Types of Home Inspections
Although the typical Home Inspection you know and hear about is the one that folks get when buying a home, there are a multitude of other types of inspections that are available. Below we cover the typical inspections that are readily available in our area.
The Standard Home Inspection
A typical home inspection is performed on a home that is under contract by a buyer who wishes to find out what, if any issues there are with the home they are about to spend a lot of hard earned money to purchase. The inspection is a visual, non-intrusive examination of the readily accessible installed systems and components of the structure. More information is provided on a Home Inspection on our What We Inspect page.
Pre-Sale Inspection
If you are getting ready to sell your home, then now is the time to get what is called a Pre-Inspection, Seller's Inspection, or Owner's Inspection, which may reveal items that you had no idea were lurking in your home. It's similar to a Buyer's Home Inspection, but it saves you from surprises when the prospective purchaser gets a home inspection and then hands you a list of surprise repairs (sometimes major) that they wish to have repaired, remediated, replaced, or whose value they want subtracted from the sales price of your home. If you get the inspection done first, you can fix items you so choose, disclose other items in the real estate sales brochure that you do not want to fix, or be prepared if the prospective purchasers do request repair, remediation, or replacement of items in their sales contract or addendum, that you already know about. In this way you are prepared, know your home better, and are ready should any requests come in the contract that will cost you money in one way or another. This can relieve anxiety on both the seller's and buyer's side when otherwise surprise problems are found during a typical "first" buyer's inspection is performed. It puts the seller in greater control of the negotiation process, and prevents negotiating over issues that are already known and possibly disclosed before hand. A Pre-Inspection may or may not be a complete inspection with report, depending on your situation and desires.
Re-Inspection
A Re-Inspection is where a specific system or structure has been inspected, found deficient, and someone has made the repair, and you would like to verify that the work has been completed properly as requested and stated by the vendor. Also, any follow-up to the Home Inspection, due to systems being turned off or other issues that caused a system or part of the property to not be inspected, and require the inspector to return to the property to complete the full inspection is considered a Re-Inspection, and there is a routine return charge for this service. A Re-Inspection generally is an additional fee of $100 (depending on travel distance).
New Home Inspection
New Home Inspections come in a variety of flavors due to the incremental steps involved in building a home from the foundation-up. Below we briefly describe the types of New Home Inspections available. Why perform a New Home Inspection, you ask? There are two main reasons, and one minor reason.
First, a new home is built using a multitude of contract specialists who only focus on building or installing their set of components. Many time they run into problems with the previous installer's work or design, and end up modifying something that is not their work product (typically the wood frame structure). In some cases this can make a significant change to the functionality or safety of the home. But the local city or county building inspector would or should notice these issues, you say?
So the second reason for getting a New Home Inspection is that the building inspectors are generally focused on one system when they come out to inspect a home (plumbing, electrical, foundation, roofing, etc.) and they have a busy daily schedule only spending 5-15 minutes on any one property, so they are not looking to find problems with another system or with the complete structure.
The Pre-Drywall Inspection, and the Final or Warranty Inspection provide the complete overview of the structure and property that may reveal this type of post-installation damage that commonly occurs. Note that in all these inspections, we are not matching the installation of any structure or component to the architectural or engineering plans for the home.
Note that inspections on new homes built by some of the larger builders may require a good deal of effort to schedule and perform. Some of these builders place restrictions on the purchaser and/or inspector to make it difficult for their properties to be inspected by independent home inspectors. Some builders will provide a home inspection of their own free-of-charge. These restrictions may require you to demand your legal rights, and potentially engage legal experts to guarantee your contractual and legal rights.
First, a new home is built using a multitude of contract specialists who only focus on building or installing their set of components. Many time they run into problems with the previous installer's work or design, and end up modifying something that is not their work product (typically the wood frame structure). In some cases this can make a significant change to the functionality or safety of the home. But the local city or county building inspector would or should notice these issues, you say?
So the second reason for getting a New Home Inspection is that the building inspectors are generally focused on one system when they come out to inspect a home (plumbing, electrical, foundation, roofing, etc.) and they have a busy daily schedule only spending 5-15 minutes on any one property, so they are not looking to find problems with another system or with the complete structure.
The Pre-Drywall Inspection, and the Final or Warranty Inspection provide the complete overview of the structure and property that may reveal this type of post-installation damage that commonly occurs. Note that in all these inspections, we are not matching the installation of any structure or component to the architectural or engineering plans for the home.
Note that inspections on new homes built by some of the larger builders may require a good deal of effort to schedule and perform. Some of these builders place restrictions on the purchaser and/or inspector to make it difficult for their properties to be inspected by independent home inspectors. Some builders will provide a home inspection of their own free-of-charge. These restrictions may require you to demand your legal rights, and potentially engage legal experts to guarantee your contractual and legal rights.
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Footer and Site Inspection - When a home is built, the first thing that happens in the construction, after the excavation is complete and the services for the home's utilities are in place, is what is called the installation or pouring of the Footer. The footer is what connects the structure of the home to the solid ground beneath, and should be poured only on undisturbed earth that will not settle or shift after the home is built. At this point in the inspection process, we are looking for proper installation of the footer and any visibly obvious issues regarding the earth, drainage, and the utilities that have been set.
Foundation and Site Inspection - Currently, most every new home in this area comes with a basement, so homes with a crawl space are a rarity. In either case, we are looking at the foundation walls, which are poured (for concrete) or placed blocks (for crawl spaces), to determine if there are any obvious flaws, early cracks, or bows in the walls. This inspection can be done either before or after the first-floor joists are in place. Framing Inspection - The Framing Inspection occurs once a majority of the wood frame of the home is in place and the roof structure is in place. Pre-Drywall or Pre-Close-In Inspection - The Pre-Drywall Inspection is the most common new home inspection. If you only have funds for one or two inspections, doing an inspection at this point in the construction process provides the most value. We are able to see most everything in place (plumbing, electrical, heating and A/C, ductwork, and any other systems that will soon become hidden behind the interior and exterior walls of your new home. Once the ceiling and walls are up, most of these system components are hidden from sight, so any flaws, and cuts to the wooden structure will be unknown to us at any final inspections. Walk-Thru or Pre-Settlement Inspection - Settling on any home requires a Walk-Thru Inspection where you, the new owner, test every system and component to make sure they are in working order when transferred to you, as expressed in the sales contract. For new homes, many times this is the first time an appliance has been operated, so it's important to operate and test each appliance, faucet, system, and component through a full cycle. Many times those in attendance are surprised by something we find. Remember, this is the last chance you have to call something out that is not working before you take ownership of the new home. Warranty or One-Year or Final Inspection - Most new homes come with a limited warranty which usually expires one year from the date of settlement. It's important, if you have had any problems with the home in that period that the builder has not resolved, this is the time to have an inspection performed so that you can provide the list of issues to the builder for review, repair, or correction as necessary. |
Investor or Insurance Inspection
At times, a Home Inspection will be required by a bank, lender, insurance company, or government agency in order to protect their assets and investment in the property. These inspections may have specific standards which the inspection must follow and report on - and they go by various names such as the HUD 203K Inspection.
Renter Inspection
Many times, MHBI gets a call from a person renting a home with concerns for the condition of the structure, property, or systems of the home they occupy. We provide similar home inspections suited to the home and the needs of the occupant(s).
Energy Survey Inspection
There are many companies who provide building energy surveys and analyses, some of which are quite complex and detailed, reaching to over a thousand dollars. We provide a basic energy survey of a home based on the new U.S. Dept. of Energy's (DOE) Home Energy Audit. While not complex, it provides a homeowner a good baseline of their home's energy consumption and loss based on the design, materials of construction, physical location in the U.S. climate, and comparison to other typical homes in the geographic area. You can learn more by visiting the DOE's Home Energy Saver website at: http://homeenergysaver.lbl.gov
Other Inspections and Testing
While not really inspections but specialized tests, Radon, Mold,, Lead, Asbestos, Air Quality, and other airborne and chemical hazards are confirmed through detailed testing and analysis. See our other pages for information on these specific testing processes.
Follow-up Committment
As with all the innspections we do, once the inspection is complete, MHBI is committed to being accessible to you for questions, concerns, or problems that may arise, as we know how important a home sale or purchase is.
A unique benefit in our industry, former paid clients can contact MHBI for any Q&A anytime in the future.
A unique benefit in our industry, former paid clients can contact MHBI for any Q&A anytime in the future.
The Fine Print
MHBI Home Inspections follow the current 2014 standard of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI.org). The District of Columbia does not require or specify a inspection standard, while many states do, including Maryland and Virginia. We exceed the Maryland inspection standard which parallels the previous ASHI standard since it does not include the testing of major appliances. You can find the Maryland Home Inspection Standard here, or on COMAR starting at 09.36.07.00 and ending at 09.36.07.13 . Effective July 1, 2017, Virginia requires home inspections follow their regulation standard, which can be found here.
Minimally, we inspect and report on the following: Structural Systems, Exterior Components, Roof Systems, Plumbing Systems, Electrical Systems, Heating Systems, Air Conditioning Systems, Interior Components, Insulation and Ventilation, Fireplaces and Related Fuel Burning Appliances, most Major Installed Appliances*
Remember that the inspection is an examination of readily accessible installed systems and components of the building in accordance with the Standards of Practice, using normal operating controls, and by opening readily operable access panels. MHBI is not required to unbolt or deconstruct or remove any units that are sealed, or cause any destruction of the property. We also do not move furniture, so if the owner has covered up a problem area with a bookcase or a rug, you will only know there is a problem area on the day of your walk-thru prior to settlement.
*Note that there are exclusions and limitations in each inspection category, along with others that you may choose to exclude, or that the inspector may exclude based on the potential for safety or destructive problems to the property or the occupants.
Minimally, we inspect and report on the following: Structural Systems, Exterior Components, Roof Systems, Plumbing Systems, Electrical Systems, Heating Systems, Air Conditioning Systems, Interior Components, Insulation and Ventilation, Fireplaces and Related Fuel Burning Appliances, most Major Installed Appliances*
Remember that the inspection is an examination of readily accessible installed systems and components of the building in accordance with the Standards of Practice, using normal operating controls, and by opening readily operable access panels. MHBI is not required to unbolt or deconstruct or remove any units that are sealed, or cause any destruction of the property. We also do not move furniture, so if the owner has covered up a problem area with a bookcase or a rug, you will only know there is a problem area on the day of your walk-thru prior to settlement.
*Note that there are exclusions and limitations in each inspection category, along with others that you may choose to exclude, or that the inspector may exclude based on the potential for safety or destructive problems to the property or the occupants.
