The 5 Questions I Get Asked All The Time About a Home Inspection
1. How much does a home inspection cost?
I frequently get calls from potential clients just wanting a price quote, and nothing more. I get it. Buying a home is expensive and the home inspection fee is one of the expenses that comes directly out of your bank account. However, it’s not that simple. There are a lot of variables that can affect the price.
- The size and age of a home
- The home inspection company and their offerings
- Additional buildings, services, pools, etc
- The city the home is located in (ex: Seattle vs. Spokane)
To make it simple the average home inspection cost in Spokane, WA is between $350-450. This is usually based on the size and age of the home.
As with most things you get what you pay for, home inspection is no different. Be sure to interview your home inspector and find out everything that is included for the price you are paying!
2. Can I attend the home inspection?
Yes, Yes, and Yes!. And I encourage you to do so. In this market you have to act fast, so you typically only get 20-30 minute to walk through the home prior to making an offer. The home inspection is your time to learn more about your home and see it in more detail.
In addition, a home inspection report focuses on all the defects of your home. If you are able to attend we get to talk about not only the defects but also the good things in your home. My favorite part is helping educate you on your home. The defects can seem scary on paper when they are not discussed, but in person we can discuss in depth the implications and options to addressing the defect.
Always attend if you can, even if it is at the end for a summary in person.
3. How long will the home inspection take?
Again, this will vary by inspection company and everything that is included during your home inspection. I always schedule 3 hours for an inspection. Some homes will take longer, some quicker.
Although the size of the home can increase how long it will take to complete an inspection, I often find that the age of the home has a bigger impact. Frequently a brand new 3000+ sq ft home will move quicker than the 900 sq ft 100 year old home. There are just so many more changes and upgrades that have happened over the years with different levels of maintenance, not everything is a straight forward.
This is a great question to ask when interviewing your home inspection company. If you have a 100 year old home that looks like it needs some love and you are told its only going to take an hour to an hour and a half to complete, I would worry that you are going to get a surface level inspection and miss out on some of the details.
4. Do you look for mold?
The short answer to this question is yes and no. Mold is one of those words that immediately produces a negative feeling in us so most home owners are overly cautious about buying a home that may have mold.
The no response to this question comes from the Washington state licensing laws. I am not legally allowed to call a substance mold if I see it and suspect it. However, we all know what mold looks like right?
We also know that mold is only a product of moisture. Without moisture mold cannot grow. So the yes response to this question is that yes, I always look for the signs of mold. But more importantly when I see signs of mold, I am ultimately looking for the problem that is causing the moisture. If we can solve the problem causing the moisture you will no longer have a mold problem.
For more detailed information on mold in your home, please visit my previous blog post at www.homeprideinspect.com/atticmold.
5. Is X,Y, and Z included with the home inspection?
There are a handful of components to a home that are not included with a home inspection but equally important, so I often get asked if I inspect them. Frequent ones are:
- Sewer Lines
- Septic Systems
- Wells
- Radon Levels
- Sprinkler System
- Pool Equipment
- Washer and Dryers
A home inspection is a visual inspection and many of these items are not visible without additional equipment or more exhaustive testing by a specialist.
Sewer lines, septic systems, and wells are all underground and not visible. Some home inspectors will also provide these inspections at an additional cost but I have found that there are experts who are more educated and can provide these services at a better price than I ever could to best serve my clients. I always recommend adding these inspections when buying a home. It is a small price for the peace of mind to the pieces that we cannot see. And it could potentially save you a significant amount of money down the line.
Radon testing takes additional equipment but more importantly extra time. A minimum of 48 hours of data is needed to get an acceptable average of radon levels in your home. Most home inspection companies have invested in the equipment and training to be able to provide radon testing to the home inspection for an additional charge
There are so many unknowns to sprinkler systems and the maintenance completed, that sprinkler systems are usually not included in the home inspection. Have they been maintained? Were they winterized properly to prevent freezing? Is there an underground leak that we can’t see? Etc. I don’t know about you but every year I turn my sprinklers back on after winter there is always something that needs to be repaired. I would hate to run a sprinkler system and flood a yard without even knowing it!
Pool equipment is another area that I choose to leave to a specialist. Pools are not as common in the Spokane area so there is less of a demand for being educated on them, but you may find other home inspection companies offer these inspections for an additional fee. I will however, always inspect the electrical components for the pool equipment and the safety barriers surrounding the pool.
Finally the washer and dryer are not considered permanent appliances in a home and are often not included with the purchase. A full wash and dry cycle will not be tested. However, I will always test the power and that they are hooked up properly with no visible defects.