Home Inspection Checklist

June 28, 2007 6:04 PM

What should I be looking for during a home inspection? I'm a first-time buyer and will be there for the inspection tomorrow. What should I be looking at while the inspector is looking? Will I be following him/her around or do you generally leave them alone to do their thing?

Also, my realtor set up the inspection for the house, the sewer scope and the soils testing (it has an oil tank). I guess in some cases you're not supposed to trust your realtor to put these things together because of a conflict of interest? Up to now, though, she has seemed thorougly competant, insightful and honest. After being braced for the worst she has turned out to be really great for us.

I'm in Oregon where agents are either buyer's agents or seller's agents if that makes a difference.

I look forward to any tips or advice on this -- the house appears to be in really good condition but this whole process makes me queasy.

posted by amanda to home & garden (26 comments total)

Is she YOUR agent? She's a buyer's agent and you hired her to show you many houses, correct? If so, she certainly has an interest in selling you A house, but not necessarily THIS house, so I wouldn't worry about that.

As far as following the inspector around, I wouldn't. The really important stuff is in your attic/ceiling space, basement/crawlspace, and electrical panel, and this is stuff that I'm assuming you wouldn't have detailed knowledge about. I know I didn't. Plus he's all decked out in a Tyvek suit and goggles, and you probably wouldn't want to follow him without those!

He should meet with you after the inspection and give you all the details. Our guy gave us a 3-ring binder with a ton of info. He was extremely thorough and even drank water out of all our taps to check the taste and smell.

If you aren't completely satisfied, you should hire another inspector. The inspection is your last out without losing your earnest money, usually. Be extremely wary if he finds nothing wrong. There's always something, even if it's one toilet with a leaky ring, and he should note even something that minor.
posted by peep at 6:18 PM on June 28, 2007

Just hang out and watch the inspector. It's probably good to stay in the general vicinity - that way if he finds an issue he can call you over and show it to you. The inspection will probably take a couple of hours. He will turn on all the faucets, flush all the toilets, start the dishwasher, test all the outlets, go up into the attic, etc.

A good inspector should also make recommendations on how to solve any problems.

After the inspection he will write up a detailed report.

After reading the report, you and your agent can decide if you want to ask the seller to make any repairs. You can also re-negotiate on price if the inspector finds major problems. For example, when I sold my rental house the inspector found that the roof was on its last legs. We ended up knocking the price down another $1000 because of that.

If your house is in a popular area and you feel like there is a good chance that there will be offers, it's probably best not to ask too much of the seller.

The termite inspection is usually done by a separate company, and you don't have to be there for that.
posted by Ostara at 6:19 PM on June 28, 2007

And just an add-on: ff the agent you're talking about is the one who listed the house for sale, she is not your agent, and if she hired the inspector, you should hire a different one immediately and not use the inspector she hired.
posted by peep at 6:20 PM on June 28, 2007

Sure you should follow them around. If you hear any "oh-ohs" you should ask them what they are looking at. I would make sure they see all of the house. My home inspector spent quite a bit of time in the attic and in the crawlspace. After all you are paying for it.

As an aside, if you have concerns about the soil issue related to the tank, my email is in my profile. That's sorta my line of work (albeit in California).
posted by Big_B at 6:20 PM on June 28, 2007

Other offers, I meant.
posted by Ostara at 6:21 PM on June 28, 2007

The devil is in the details. Follow your inspector around the house and have him check every little dumb thing. You are about to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, the last thing you want is to have to spend several more to fix things that the previous owner should have fixed.

Check all faucets and toilets. Do they drip after you turn them off? Do the toilets run? Run the showers for a while and check the ceiling of the floor below for leaks.

Check every appliance. Make sure he has an outlet tester and check every outlet, top and bottom, and every switch. He should be able to tell you if the outlets are grounded.

Roof - check the age, and look for loose tiles.

Check the decks for wear or rotting.

More major issues listed here and telltale shoddy repair work listed here.

Check for signs of mice or roaches, meaning open the cupboards and lookfor telltale signs, like all the food boxes being in ziploc bags, etc. traps placed in closets or corners, etc.

Look loose grout and tiles in bathrooms.

Just some random issues. Basically, the home inspection is where attention to detail counts. If your home inspector thinks he's done in an hour, he's wrong.

The realtor hired him, but ultimately you're paying for the house. If he insists on doing a superficial job, hire your own and make the purchase contingent upon that.

If you think this stuff is crazy, believe me it isn't My first house, the bottom socket of every outlet on the top floor didn't work, which I didn't discover until the night I moved in.
posted by Pastabagel at 6:21 PM on June 28, 2007

Just went through this for the first time, too (picking the keys tomorrow afternoon!), and peep's got it pretty well covered.

Be there. Ask questions if something looks wrong to you, but otherwise, let the inspector do his thing.
posted by notyou at 6:22 PM on June 28, 2007

that should say "if" and I wanted to note that I'm also in Oregon. And like Ostara, we were able to negotiate for $1000 off the selling price because of several minor problems, nothing major.
posted by peep at 6:22 PM on June 28, 2007

To clarify, I didn't intend follow them around as in "puppy nipping at my heals" following around. Vicinity is good though.
posted by Big_B at 6:23 PM on June 28, 2007

We went with our (buyer) agent's inspector. The inspection was poor. I regret this decision. Your agent wants to turn around a sale fast so she can get her money and run. Your agent will recommend an inspector that will facilitate this goal.

My husband followed the inspector around. Look at everything. Even little things like how well the trim is attached to the house is important - you have a bad seal, and you get ants and water and rot and god knows what. My husband is a skilled tradesman and he missed issues. You, as an emotionally involved layperson, will have a hard time verifying that your inspector is doing a good job.

You ABSOLUTELY need a professional that you can trust. If you don't trust your inspector, postpone the inspection and get a recommendation from a trusted friend or coworker and go with their guy.
posted by crazycanuck at 6:25 PM on June 28, 2007

I should also add, check for signs of termites, or mildew in the basement, and mold behind walls or paneling.
posted by Pastabagel at 6:26 PM on June 28, 2007

I just bought a house and I followed the inspector through most of the process. He pointed everything out as we went along, and went above and beyond to explain how to handle regular maintenance of the well, furnace etc.

After the inspection, he went through his report step by step to verify the areas that were of concern, and then mailed a final report to us a few days later.

Depending on your house, this can be a harrowing experience. He'll check everything, and find lots of problems that escaped your notice during your first walkthroughs of the house. I was honestly ready to back out completely because I freaked about the number of "end of useful life" check marks on our report. (100 year old house, so it's not like we weren't expecting problems) Hopefully you'll just have small issues that you can use to negotiate repairs or a reduction in price. Good luck!
posted by saffry at 6:27 PM on June 28, 2007

My dad is a home inspector. He says people don't typically follow him around, partly because he's literally all over the house - in the crawl space, on the roof, etc. Some people don't even come for the inspection itself, they just meet him after, or even just have a copy of the report mailed to them. As far as he's concerned, though, you're paying, so he's working for you, so you should do what seems most comfortable to you.

You should get, in any case, a really detailed report, 30-40 pages is not unusual. It will note everything from major roof leaks to the lack of a GFCI outlet in the bathroom. If appliances go with the house, they'll be checked, too. Every faucet will probably be turned on to check pressure, the heat/cooling systems will be fired up, everything. Some checks are dependent on local building codes.

Termite inspections are separate, as are structural inspections that need to be done by an engineer. Your inspector should note if he/she thinks a structural inspection is warranted.

If you have other questions, or questions after you get the report, email's in my profile.
posted by donnagirl at 6:38 PM on June 28, 2007

Good inspectors will be more than willing to walk you through the process, and you should feel free to ask any and all questions you want during this process. The inspection is to protect you, the buyer, from any sort of surprises that the seller might either not know about, or hasn't provided disclosures for. You're spending thousands of dollars on a place, so you definitely want to get a thorough inspection. the last place I put an offer in on had a 5 hour inspection, which might seem a bit excessive (and certainly pissed off the seller's agent, since they have to be there the whole time), but I learned a tremendous amount by walking through and listening, asking questions, and and helping him through the process. I got a 30 page report on the condition of the building and saved myself from getting into a deal where I would have had to spend upwards of $100,000 on repairs (which I wouldn't have had).
posted by getupandgo at 6:45 PM on June 28, 2007

Sure, follow the inspector around (as much as you can). Be sure to ask them where the water shut off valves are, make sure the electrical box is properly labeled (so you can reset/replace specific fuses) and have them walk you through it, and make sure they show you where the dryer/oven vents, etc. These are all things you'll need in emergencies that may not be obvious - it's a good opportunity to really get the lay of the land of your house.
posted by nkknkk at 6:48 PM on June 28, 2007

We did this yesterday, and I've been under the impression that inspectors (in Texas anyway) are under some legal obligations to not be stupid, though I'm sure there's always exceptions. In our case, our agent and mortgage broker recommended the service (the house will be re-inspected by FHA inspectors because of our loan; this one was for us) and they were very thorough. It took a little over 2 hours to do a 1700sf house, with two house inspectors and one wood-destroying insect inspection.

They knew the FHA rules and pointed out the things that needed to be done to comply (seven window screens replaced, windows need to not be screwed shut, treatment for carpenter ants was scheduled this afternoon). They told us the oven runs 25 degrees cooler than the dial and showed us how to adjust the knob to fix that. They ran the dishwasher, oven, stove, A/C (1 degree too warm for FHA but they'll let it slide, we probably need a coolant top-up) and heat (worked fine, but it was 83 degrees 100% humidity so that's not a surprise), ran the sinks to see if the overflow outlets worked, ran the showers to see if the heads leaked. We know that there's new insulation in the attic and they recommend we install 3 whirlygigs on the roof when we get a chance to improve our HVAC efficiency and extend the life of the roof. There was one spot where I was concerned about water damage, but they double-checked and said it was superficial and the previous owners should have closed their shower curtain better.

We spent the beginning of the inspection taking photos and measuring things, and then started tagging along once they had all the appliances going and were checking the roof and plumbing. That seemed to work out well.

One thing we did because we had to, but turned out to be a good idea: we called to get our homeowner's insurance set up while we were there. They had my husband running all over the house measuring patios and counting sinks and whatnot, and it was a whole lot easier answering those questions while we were there rather than trying to remember today.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:49 PM on June 28, 2007

Lots of really great suggestions here and things that I definitely would not have thought of myself.

My agent is a buyer's agent and the seller has his own agent. She isn't working both sides of the deal. However, I understand that in some ways this might be a conflict of interest to have her recommended people do the work. It is scheduled for the morning, though, so I'm inclined to go with my gut and trust her recommendation. I have no problem asking for another inspection and finding my own if things don't seem right. But, you guys are really giving me the confidence to be able to see that all the typical things are being done.

Love the tip about the homeowner's insurance!
posted by amanda at 7:04 PM on June 28, 2007

Yeah, follow along -- did this a couple of months ago as a first-time homebuyer, and the home maintenance (and explanations of what everything is/was in this not-too-new house) tips were invaluable.

One thing our inspector didn't inspect: the lock on one door. The key broke off in Mr Kmennie's hand the day we moved in, of course.

If you like the inspector, ask him for recommendations for people to hire to fix anything that needs fixing, and vague ballpark estimates for what the fixes should cost. Ours was also not without a sense of aesthetics, and a few of his 'If this was my house, I'd... (rip out that addition, etc)' renovation musings were useful. Those two are pretty dependent on personality, but.

The inspector filled in all manner of details in a neatly tab-divided three-ring binder over lunch afterwards. I'd hire him again just for handing over such neatly concatenated information; I had just about everything I needed when insurance-shopping. If he says anything during the inspection that you're really interested in, ask him to elaborate in the report. If you get a comment like 'This furnace filter's junk -- go buy a Housemaster FurnaceFriend 3000' or something, say 'Can you make a note in the report?' Bring your own notepad for the inspection, and try to get him to write as much as possible himself.

I was for some time okay with trusting a realtor who wasn't strictly mine. I'm less sure I should've, now, given some (admittedly relatively minor, but their triviality = big irritation that she couldn't have prevented them) hassles.
posted by kmennie at 7:27 PM on June 28, 2007

I trusted our buyer agent when we bought, and don't regret that.

I would add that I have followed inspectors around the couple of times I've bought and they have always had a stream of ideas, suggestions and maintenance tips, particularly on an older house. Give them space to work and don't get in their way, but later I always wished I'd had a tape recorder or taken detailed notes in addition to the report they gave me. Don't be afraid to ask questions and clarify. My first house I had no clue and was a bit reticent to ask what I thought of as obvious questions, but you should.
posted by idb at 7:28 PM on June 28, 2007

I cannot stress this enough, you NEED to get a bulldog of an inspector. Search on Angie's List and also found out who are the reliable inspectors used in arbitration disputes. Your real estate agent is nominally on your side but she has a quota to fulfill with her real estate agency, she has to move product. So even if she is not making it on both ends of the deal she has a taskmaster at her agency.

Let me put this way, you would seek a second opinion for medical why not for a house whose cost will be taking you out for 20-30 years in mortgage; may affect your health (mold, termites, repairs) and sanity (repairs, failures and ongoing costs). Avoid disaster and arbitration get an advocate who is COMPLETELY on your side. If the agent or seller balks that is a bad sign.

A car salesman may get you ripped off for 10-20K but a real estate agent can damage you in the hundred thousands and millions in some cases.

Also, it is becoming or is a buyer's market. you can always find another.
posted by jadepearl at 12:45 AM on June 29, 2007

You want an inspector hired by yourself or your agent, not the seller or the seller's agent. Why? Anecdote I heard a few days ago from a guy I know: He was helping a relative prepare her house to go on the market. The seller (or maybe it was the seller's agent, I forget) hired a "pest inspector" to comply with some government regulation or other. The pest inspector walked in, looked around the entry hall for about a minute and signed the form. My friend says to the guy, "So, that's it? Aren't you going to look around?" The inspector turns to him and says "Hey, you wanna sell this house or not?"

Granted, this is a 2nd hand story from a guy who's known for telling stories, but all the same it seems just about surreal enough to describe the process in spirit if not in actuality.
posted by Alterscape at 6:25 AM on June 29, 2007

My agent recommended my inspector (personal recommendation, not professional recommendation.) We loved him. He was extremely thorough.

Follow the inspector around and ask him questions about everything. This is a chance for you to find out how your house works. When you have to have repairs done, it's going to be a lot easier to negotiate with contractors if you really understand the work you need done, rather than reading aloud from the inspection report.

Be curious. If your inspector doesn't welcome this, shell out for another inspection.
posted by desuetude at 6:31 AM on June 29, 2007

I've bought two houses now. In both cases, the inspector did his thing without me present, but called me over and did a quick walk-through of all the trouble spots he found, along with an extensive written report.

When I bought my first house, the inspector noted a sagging ceiling in one room, along with a suggested remedy. After I bought it, I spoke to several contractors, each of whom had different ideas for how to fix it; one of them pointed out that the amount of sag really wasn't enough to worry about, one of them suggested a fix that had already been tried, and one of them said the inspector's suggested remedy would just make the problem worse. Moral of the story: different people will read the same problem differently.

I also had an inspector do a casual walk-through of my first house right before I sold it (so I'd be prepared for any buyer issues). This was very telling: he spotted a few issues that had existed when I first bought the house, and quickly diagnosed the root causes. While the first inspector seemed thorough and knowledgeable (and was unquestionably more thorough and more knowledgeable than me), different people will pick up on different things. If you want to go for the belts-and-suspenders approach, have two inspectors. It's also worth mentioning that inspector #1 prepared a 16-page handwritten report on house #1; inspector #2 prepared a 57-page typed report (with photos) of house #2, but in each case, their list of problems that needed fixing could be condensed down to an index card.
posted by adamrice at 7:53 AM on June 29, 2007

Here are my thoughts on whether a home inspection is worthwhile. The conclusion:

In the end, if you want to extract maximum value, you are probably going to have to break somebodies balls. If you higher (hire) an inspector, you will have to be all over him to make absolutely sure he does a good and thorough job. If you don't, you have to get on your hands and knees and go over the place with a fine tooth comb. Truly, for an investment worth hundreds of thousands, one would expect nothing less. In practice, however, I don't think very many people approach buying a home with that kind of attitude.. Just isn't how it's done..

posted by Chuckles at 8:46 AM on June 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Just to let you know, we just got back from the inspection, sewer scope and soils test. All things were very positive. This is a two bedroom, single-story, 1955 era house. It really does appear very solid and well taken care of. I felt that he did a really good and thorough job and didn't get any collusion vibes between him and the realtor. He cost $305.

The scoping of sewer was pretty cool though (fortunately) there was nothing exciting to see on sewer-cam. This area of town was added to the sewers within the last, maybe, 25 years?

Things we want to get the seller to do are minimal. The main thing is getting the crawlspace/furnace area cleared of debris and a vapor barrier layed down. Other than that we are looking at early projects of blowing insulation into the attic, grounding the outlets in the future office.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and advice -- very helpful.

And for anyone searching later for a Portland area inspector, his name is Paul Louis with Crawford Inspection Services. His business address is in West Linn, Oregon. If in a year we realize we were scammed, I'll post again!
posted by amanda at 1:51 PM on June 29, 2007

Don't forget to test every light switch! I would bring a lightbulb or two with you of every size to test all the light sockets, too.
posted by frecklefaerie at 5:24 PM on June 29, 2007