The Inspection Process
A home does not pass or fail inspection. A professional home inspection is a thorough visual examination and objective assessment of the current condition of the house. Inspections begin by walking around the exterior of the home and checking the condition of the roof and foundation. After that, we move indoors to inspect the basement, attic and living spaces. You can expect an inspection to take approximately 2.5 – 3 hours (less for condos), but on-site times will vary depending on the size, age, complexity and condition of the home.
To get the most benefit from the inspection, I highly encourage you to attend the inspection, especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer. I will explain what I’m looking for and familiarize you with how your house’s systems work, including the location of any water, gas and electrical shut-offs. You can feel free to ask any questions that occur to you along the way. If you are unable to attend the inspection, we can schedule a Zoom or Facetime chat afterwards instead. We’ll review the highlights of the report and address anything you might still be wondering about.
The Inspection Report
Within 24 hours of the inspection (often by the end of the same day), you can expect an email link to a highly-detailed, easy-to-read report. It will be accessible to you from any computer or mobile device, but you are also welcome to print hard copies if you like. You will own your inspection report. You’re free to share it with others, but that’s up to you.
The report will summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the property. It will highlight any safety concerns, major defects that will require a contractor to fix, and minor defects that a homeowner can usually take care of themselves. It will include lots of color photographs and I will be happy to explain any items that are unclear to you.
What’s included in a home inspection and what’s not:
A residential property inspection is a detailed but visual-only inspection of the condition of the property on the day it is inspected. It covers all readily accessible areas of the home. We can’t see inside walls and we don’t move furniture or stored items that may prevent seeing some things you might be able to see if the house was empty. But many problems can be detected by looking for likely clues, which is part of what we do.
You should know that most home inspectors are generalists, not specialists. They are not content experts in any one or more specific professions, such as a licensed electrician or a structural engineer. They are not building code inspectors and the inspection is not technically exhaustive. And they can’t predict the future. What we do provide is a comprehensive, educated and objective assessment of the current condition of the entire home. In some cases, we may recommend that you have an expert conduct a more detailed evaluation of certain items we observe during the inspection.
COVID-19 precautions
Closer Look inspectors adhere to InterNACHI COVID-19 Safety Guidelines and have completed a professional course in COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for Home Inspectors and Contractors. For more information about our safety protocols, link to our COVID-19 Safety Protocols For Inspections webpage for home buyers, sellers and realtors.
$25,000 Honor Guarantee
InterNACHI will pay up to $25,000 for the cost of replacing personal property lost (and not recovered or insured) during an inspection or stolen by an InterNACHI-certified member who was convicted of or pled guilty (or no contest) to any criminal charge resulting from the member’s taking of the personal property. For more information, link to InterNACHI’s Honor Guarantee webpage.
