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Home Inspection FAQs

A home inspection helps you to learn about the home you’re buying, gives you confidence to address potential concerns, and delivers peace of mind about your new investment.

A home inspection is an objective review of the visible and readily accessible condition of a property at the time of the inspection, with a focus on critical systems: Exterior, Roof, Structure, Water Control Systems, Insulation and Ventilation, Interior, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Fuel Services, Appliances and Environmental Systems.

If we identify issues, we provide you with specific recommendations and next steps.

About two to three hours for a single family home.

Townhomes and condos take less time.

On-site time depends on the size and age of the house; larger, older and more complex houses take more time.

No, but we recommend that you join us for at least the last half hour.

If you can’t join our inspector on site, our digital inspection report provides summary, specific findings, identification of potential issues, recommendations, and high resolution photographs. Our inspectors are available via e-mail or phone after the inspection to answer any questions.

Yes, we’d like you to be on site for at least the last half hour.

You’re welcome to attend the entire inspection. Our inspector will show you how various systems operate and how to properly maintain them. You’ll also have a better understanding of the contents of the report if you are able to see it from our inspector’s perspective.

There are four parts to our home inspection:

  • Greet — Our inspector says “Hello!,” discusses objectives and planned approach, and asks if you have any special questions or requests
  • Scan — Our inspector conducts a quick scan of the property, sizing up the scope of the inspection
  • Inspect — Our inspector carefully examines visible and accessible areas and systems
  • Report — Our inspector reviews issues, answers your questions, and sends our digital inspection report to you via e-mail

Because the human eye can’t assess temperature differences.

We deploy high-quality FLIR digital infrared cameras to identify water leaks, electrical problem and energy loss issues.

Infrared helps inspectors to identify water-related issues (plumbing leaks, roof leaks, exterior water intrusion), electrical issues (overloaded circuits), and energy loss issues (insulation).

With infrared, we discover “hidden” problems on about 10% of all of our home inspections.

Our inspection report is our product and we think it’s the best inspection report in the industry – factual, graphical, colorful, and educational.

Our Home Inspection report gives you a comprehensive understanding of the visible condition of the property across a dozen major categories: Exterior, Roof, Structure, Water Control Systems, Insulation and Ventilation, Interior, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Fuel Services, Appliances and Environmental Systems. If we identify issues, we provide you with specific recommendations and next steps.

Our reports exceed ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) and state inspection standards.

Yes.

Our digital inspection report includes high-resolution color photos.

Via e-mail.

Our inspector reviews and discusses inspection results on site with you and then delivers our inspection report digitally.

It depends.

Cost varies due to location, size and age. Cost also varies if add-on inspection services are requested, e.g., radon, termite, sprinkler, pool, septic, well, etc.

Most home inspections cost between $300 and $500, but many inspections fall outside of that range because of size of home.

If the cost of a home inspection sounds too good to be true, it probably is — new inspectors and franchise operators tend to compete based on price. Buying a home is one of your most important investments.  Therefore, we recommend not short-changing your inspection quality to save $25 to $50.

Yes.

We deliver other residential inspections—termite, radon gas, pool, sprinkler, well, septic—with a home inspection.

Yes.

If utilities aren’t on, the inspection will be limited.  We can still inspect the house and then return later when the utilities are turned on.

It depends.

In many cases, our inspector walks the roof but it depends on safety concerns, weather, accessibility, roofing material, and roof pitch.

Our inspectors have ladders and binoculars and can visually inspect the roof from the eaves or ground.

Yes, whenever possible.

Heating and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC) cannot be fully inspected under certain circumstances, e.g., if utilities aren’t turned on. Additionally, certain system defects may create a hazardous condition or damage the appliance.

To prevent damage to a compressor-based system, we only test heat with a heat pump if the outside temperature is <65F. Likewise, we we only test air-conditioning if the outside temperature is >65F.

Our inspectors come from all walks of life.

Engineering, construction, architecture, building trades.

Our inspectors are employees, not contractors or franchise operators. We hire employees because we want to ensure a consistent, high quality customer journey, inspection experience, and report.

We hire and train our inspectors to deliver the highest quality home inspection according to our shared values and service commitment:

  • Inspect — Engage with care and technical skill
  • Educate — Help customers learn about the home
  • Inform — Deliver our report with relevant comments and high-resolution photos
  • Communicate — Provide information that is meaningful, useful, and clear

It depends.

Not all states require home inspectors to be licensed.

In states in which licensing is required, our inspectors are licensed home inspectors.  In the states in which our inspectors deliver radon gas and termite inspections, our inspectors also have secured the requisite state licenses. The majority of our inspectors also are Certified Real Estate Thermographers via completion of rigorous classroom and field training. All of our inspectors also are members of professional trade associations, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI).

Our inspectors who deliver radon gas tests are required to complete a 16-hour course approved by the National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) even if the test is not state-mandated.

No.

Our inspection is an introduction to the house and is focused on informing and educating the client about the property. A code inspection is conducted from the perspective of the local municipality and focuses on compliance with local and state codes. Our inspector usually is aware of local codes but the scope of a home inspection is targeted more at providing an informative, detailed and objective evaluation of the house.

Yes.

Our policy coverage is $2 million.