What Your Home Inspection Should Cover
§ Siding: Look for dents or buckling
§ Foundations: Look for cracks or water seepage
§ Exterior Brick: Look for cracked bricks or mortar pulling away from bricks
§ Insulation: Look for condition, adequate rating for climate
§ Doors and Windows: Look for loose or tight fits, condition of locks, condition of weatherstripping
§ Roof: Look for age, conditions of flashing, pooling water, buckled shingles, or loose gutters and downspouts
§ Ceilings, walls, and moldings: Look for loose pieces, drywall that is pulling away
§ Porch/Deck: Loose railings or step, rot
§ Electrical: Look for condition of fuse box/circuit breakers, number of outlets in each room
§ Plumbing: Look for poor water pressure, banging pipes, rust spots or corrosion that indicate leaks, sufficient insulation
§ Water Heater: Look for age, size adequate for house, speed of recovery, energy rating
§ 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.
§ Garage: Look for exterior in good repair; condition of floor—cracks, stains, etc.; condition of door mechanism
§ Basement: Look for water leakage, musty smell
§ Attic: Look for adequate ventilation, water leaks from roof
§ Septic Tanks (if applicable): Adequate absorption field capacity for the percolation rate in your area and the size of your family
§ Driveways/Sidewalks: Look for cracks, heaving pavement, crumbling near edges, stains
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Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online by permission of the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
