able to go through.

During the process, though, I learned a lot more than I ever expected about home inspections. Whether you’re a first-time or repeat home buyer, here’s my advice for getting the house you want after a shaky home inspection.