Your Inspection

A home inspection includes checking for any structural issues such as foundation cracks, roof leaks, plumbing issues, electrical wiring, heating/cooling systems, insulation, windows, doors, chimneys, etc. Depending on how big the property is, a home inspection typically takes 2-3 hours.

Ensure all inspection points are free from clutter, including any closets that might lead to a crawlspace or attic, and clearing some space around your home’s perimeter. It’s also important to check the functionality of all built-in appliances, electric, and gas. If you don’t plan to attend the inspection, make sure your inspector has access to the home, and all pets are properly contained or moved.

A home doesn’t pass or fail an inspection. Instead, a home inspection is a thorough audit of your home’s components. In most cases, there will be concerns marked on your home inspection report, but these are strictly informative.

While you can legally skip a home inspection in many cases, doing so could mean you may end up buying a home that has major issues that need to be fixed.

No. A home inspector’s license does not qualify the inspector to perform any repairs. The inspector is, however, qualified to identify common defects and make recommendations as to which type of licensed contractor to contact for further evaluation, estimates, and repairs for any defects noted during the inspection. It is ultimately the homeowner’s decision whether or not to make the repairs and whether or not they themselves are doing the repairs or have the repairs be performed by a licensed contractor.

A home inspection can affect appraisals for two reasons: 1) The inspector may find something wrong with the property that would lower the value of the home, 2) The inspector may find things that need repair which could increase the value of the home. If the inspection finds issues that require repairs, then the seller has to decide whether they want to fix them themselves, or hire someone else to do it. If the buyer wants to purchase the home, he/she must be willing to pay for those repairs.

A sewer scope is a visual inspection of the sewer line (also called sewer lateral) that goes from the house to the street or to a sewer septic system using a specialized video camera. The camera is designed to help the inspector find any costly defects that may have otherwise gone undetected. This can be a great negotiation tool saving you, the buyer, potentially thousands of dollars in repair costs.

Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that is released through the soil and into the atmosphere. Radon is a radioactive gas that can accumulate in a home. Lung cancer can develop with long-term exposure to elevated levels of radon. A radon monitor is a specialized tool that measures radon levels in a home for a given period of time. This can be a great negotiation tool saving you, the buyer, potentially thousands of dollars in installing a radon mitigation system if elevated levels of radon was detected.