A home inspection is not awlays required but it certaintly plays a very important part in your home purchase. You should understand why it's important and what it entails.

A home inspection is broken into eight sections and each of those have subsections. In addition, there are options about each subsection and room for notes. Here’s an example of how a section would look:

Section 1: EXTERIOR

C. Exterior Siding                                                             

Condition (     ) – this is where the rating goes.

Type: masonry     vinyl     aluminum    wood     other_____________

Damaged/lose/missing        

Rot in areas                                              

Point up brick joints                  

Loose/cracked masonry                        

Additional comments:

Here’s a look at the eight sections so you can see how thorough an inspection report is.

Section 1: Exterior

There are 18 subsections in exterior. They cover areas such as roof, chimney, yard drainage, outdoor lighting, decks, driveways and windows.

Section 2: Basement/Crawlspace

This section has nine subsections. The first line of this section asks if it is a crawlspace, slab, full finished basement or unfinished basement.

This section would cover insulation, foundation, sub-floor and framing, windows, door and sump pumps.

This is the section where any structural damage or foundation issues would be noted. This section alone can typically make or break a deal.  I’ve never seen a buyer move forward on a home purchase knowing there was structural damage even though it can be repaired.

Section 3: Detectors

This is a small section with only two subsections. It covers both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Section 4: Electrical

During the electrical the inspector will take off the panel to the electrical box and get a good look at the wiring and breakers. They will note the type of wiring, the condition of them, and information about the outlets. There are only three subsections in this part.

Section 5: Plumbing

This section has six subsections. They cover all valves, leaking, condition and insulation of piping, the hot water heater, and the washer and dryer.

An inspector will run the dishwasher and washer a full cycle while in the home. This also lets them notice any water pressure problems.

Section 6: Heating and Cooling

This section covers the type of heat (oil, gas, forced air), temperatures, fireplace, fuel tank, and humidifier if there is one. There are only six subsections in HVAC (heating, ventilation , air conditioning).

Section 7: Interior

This is the longest section in the report. It addresses doors, handrails, the kitchen and every other interior room. Each section has a blank apce to write in the specific room such as bathroom 1, bedroom 1, etc. Within that room the doors, outlets, lighting and walls are detailed.

Section 8: Attic

The final section covers the attic. This section has eight subsections. Items in the attic section are insulation, attic fan, wiring, ventilation, structural and any evidence of water.

As you can see, inspection reports are very thorough. I have only covered the general home inspection. There are addition inspections if it applies such as well, septic, mold, radon, etc. Those are all separate inspectors and fees.

Always get a home inspection when purchasing a home. Your realtor can ask the seller to fix or contribute financial help to repair certain items. It also gives you the opportunity to walk away and find a better home if there are major issues, like structural damage.

The only time I would advise to not get a home inspection is if you are purchasing a home that will be getting a major rehab and you have a contractor involved. They will be addressing all of these items through the rehab so it may not be worth spending the extra money on an inspection.

Your realtor and contractor will advise you on that decision if that is your situation.