Typical Home Inspection

What is done/what is not done.

What’s going to get inspected today? This is one of the most common questions and it’s a good one. On a typical single family home residence, the inspection routine usually goes in this order:

  1. The roof (hopefully it’s not too slippery or it’s not a concrete tile roof, then it will be fully inspected).
  2. Exterior of home and it’s surrounding components (the grounds).
  3. Interior of garage(s).
  4. Interior of home.
  5. Attic area(s).
  6. Sub-area(s).

A professional building inspection will be performed on the following areas:

    Grounds: site drainage, grade of earth, decks, landscape electrical and fences / gates.

    Exterior / Roof: roofing material, roof decks, jacks, flashing, gutters, built-in drains, siding, window, screens, doors, vehicle doors and their automatic openers.

    HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning): Furnaces and/or heating systems, venting, AC units, exhaust fans, ducting, condensate systems, thermostats and a limited inspection of the fireplace.

    Plumbing: Water heaters, gas pipes, water supply lines, waste lines, faucets, valves, vents, and washer / dryer connections.

    Electrical: Service lines, grounding, panel boxes, circuit breakers, visible wiring, conduits, lighting fixtures and outlets.

    Bathrooms: Tubs / showers, toilets, bidets, sinks, vanitites, cabinets, ventilation, walls, floors, proper caulking / sealing and fixtures.

    Interior: Walls, ceilings, floors, stairs, guardrails, handrails, window and door efficiency.

    Kitchen: Oven, range, lighting, ventilation, dishwasher, disposal, compactor, flooring, sinks, counters and proper caulking / sealing.

    Structure: Visual portions of the foundation, visual portions of the framing, decks, porches, ventilation, insulation, attic(s), basement, sub-area(s) and evidence of unwanted pest (rodents, termites, vermin, birds, bees, etc.).


So, during this usual inspection routine the Inspector will test / review every system or component (that is part of the home or stays with the home after the real estate transaction) along the way whether it be plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, appliances and any other items along the way are simply viewed to ascertain they look in their normal condition.

The way I like to explain my inspection process is, every square inch will be thoroughly inspected, unless it’s inaccessible (i.e. personal items in the way, large shelves, obstructions, locked doors, concealed areas, etc. Overall, I’d rather put too much information in front of you, rather than too little.

Here are some items that are not reviewed / tested for various reasons, due to the Inspector not be trained in that category or the component / system was beyond the scope of the normal home inspection:

  • Pools and hot tubs
  • Saunas and steam rooms
  • Intruder alarms
  • Communication systems (intercom, phone, cable)
  • Central vacuum systems
  • Rural components (i.e. LPG tanks, septic systems, well systems, private automatic gates, private generators).
  • Washers, dryers and refrigerators (that are not built-in). These appliances are usually not included with the home, but are still usually there sitting around.

Important

Page 3 of the Sample Report Download “The Inspection Agreement”, explains all this in great detail and it is required that the Client or the Client’s Real Estate Agent sign it the day of inspection.

It is also important to realize that the Inspector is member of ASHI and all ASHI Certified Inspectors adhere to the ASHI standards of practice.



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