What to expect from your home inspection
Before
- You’ve most likely come to this page from the email you received confirming your inspection date, time, and address. Please ensure that you have signed the inspection agreement by noon prior to the day of the inspection. Payment is also required prior to the inspection, if you’d like to pay with cash at the time of inspection, that is fine, and you can reply to the email that was sent to let me know.
- If the home is vacant I recommend confirming with your realtor that the water, power, and gas are on. As well as confirming that all shut-off valves and/or breakers are in the on position, as my insurance does not allow me to activate and shut down items or appliances.
- If the home is occupied I recommend consulting with your realtor and/or the seller(s) to ensure that the attic is accessible with any personal belongings removed from access locations. Personal belongings should also be removed from areas surrounding major appliances (HVAC and Water Heaters), crawl space accesses, electrical panels, etc. If personal belongings are present in these areas at the time of inspection, these items and areas will be inspected as best I can from visible portions, as personal items are not moved for the sake of accessibility.
- There is some language available that can be used as an addendum to your purchase contract that will ensure this is done. The language is as follows: A. In addition to Seller’s obligation under this agreement to have all utilities, services, and other items operational during all inspections, Seller will also ensure that the crawl space, garage, and/or attic areas will be accessible and free of debris and/or personal articles. B. If anything is unable to be tested and/or inspected during any of the inspections because Seller did not have the utility services and other items operational, and as a result Buyer’s inspections that were paid for by buyer were unable to be performed, then Seller agrees to ensure that the utility services and other items will be operational during any follow-up inspections, and the Seller will pay for any and all fees incurred by the buyer in order to have the non-functioning items re-inspected.
- You’ll receive a reminder email the day prior to your inspection
During
- You are encouraged to attend the inspection for a recap of the deficiencies found with the home. I just ask that you please save any questions for the beginning or end of the inspection as I have a routine and system that is conducted on every home, and I must concentrate to ensure I’m able to look over everything thoroughly.
- Inspections typically last between 2 – 4 hours based on the age, size, and condition of the home.
- If visible fungal growth (possible mold) is found during the inspection, I can refer to you a mold specialist that can take samples from the property.
- Indoor air quality testing can also be conducted if a musty smell is present in the home by the same mold specialist.
After
- You will receive the inspection report the evening of the inspection by email. In this email, there will also be a link to the invoice for your records. The software I use to prepare inspection reports has several tools available to help you communicate any concerns with your realtor.
- The inspection report will contain a lot of information and typically consists of 65 – 90 pages and well over one hundred photos and diagrams. I provide this much information, not in an attempt to overwhelm you, but to give you as much information about your potential home that I possibly can. It is not uncommon for me to find 30 or several more defects with a home.
- Sample reports can be viewed at the following link to show you what to expect: www.nxtmoveinspections.com/sample-reports
- Lastly, I’m available to answer any questions you may have about the information in the inspection report or about your home after moving in.
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