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A man on the roof during home inspection

What we check

Roof

  • The roof-covering materials

  • The gutters

  • The vents, flashing, skylights, chimney, and other roof penetrations

  • The general structure of the roof from the readily accessible panels, doors or stairs.

Roof

Exterior

  • The exterior wall-covering materials, flashing and trim

  • All exterior doors

  • Adjacent walkways and driveways

  • Stairs, steps, stoops, stairways and ramps

  • Porches, patios, decks, balconies and carports

  • Railings, guards and handrails

  • The eaves, soffits and fascia

  • A representative number of windows

  • Vegetation, surface drainage, retaining walls and grading of the property, where they may adversely affect the structure due to moisture intrusion. 

A modern house exterior

Basement, Foundation, Crawlspace & Structure 

  • The foundation

  • The basement

  • The crawlspace

  • Structural components

A man in a basement

Heating 

  • The heating system, using normal operating controls

heat .jpeg

Cooling 

  • The cooling system using normal operating controls.

thermostat.jpg

 Plumbing 

  • The main water supply shut-off valve

  • The main fuel supply shut-off valve

  • The water heating equipment, including the energy source, venting connections, temperature/pressure-relief (TPR) valves, and seismic bracing

  • Interior water supply, including all fixtures and faucets, by running the water

  • All toilets for proper operation by flushing

  • All sinks, tubs and showers for functional drainage

  • The drain, waste and vent system

  • Drainage sump pumps with accessible floats.

House plumbing

Electrical

  • The service drop

  • The overhead service conductors and attachment point

  • The service head, gooseneck and drip loops

  • The service mast, service conduit and raceway

  • The electric meter and base

  • Service-entrance conductors

  • The main service disconnect

  • Panelboards and over-current protection devices (circuit breakers and fuses)

  • Service grounding and bonding

  • A representative number of switches, lighting fixtures and receptacles, including receptacles observed and deemed to be arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI)-protected using the AFCI test button, where possible

  • All ground-fault circuit interrupter receptacles and circuit breakers observed and deemed to be GFCIs using a GFCI tester, where possible

  • Smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors.

electrical panel.jpg

Fireplace

  • Readily accessible and visible portions of the fireplaces and chimneys

  • Lintels above the fireplace openings

  • Damper doors by opening and closing them, if readily accessible and manually operable

  • Cleanout doors and frames.

Rustic Fireplace

Insulation & Ventilation 

  • Insulation in unfinished spaces, including attics, crawlspaces and foundation areas

  • Ventilation of unfinished spaces, including attics, crawlspaces and foundation areas

  • Mechanical exhaust systems in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry area.

ventilation.jpg

Doors, Windows & Interior 

  • A representative number of doors and windows by opening and closing them

  • Floors, walls and ceilings

  • Stairs, steps, landings, stairways and ramps

  • Railings, guards and handrails

  • Garage vehicle doors and the operation of garage vehicle door openers, using normal operating controls.

Front Door
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