The Basics of a Home Inspection: What Gets Checked

A standard home inspection is a visual, non-invasive walkthrough of a home's major systems and structure, done by an inspector over the course of a few hours. It's meant to give you a realistic picture of the home's condition and flag anything that needs attention -- not to certify the home as perfect.

On the structural side, inspectors check the foundation for cracks or signs of settling, look at framing where it's visible, and examine the roof (shingles, flashing, gutters, downspouts) and attic (insulation, ventilation, signs of water intrusion). On the systems side, they test a sample of electrical outlets and the main panel, run the plumbing fixtures and check the water heater's condition, and run the furnace and air conditioning to check age and basic function -- along with windows, doors, and built-in appliances.

A standard inspection has real limits, and they matter as much as what's included. Radon, mold, asbestos, and lead paint are health hazards that generally require their own separate, specialized test -- an inspector may note a visible red flag, but that's not the same as a real test result. The same goes for termites and other wood-destroying pests: a general inspector isn't a licensed pest control operator and won't hand you a formal pest report.

Sewer and septic systems are another common gap -- a general inspection won't scope a sewer line or open a septic tank, both of which need their own dedicated inspection. Pools, spas, sprinkler systems, and detached structures are frequently excluded too, along with anything hidden behind finished walls, floors, or ceilings the inspector simply can't see without opening something up.

A standard inspection is visual and non-invasive by design -- the inspector isn't cutting into walls, pulling up flooring, or running specialized equipment like a sewer camera or a radon monitor. That keeps the inspection reasonably fast and affordable, but it also means it can only report on what's actually visible and accessible on the day they're there.

If the home is older, sits in an area known for a specific risk like radon, runs on a septic system, or the general inspector flags something that needs a closer look, treat that as your cue to book the specialized inspection separately -- don't assume the general one already covered it.

You're allowed to be there, and it's worth the time. Walking the home with the inspector turns a report you read after the fact into a real-time conversation -- you can ask what something actually means, how serious it is, and what fixing it would involve, instead of interpreting photos and technical language in a document on your own.

It also doubles as a practical crash course in the home itself: you'll see where the main water shutoff, gas valve, and electrical panel actually are, which is worth knowing before you ever have an emergency. If your schedule genuinely doesn't allow the whole walkthrough, showing up for at least the final summary -- when the inspector explains what they found -- is still worth more than skipping it entirely.

The report isn't a pass/fail grade on the house -- it's information for you to act on. Expect some findings on almost any home, including new construction; the real question is which items are significant safety or structural concerns versus the normal maintenance items every home accumulates.

Use it to decide what needs fixing before you move forward, what's worth negotiating, and what you're comfortable handling yourself later. And if anything in the report falls outside the inspector's scope or you don't fully understand it, that's exactly when a specialized inspection or a second opinion from a licensed tradesperson earns its cost.