What Home Inspectors Don’t Do

Buying a Home: The Missing Manual lists what home inspectors won’t do as follows:

• A home inspector doesn’t have to inspect any system or structural element not readily accessible.
• A home inspector doesn’t offer professional services beyond the inspection itself.
• A home inspector doesn’t evaluate the strength, adequacy, effectiveness, or efficiency of any system or component.
• A home inspector doesn’t conduct specialized inspections.
• A home inspector doesn’t estimate the cost of operating any of the property’s systems.
• A home inspector doesn’t evaluate anything that’s not installed.
• A home inspector doesn’t evaluate structures that aren’t attached to the home.
• If you’re having a condominium or a co-op inspected, the home inspector doesn’t inspect common areas.

In short, there’s a lot a home inspector DOES NOT inspect. In my experience, he’ll give you a general inspection of the whole place, but there will be lots of specifics (and some big ones) that he won’t cover.

Here’s my suggestion to get the most out of your home inspector: follow him around while he inspects. Ask questions and take notes of what needs to be fixed/checked (either by the seller or by you after you buy the place.) My experience is that if you get a good home inspector, he’ll tell you several things “off the record” that you can use either to finalize your negotiations/offer or to improve the place once you move in.

The book also lists specialized inspections that general home inspectors usually don’t cover (they might find some issues, but you may have to refer to a specialist for some of these) as follows:

• Septic system
• Wood-destroying pests
• Mold
• Asbestos
• Radon
• Renovations (and whether or not you can do them)
• Lead-based paint
• Chimney
• Heating and air conditioning system
• Electrical system
• Plumbing
• Private well
• Roof certification
• Foundation
• Swimming pool or spa
• Trees
• Energy audit

When we put a bid on a home a year or so ago we had to have a specialized inspector look at the private well, swimming pool, and plumbing. We hired the general inspector to do a radon test as well. In general, a home inspector will look at these items and give you a “yes, they work” or “something’s wrong” sort of opinion, but you’ll need someone with more expertise to come in and tell you what the problem is, how bad it is, and what it will cost to repair/replace the problem.

As far as where to find a good home inspector, I ask friends who have some connection to the building industry who they recommend, then I interview that person. Last time we needed an inspector I asked a builder friend to recommend someone and he turned out to be quite a gem — he gave me tons of extra information that was quite valuable. Using him was money well spent, especially for someone like me who doesn’t know a lot about evaluating the general condition of a house.