What Do Home Inspectors Look for During a Home Inspection?

It’s virtually impossible to overstate the value of having a good home inspector on your side when buying or selling a residential property. A home inspection in San Diego, CA literally keeps you from making an uninformed decision that can set you back financially for the rest of your life. 

This is because issues such as faulty plumbing and deteriorated roofs tend to be prohibitively expensive to repair for most Americans. Learning about these defects ahead of time can make all the difference when deciding how (or whether) to proceed with a deal. 

But how exactly do licensed home inspectors assess a house or an apartment? Anyone can see when a window is broken or a showerhead is leaking, but how do inspectors search for hidden problems such as faulty electrics or unstable foundations? Read on to find out. 

What things do home inspectors look for?

A home inspector’s job is to conduct a visual examination of a property and then provide their client with a comprehensive report that contains a list of all issues a property has. The inspector will also meet up with their client at a later date and go over the report with them. 

While the home inspection report will list both the small and big problems with a property, the ultimate goal of an inspection is to identify severe issues that may require the price to be renegotiated or even cause the deal to fall through. Issues such as a faulty HVAC system or the presence of radon can affect your family and pets.

Top 4 things inspectors look for before anything else are:

• Structural integrity. Bouncy or uneven floors, cracks in the basement walls, nails popping out of walls, leaning or cracked chimneys, and gaps around door frames and windows all indicate a problem with structural integrity. 
• Water damage is a serious concern. Water in the basement can be a sign of structural damage, while plumbing issues and roof leaks can result in wall stains, mold infestations, and wood rot. 
• Electrical problems are not only costly to repair, they can cause life-threatening fires. Because of this, home inspectors pay special attention to a house’s wiring, electrical and breaker panels, and reversed polarities.
• Roof damage can lead to pest infestations and catastrophic leaks. When examining a roof, inspectors always look for loose, missing, or buckled shingles, rusted or cracked flashing, and considerable algae growths.

What should I look for in a new home inspection?

Whether you’re a seller interested in performing a pre-listing inspection, or a buyer looking to have an upscale property in Del Mar Heights thoroughly examined before you proceed with the deal, you first need to make sure you have the right home inspector on your team. 

One of the signs of a quality home inspection company is versatility. Unlike individual inspectors or small inspection firms that inspect only residential properties, trusted inspectors also provide commercial, verbal, and mobile home inspections. 

Quality home inspection companies also provide 4-point inspections that cover the 4 major aspects of every house or apartment (plumbing, electrical, roof, and HVAC). Finally, they give back to the community by offering special discounts. 

Where can I book a dependable home inspection in San Diego, CA?

Are you looking for a top-notch provider of home inspection services in San Diego and the other parts of Orange County? If so, you can’t go wrong by contacting the Inspectors Company. We are affordable, highly professional, fully InterNACHI certified, and highly rated by our clients. 

Reach out to us today, and take full advantage of our superbly trained inspectors and our advanced home inspection equipment and software. We’ll help you make the best possible home buying or selling decision.