Home Inspection - What to Expect

Vince Clingenpeel: Hi! I m Vince Clingenpeel, Home Inspector. Along with home inspections, I also offer independent and impartial opinions on a broad range of items. There are many kinds of home inspections. There is the Buyer s Home Inspection. It s the one you re most familiar with. That s the one prior to ratifying a contract and then there is a Seller s Inspection. This can protect the seller from liability issues as well as uncovered financial problems that might clog up the contract process.

Then there is a New Home Inspection which speaks for itself. That s a new home. There are many different inspections that can happen with that; from the Drywall Inspection to the Footing Inspection.

The one we re going to do here today is in existing home. This house is not for sale. This owner just wants to know what condition her house is in. Usually, I encourage the client to come along with me during the inspection, but she is a little camera-shy, so I m going to do this again later with her. The only reason she wants me to do this is to uncover potential problems that might cause her problems down the road. Now, this is not a code inspection. Codes are only appropriate in a New Home Inspection. This is only about safety issues and the people that live here. I always try to ask the client how old the children are and I look at the house with that in mind. That s the most important part.

What we re going to do today is a condensed version of a home inspection. We re going to go to the kitchen and the bedrooms. We re going to look at the basement, the heating equipment, and we re going to get a good idea of what you should expect from your home inspector. So, let s get started.