What is a home inspection?

A home inspection is a non-invasive, top-to-bottom report card that is an asset for your home buying or selling experience. Its purpose is to benchmark the home’s systems and components against modern building standards, to ensure it is safe and sound. It offers peace-of-mind knowing that a licensed professional is paying close attention to what the house is saying. There are four critical touchpoints that a home inspector should always be mindful of - description, condition, implication, and recommendation. You’ll find these key elements addressed in every report we create. In New Jersey, home inspectors follow the guidelines as outlined in the New Jersey Administrative Code contained at N.J.A.C. 13:40-15.

The on-site portion of the home inspection typically requires between two to three hours at the house. Your inspector will begin with a full roof inspection, followed by an exterior walkaround, documenting all observations along the way. Once the exterior systems and components are inspected, it’s time to focus on the interior of the structure. This process begins in the garage before heading to the lowest/basement level. The inspector will report on the wide array of core attributes including utilities and equipment, structural integrity, and potential water intrusion. After completing this phase of the inspection, we’ll head to the kitchen and test the performance of applicable appliances according to the standards of practice. We’ll then walk room to room, looking floor to ceiling, snapping photos and documenting our findings along the way. Once the living area is complete, the final stretch of the inspection takes us to the attic. Similar to the basement, there’s a plethora of touchpoints inspectors look for in this area of the house. An interior perspective of the attic provides us with a different vantage point compared to the initial roof observations.

Once we complete the full scope of services, which may include additional requests including mold sampling and termite inspections, the inspector will provide you with a brief verbal recap of our findings. The entire report will be available online for your review within 48 business hours of our departure.