Home Inspection
A home inspection is a professional review of a property’s condition. Understand what inspectors evaluate and how to use the report.
Definition
A home inspection is an examination of a property’s condition performed by a licensed inspector during the due diligence period. Inspectors evaluate structural elements, roofing, plumbing, electrical systems, heating and cooling, foundation, and major appliances. They look for safety hazards, code violations, and evidence of water intrusion, pests, or deferred maintenance. The inspector provides a detailed report with photos, descriptions of issues, and recommended repairs or further evaluations. Buyers can use the report to negotiate repairs or credits, plan future maintenance, or decide whether to proceed with the purchase. While inspections are not mandatory, they are highly recommended to avoid costly surprises.
Why It Matters
For $500 to $900 you buy a few hours of a licensed inspector's attention on the systems that cost the most to replace: roof, furnace, water heater, electrical panel, foundation. What you get back is really a maintenance forecast, since a 2007 furnace and a roof with four years left tell you what the next decade costs. Inspectors do not open walls or camera the sewer, so silence in the report is not a clean bill of health.
Examples
Knob-and-tube wiring turns up in a 1926 Renton attic, and rewire bids come back between $9,000 and $16,000.
A report noting moisture staining at the crawlspace vapor barrier leads to a $2,400 drainage fix rather than the $30,000 foundation problem the buyer feared.
A buyer stays for the whole three-hour inspection, learns where the main shutoff and crawlspace access are, and budgets $14,000 for a roof in year five.
Tips
Verify a current Washington home inspector license and read two of the inspector's sample reports before booking. Report quality varies enormously between inspectors.
Be there for the last hour. The verbal walkthrough separates cosmetic from urgent, a distinction written reports tend to flatten.
Add the specialty inspections the house earns: a sewer scope on anything pre-1980, a structural engineer on visible foundation cracks, and an underground oil tank locate on older homes converted away from oil heat.
Related Terms
Inspection Contingency
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Walk-Through
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Building Code
Building codes set minimum safety and quality standards for construction. Learn why compliance matte...
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