Do this first
Ready to act
Missing GFCI protection — hall bathroom
The June 2024 inspection found a bathroom outlet without GFCI protection, and no one has reported fixing it.
Next step: have an electrician fix it.
Arete Home Review Know what your home needs next, and what can wait.
Less panic. Better priorities. Clearer next steps.
Bring an inspection report, one to three listings, or what you know about your home. Arete sorts it into what to do now, what to have checked before you spend money, what to keep an eye on, and what you can stop worrying about. When there isn’t enough information to say, it tells you.
$99Founder's LaunchStandard price $149
One purchase, one finished review. After checkout, you choose Home Review, Inspection Translation, or Listing Review. You only need an inspection report for Inspection Translation. Every review comes as a PDF you can download and a private living report — an online version built for your phone — available for 90 days.
Actual sample report · page one
Start with the one thing that matters most.Then your priorities, what you can rule out, typical costs, how long each job takes, and a 12-month plan.
An example from a sample report
Same home. Three concerns. Three different decisions.
Not every problem, old system, or open question should become a project. Here is how Arete sorted three concerns in one sample home.
Check before you spend
Assess first
Furnace and AC at 14 years
At 14 years, their age is a reason to have them checked — not proof they need replacing. No problems were reported.
Next step: have a technician check them before treating a $9,000–$16,000 replacement as a real expense.
Stop worrying about this
All clear
Roof replacement planning
The roof was replaced in 2019, with no leaks, staining, or storm damage reported.
Next step: none. There’s no reason to plan for a new roof right now.
The goal isn’t a longer list. It’s knowing what to do about each item on it.
Illustrative sample — not a promise that every report will reach the same conclusions. Open the full sample report (PDF) or its living report.
Choose your review
Which review fits you?
One purchase covers one review. You pick which one after checkout, based on what you have.
Home Review
“I own the home and need a plan.”
What to do first, what to have checked before spending money, what to keep an eye on, and what you can stop worrying about. Answer the guided questions for the most detailed version, with typical costs and a 12-month plan.
- Inspection
- Optional.
- You provide
- Home basics, system ages, repairs, concerns, and any inspection you already have.
- Detail
- Start with basic facts, or answer guided questions for the most detailed review.
Inspection Translation
“I have an inspection report and need to know what it actually means.”
The few findings that matter, pulled out from the boilerplate. Each one is treated as what the inspector saw that day, with the questions worth asking before you commit.
- Inspection
- Required.
- You provide
- Your inspection PDF. Arete reads home facts from it for you to confirm.
Listing Review
“I’m evaluating one home or comparing listings.”
What each listing actually tells you, what it leaves out, and what to check before making an offer. Comparing two or three homes? See what each would cost to maintain.
- Inspection
- Not required.
- You provide
- One listing, or two to three listings for comparison.
One purchase includes one finished review.
Every path includes a downloadable PDF and private living report, available for 90 days. Your report opens with no account and no password to create. Within 7 days, you can add details to a Home Review or Inspection Translation for a more detailed version, at no extra charge.
One item, start to finish
Before you spend $9,000–$16,000, get the facts.
Here is one complete item from a sample Arete report. It gives you a typical cost so the number never catches you off guard — and it tells you to have a technician check the system first, so you don’t pay for a replacement you may not need.
This Year · Mechanical
Furnace and AC at 14 years — assessment, then a plan
Assess First- What we know
- Furnace and AC manufacture year 2011 from the manufacturer's labels; no performance issues reported
- Why it’s on your list
- Mid-teens mechanicals with no assessment on file is the gap most likely to turn into an unplanned replacement.
- Typical cost (not a quote)
- In Columbus, a combined furnace-and-AC replacement typically plans between $9,000 and $16,000 installed; the assessment visit itself usually runs $100–200.
- What affects the price
- Heat exchanger condition — the honest go/no-go signal
- Whether furnace and AC are replaced together or staged
- Duct condition and sizing if replacement is quoted
- Before you set a budget
- Get the assessment before any replacement quote — a technician who inspects before quoting is telling you about your furnace, not their sales target.
- How long it takes
- A 60–90 minute assessment visit; a full replacement, if it comes to that, is a 1–2 day crew job.
- Questions to ask the technician
- What is the actual condition of the heat exchanger, and did you inspect it directly?
- If replacement is a year or two out, what maintenance keeps this unit safe until then?
Quoted word for word from a sample report about a fictional home.
Your first year, in one view
The sample report adds up the recommended work for the first 12 months: $700–$1,400 in total, plus a separate $9,000–$16,000 if the furnace and AC eventually need replacing. These are typical costs, not quotes. What matters is knowing roughly what you might face, what affects the price, and what to confirm before you budget for it.
What you can stop worrying about
What you can cross off, and what’s still unknown.
When the information shows something isn’t a problem, Arete takes it off your list and tells you why. When there isn’t enough information to say either way, it tells you that too — and what would settle it.
Off your list
Taken off the list — and why
- Panel or wiring-era concerns. The 2015 Square D update cleared the questions a 1996 electrical system would otherwise raise.
- Washer flood risk. Braided hoses on a first-floor laundry — the failure mode we check for is already addressed.
- Basement moisture remediation. No intrusion history and a working sump; prevention items remain, remediation does not.
Not enough evidence
Attic insulation depth unknown
Neither the inspection nor your intake established insulation depth. For a 1996 build it could be original and thin, or upgraded — there isn’t enough evidence to recommend anything yet.
Quoted from a sample report about a fictional home.
Your documents
Your files aren’t the product.
If you’re hesitant to hand an inspection report to an AI product, here is exactly what happens to yours.
- Read on your device. An attached PDF is read in your browser. The file itself is not uploaded.
- Only the words are sent. Arete pulls the text out of your PDF and sends only that, just to write your review.
- Deleted once your review is ready. Your answers and the text from your document are deleted as soon as your review is delivered.
- Your report stays available for 90 days. Then the PDF and the living report are deleted.
- A business service, not a consumer chat app. Arete uses Anthropic’s paid business service (its commercial API). Anthropic states that API content is not used to train its models by default.
- Delete it any time. Email reports@aretehomereview.com with the subject “Privacy Request.”
Exactly what is kept, for how long, and who processes it: the privacy answers below, or the full Privacy Policy.
A fair question
Why not just upload my inspection report to ChatGPT?
You can, and a general AI assistant can do a lot: explain inspection terms, summarize findings, answer follow-up questions, and suggest priorities if you ask well. Arete isn’t a smarter AI. The difference is how it works: it asks the questions that matter for your home, applies the same rules to every review, and gives you a finished plan instead of a conversation.
What it knows
- A general AI chat
- Works from whatever you give it and ask it.
- Arete
- Asks for the details that change the answer — system ages, known problems, what you’ve noticed.
How it decides
- A general AI chat
- Can prioritize well if you ask the right way. How the answer is organized depends on the conversation.
- Arete
- Puts every concern into the same categories — act now, check first, keep an eye on it, not enough information — or takes it off your list and says why.
Then and now
- A general AI chat
- Can explain inspection language. Whether it separates last spring’s findings from your home today depends on what you tell it.
- Arete
- Treats an inspection as a record of one day, not of your home today, and factors in what has happened since. Repairs you tell us about are counted, and marked as reported by you rather than confirmed.
What you get
- A general AI chat
- An answer in a chat.
- Arete
- A finished PDF and a private living report, organized into what to do, what to check, what to watch, what’s unknown, and what to cross off — available for 90 days.
Arete uses AI to write each review. The questions, the rules, and the checks every review must pass are Arete’s. With careful prompting, a general AI can do much of this. Arete does it the same way for every home, so you don’t have to know what to ask — see what it checks.
Before you see your review
Written by AI. Checked against strict rules.
Every review is checked against the same rules before it reaches you. If it fails, it is corrected or rewritten — not sent as-is.
- Nothing is urgent because of a guess. If an item rests only on details Arete had to assume, it can’t be marked urgent unless the review says clearly that it’s an assumption.
- Old inspection findings are treated as old. An inspection describes what the inspector saw that day, not your home today.
- Missing information isn’t treated as good news. If something wasn’t checked or reported, the review says so instead of assuming it’s fine.
- Repairs you report count — as reported by you. Work you tell us about is taken into account and stays on your watch list. It isn’t marked as fixed on your word alone.
- Your documents can’t steer the review. Text inside an uploaded report or listing is read as information, never as instructions.
Built by a homeowner, HOA president, and systems-minded data leader — around a homeowner’s need for judgment, restraint, and a plan, not around making AI sound impressive.
Sample reports
See exactly what you’ll get.
Each sample is the same fictional 1996 home in Columbus, reviewed through a different path. Every sample is clearly marked as a sample.
Every review comes two ways
A PDF you keep, and a living report you use.
The living report has the same findings as the PDF, on a page designed for your phone, so your plan doesn’t end up forgotten in a downloads folder.
- Grouped by what to do: act, check first, watch, cross off.
- Check items off as you finish them. Your progress is saved on the device you use.
- A private link, with no account or sign-in.
- Available for 90 days.
After your review
Optional seasonal reminders.
Check one box when you submit your details, or turn reminders on later from your living report. Arete will email you the items from your own plan that fit the coming season — no more than four emails a year, and you can unsubscribe in one click. Items are timed only by what the work needs, such as unfrozen ground, dry weather, or the heating or cooling running — never by forecasts. If you opt in, Arete keeps a short profile of your home (its type, rough age, and the features you picked — no address, nothing from your report) so reminders can continue as general advice for your climate after your 90-day report is gone. Unsubscribing deletes it.
Price
One price. One complete review.
$99
Founder's LaunchStandard price $149
Early customers receive founder's launch pricing while Arete Home Review enters its first public release. The founder's launch price is temporary; the standard price is $149. The launch price reflects when you arrived, not a smaller report.
- One clear first step, and a short list of real priorities.
- Each concern placed in a clear category: act now, check first, keep an eye on it, or not enough information — or crossed off when the information supports that.
- Typical costs, what affects the price, and what to confirm before you budget. Not quotes.
- Questions to ask a contractor, inspector, seller, or agent before you commit money.
One purchase includes one Home Review, Inspection Translation, or Listing Review.
Every path includes a downloadable PDF and private living report.
Within 7 days, you can add details to a Home Review or Inspection Translation for a more detailed version, at no extra charge.
Finished reports remain available for 90 days. Support: reports@aretehomereview.com.
Start your review — $99
By purchasing and submitting a review, you agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge the Refund and Report-Remediation Policy. See the Privacy Policy for data practices.
Informational homeowner guidance only. Not a licensed inspection, engineering opinion, code review, contractor bid, warranty, or legal/real estate negotiation advice.
FAQ
Clear boundaries, clear expectations.
Is this a replacement for a home inspection?
No. Arete helps homeowners interpret existing information and plan next steps. It is not a licensed inspection, engineering opinion, code review, contractor bid, warranty, or legal/real estate negotiation advice.
What do I need to provide?
You can answer guided questions about your home, attach an inspection report, an appraisal, or a listing — any combination — or start from basic facts if you only need orientation. You tell us what each attachment is, because each type is read differently: an inspector records what was observed, a listing is written to sell, and an appraisal is used only for how it describes the home, never for what it says the home is worth. Arete can read basic home facts from an attachment for you to confirm or correct.
Which review should I choose?
Choose Home Review if you own the home or want a whole-home priority plan. You can start with basic facts or answer guided questions for the most detailed version. Choose Inspection Translation if the main thing you have is an inspection PDF. Choose Listing Review if you are evaluating one or more listings before an offer. If you start with basic facts or an inspection-only translation, you can add details within 7 days to receive a more detailed Home Review. Listing Review can be sharpened with better listing details, but it stays listing-focused.
Does Arete make everything urgent?
No. Restraint is part of the product. Items can land in Act Now, This Year, Worth Monitoring, or All Clear / Ruled Out — and some are marked “assess first,” meaning have it checked before you spend money.
How does cost guidance work?
Actionable findings can include a regional planning range, what moves the price, what to confirm before budgeting, and the likely time commitment. The guided Home Review also rolls those items into a first-year cost picture. These are typical cost ranges, not contractor quotes.
Does Arete talk about resale value or negotiation?
No. Arete stays focused on the home — not resale value, investment returns, or negotiation strategy.
Exactly what is kept, for how long, and who processes it?
- What leaves your device?
- When you attach a PDF, it is read in your browser. The file itself is not uploaded; the text extracted from it is sent to generate your review.
- What is kept, and for how long?
- Your answers and document text are deleted as soon as your review is delivered — or within 48 hours if generation fails and has to be re-run. Your review is a downloadable PDF and a private living report, available for 90 days and then deleted. A minimal purchase record with no report content is kept for 18 months for payment disputes. A short customer record tied to your email — that you are a customer, when you first and most recently received a review, a reference to your latest one, and how many you have had — is kept for 2 years after your most recent review. It holds none of your report and none of your answers.
- Who processes it?
- Anthropic’s API generates the review. Vercel hosts it, Upstash stores the report data, Resend sends your email, and Gumroad handles payment.
- Is it used to train AI models?
- Arete uses Anthropic’s commercial API, not a consumer chat app. Anthropic states that API content is not used to train its models by default.
- Can I have it deleted?
- Yes. Email reports@aretehomereview.com with the subject “Privacy Request.” Your report and the records tied to your email are deleted; a record of the sale is kept with your personal details removed.
The full details, vendor by vendor, are in the Privacy Policy.
Will the price stay $99?
$99 is the founder's launch price, offered while Arete Home Review enters its first public release. The standard price is $149. The launch price is temporary, and the standard price is what the product is priced at going forward.
What if something is urgent?
For urgent safety, active leaks, electrical hazards, gas concerns, structural movement, or water intrusion, contact a qualified professional promptly.
What happens after checkout?
Gumroad shows your license key and a secure start link. Copy the key, open the link, choose the review that matches what you have, provide the requested information, and submit. Arete then generates your PDF and private living report.
What if my report is not delivered or something is materially wrong?
Contact us at reports@aretehomereview.com. We restore delivery or provide the included correction or revised submission first. If an Arete-caused material problem cannot be resolved, we refund the purchase. See the Refund and Report-Remediation Policy for the complete rules and timing.
Is Arete only for U.S. homes?
Arete is designed and marketed for U.S. homeowners and home buyers. It is not technically blocked outside the U.S., but the examples, cost guidance, climate assumptions, and professional references are U.S.-centric.