What Your Home Inspection Should Cover
Printable Version
- Siding: Look for dents or buckling
- Foundations: Look for cracks or water seepage
- Exterior Brick: Look for cracked bricks or mortar pulling away from bricks
- Insulation: Look for condition, adequate rating for climate
- Doors and Windows: Look for loose or tight fits, condition of locks, condition of weatherstripping
- Roof: Look for age, conditions of flashing, pooling water, buckled shingles, or loose gutters and downspouts
- Ceilings, walls, and moldings: Look for loose pieces, drywall that is pulling away
- Porch/Deck: Loose railings or step, rot
- Electrical: Look for condition of fuse box/circuit breakers, number of outlets in each room
- Plumbing: Look for poor water pressure, banging pipes, rust spots or corrosion that indicate leaks, sufficient insulation
- Water Heater: Look for age, size adequate for house, speed of recovery, energy rating
- Furnace/Air Conditioning: Look for age, energy rating; Furnaces are rated by annual fuel utilization efficiency; the higher the rating, the lower your fuel costs. However, other factors such as payback period and other operating costs, such as electricity to operate motors.
- Garage: Look for exterior in good repair; condition of floor—cracks, stains, etc.; condition of door mechanism
- Basement: Look for water leakage, musty smell
- Attic: Look for adequate ventilation, water leaks from roof
- Septic Tanks (if applicable): Adequate absorption field capacity for the percolation rate in your area and the size of your family. In our area a separate septic inspection will be done (typically at the sellers’ expense), usually by the county health department sanitarian.
- Driveways/Sidewalks: Look for cracks, heaving pavement, crumbling near edges, stains
- Wood infesting insect inspection - in our area this is typically a seller paid expense and must be performed by a licensed pest inspector.
- Appliances will be inspected but can not be guaranteed by the inspector. It might be good to ask for a home warranty to cover the appliances and other systems in the home. Your Realtor can discuss this with you.
- Chimneys and fireplaces should always be checked by a chimney sweep (beyond your normal home inspection). Its also a good idea to have your chimney inspected every fall once you’re in the home.
Reprinted from REALTORÒ Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSÒ. Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. Amendments and additional information provided by Liz Maule.
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