What Your Home Inspection Should Cover

back to questions

1. Siding: Look for dents or buckling.
2. Foundations: Look for cracks or water seepage.
3. Exterior Brick: Look for cracked bricks or mortar pulling away from bricks.
4. Insulation: Look for condition, adequate rating for climate (the higher the R value, the more effective the insulation is).
5. Doors and Windows: Look for loose or tight fits, condition of locks, condition of weatherstripping.
6. Roof: Look for age, conditions of flashing, pooling water, buckled shingles, or loose gutters and downspouts.
7. Ceilings, walls, and moldings: Look for loose pieces, dry wall that is pulling away.
8. Porch/Deck: Loose railings or step, rot.
9. Electrical: Look for condition of fuse box/circuit breakers, number of outlets in each room.
10. Plumbing: Look for poor water pressure, banging pipes, rust spots or corrosion that indicate leaks, sufficient insulation
11. Water Heater: Look for age, size adequate for house, speed of recovery, energy rating.
12. 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.
13. Garage: Look for exterior in good repair; condition of floor—cracks, stains, etc.; condition of door mechanism.
14. Basement: Look for water leakage, musty smell.
15. Attic: Look for adequate ventilation, water leaks from roof.
16. Septic Tanks (if applicable): Adequate absorption field capacity for the percolation rate in your area and the size of your family.
17. Driveways/Sidewalks: Look for cracks, heaving pavement, crumbling near edges, stains.