The photo shows a couple typical problems often found at home inspections. In this case, the rise, from one step to another, varies by more than an inch. This is most noticeable at the top step, which has a short rise up to the landing. It is more common to find this defect at the lowest step, where the soil will often be uneven at ground level. It might be 5" from the ground up to the first step on one side and 8" at the other side. Another concern with these stairs is that they are much narrower than the deck so, without a guardrail, someone could easily miss the stairs at either edge and step off the deck. Steps that go clear across are much safer in this regard. Basic safety guidelines vary a bit from one jurisdiction to another but a general rule is that steps should vary by no more than 3/8" from one another including at the top and the bottom. Steps should not be higher than 8" maximum. Also, a guardrail should be on any landing that is 30" or higher off the ground and with four or more risers, such as here as the porch floor counts as a riser, there should be a graspable handrail. To be defined as graspable, a flat 2x4 does not work. Graspable, if a flat surface, is no larger than 2 5/8" across. My experience is that this whole issue of safety on a lower porch, deck or stairs is not something buyers worry about very much. While inspectors do not specifically inspect for code violations, a builder should build to codes. When that is the case, the problems should be minimal.
Thanks for looking.
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