[geowak]

Found a house recently and made an offer. Now a professional home inspector will be looking at the house with myself standing beside him. Im a newbe at this. What should he be looking at? I am most concerned about critical areas, that might cost me mega bucks if he/she miss the area?

[MaxCast]

I've had two week inspectors and one very good inspector (former NYC cop - thanks NY).  This guy rocked!  He shoveled a foot of snow four places to check the roof.  Throughout the house he explained to me what he checked and how he checked it.  And why he gave it the rating he gave it.  How to fix it or recommended how it should be fixed.  I felt I know exactly what I was purchasing.
Try to get a recommendation from a past buyer.
Also, have the seller purchase the best home warranty if one is not included already.

[Bob in St. Louis]

E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G that can be seen, and most things that can't.
A good inspector will find a large problem that can't be seen based on "small" hints and symptoms that can be seen.

Personally, the things I'd most be worried about would be foundation and structural.
Everything else can be repaired at a comparatively much cheaper scale.

Pools and chimneys require a different inspector, although this may be a regional thing? 

- He should walk the roof back and forth, like in a typewriter pattern feeling for soft spots in the plywood under the shingles.
- Make sure every window raises and lower completely.
- Make sure the breaker box is plainly marked, not overloaded, all electrical outlets are wired correctly and breakers are proper amp rating.
- Turn on all the faucets, flush all the toilets, ceiling, vent, and exhaust fans. Basically, turn everything on and make sure it works properly.
- Look for cracks in basement walls (which is fairly normal) but make sure you don't see evidence of water/mud having come in through the cracks.

- Keep an eye out for re-runs on the DIY TV channels for a guy by the name of Holmes. 

Oh....I'd shy away from an inspector that was recommended by the seller, or the selling agent. Find you own.

[LadyDog]

Both Max and Bob offer very good advice.  So not really much more to add.   

If you pursue the house, submit the purchase offer with the seller paying for the home warranty.  They are not real expensive, and could save you the buyer some big bucks down the road.

[TRADERXFAN]

In addition to above, recommend getting inspector which uses a thermal camera for missing insulation issues and to fill tubs to check for leaks for example.

[JRace]

Based on my experience I would suggest inspecting everything yourself, regardless of what the inspector said.
Also get there before the inspector, and make sure the homeowner has not 'tipped' the inspector.

Loko at all drainage issues, where will the rain go when it falls on the roof?
On the driveway...etc. Also when the house was built did they use aluminium wiring?

And if he doesn't go on the roof get a new guy!

Ours missed obvious things that I assumed he would catch so I never looked twice.
Exposed electrical cables that were taped together.
Floor joists that were cut to put a tub in the floor. (this was in a 4' crawl space that the guy did not even bother to crawl into)
An addition that was built directly on a the old patio slab and not with a proper foundation.
Plumbing that had no trap, and another that had the Y backwards.
A 60*20 wooden deck that was 10feet off the ground and was held up by 2*4 posts!
This was a serious issue that could have killed someone.

Once I moved in a found these issues I was pissed!...and the  found out the inspector was in no way liable.
They only way this house was given a great inspection was that he was paid of by the homeowner (who met the inspector before I could).

[Don_S]

Inspectors like to use weasel-words like accessible.  I purchased a house built over a crawl-space.  The inspector was either too fat or did not want to get dirty.  He did not inspect the crawl space and therefore did not report significant powder-post beetle damage. 

I found the damage later. Of course I had to eat a little dirt to find it.

[rockadanny]

Some things my inspector missed which caused me issues, costing me money to resolve:
Illegal wiring balled up between floor joists; dead trees; suspicious number of copper pipe repairs (evidence of minerals in well water reacting to copper pipes, corroding them from the inside); polybutylene pipe from well house to home; improper roof flashing; improper bathroom fan exhaust connection (none at all, just lying there up in the attic); improper grading at the home perimeter; numerous loose electrical outlets; rotted window sills.
Moral of the story? Rigorously follow and question the inspector.

[ArthurDent]

Not the home Inspector, but you may want to consider checking the lot line, depending on the location, development or just old neighborhood . Do this by checking your tax parcel number against the plat shown on-line at the city/county's website. Cost me about $12k in legal fees, survey, and 4 years of time, to straighten out a lot line situation that had existed for close to 40 years because no one paid attention through 3 prior sales.

Now some may say, "well that's covered by the Title Insurance".  Au contrare mon ami (on the contrary my friend). Title insurance covers what is written in the Legal Description of the property, not what is represented to you at the time of purchase as being the extent of the property. If you're in an established development this probably isn't a concern, but if you're out in the country, or what used to be the country, it's well worth the investment of a little time to avoid surprises later. My original lot was 75x90, it's now 75x120, and the guy that screwed things up was the builder of mine & a number of adjacent houses back in the '60s. He even built the detached garage on top of the lot line (half on half off the legal lot), hence the need to correct the situation.

Good luck, hope you get a good report back. 

[decal]

Most so called "professional home inspectors" are far from being either professional or real home inspectors. That's all I'm going to say about it, take it with as many grains of salt as you care to.

[TF1216]

A couple of things I learned from the inspector were to check windows for cold air and moisture, check the hose bibs outside for functionality and/or frost free or not type (I think I got burned with one of these), and notice where the attic is located; hopefully away from moisture. 

[Bill A]

This link has is list of points of point to check: http://www.totalhomeinspection.com/TotalHomeInspectionChecklist.pdf

I would like to add a couple of points:  Check for leaking around any chimney.  If the leak comes from the roof/chimney junction, then it is not too hard to fix.  If the leakage is from water penetrating the brick/mortar/cap then it can be very expensive to fix.  The chimney on my house will have to be torn down and rebuilt to the tune of about 10K 

Also, get into the crawlspace and check the underside of the decking around the bathroom areas looking for signs of rot.  It's not unusual to find staining from previous plumbing leaks, but repairing rotted floors can be expensive.  Do the same for second floor baths by checking the first floor ceiling.  While you're under the house, check the sills for signs of rot or termites.

Most any house with some age on it will have had the electrical mucked with.  Make sure it was done correctly.

Check that any stone/brick veneer is not pulling away from the house indicating eroded footings from improper rain water drainage.

If it has a basement, check for evidence of water.  This can clearly be seen by taking a look where door frames meet the floor.   Check around any plumbing or utilities that penetrate the floor.  If it has floor drains, check to see that they work properly and that they have a backflow preventer.

You can expect some maintenance and repair to be needed, the trick is to know up front what they are.

Good Luck!

Bill

[rif]

I'll also recommend the seller purchase a home warranty for you. I purchased my home in the winter so there was no real way to check the air conditioner or attic fan, for example. When summer comes, you're covered if it doesn't work.

You should also ask what exactly they do and do not check (get it in writing) and how they check for it.

Ask to see an example report that they provide after the inspection.

And as someone else said, they're probably not responsible for anything they missed our missed diagnosed.

Best of luck, it can be daunting but hang in there.

[mjosef]

Basic Home inspection checklist.
http://www.totalhomeinspection.com/TotalHomeInspectionChecklist.pdf
Download & print. You can do it yourself, but what you pay for is the experienced eye/mind that knows what clues to look out for, which of course comes from experience. 


Edit
Opps, just noticed that BillA already posted this link.
Here's one with pretty illustrations.
http://www.homeinspectionlongisland.org/free-home-inspection-checklist-long-island/

You can also take a virtual inspection tour here:
http://www.ashi.org/customers/vhi_tour.asp

[geowak]

WOW. This is all just great. Thanks for all the tips. I think I have time to compile a list from what everyone shared.
AWESOME....

[mjosef]

Edited my post to add this .org site which can tailor an inspection list to your region, and also recommend certified inspectors.
http://www.ashi.org/find/default.aspx

[nonoise]

Mike Holmes, of Holmes Inspection had a great TV show that showed just what inspectors miss. Namely everything. 
Not one home he inspected passed a proper inspection. Granted, these were all homeowners who had problems after they moved in. He used everything from thermal cameras to good old eyesight to reveal what was missed. Sometimes he could see the problem from the driveway or just on entering the room. He was really picky but that's the kind of person I'd want when spending my life's money on a house.

I don't think any remedy that made code cost less than a couple of tens of thousands of dollars. There are too many inspector schools out there issuing permits to the legally blind or incompetent people.

Good luck and be super diligent.

Nonoise

[jazzcourier]

Having just gone through this myself, as far as selling AND buying a home, all this advice is worthwhile. What lurks in the shadows is the assessment of the property to purchase. This will determine the type of loan and numbers you are going to get and live with as a mortgage, unless you are paying cash. If you are paying cash you can pretty much make the calls and get what you want. You know, you have to negotiate and be a little ruthless to get what you want. Sellers want to make things work in this current economic bubble and a home that has been on the market for awhile can be had for a great price. Focus on the big things and don't sweat the little stuff. Good luck, this is the single biggest pain in the ass and why they rate the stress level to a death in the family.

[Bob in St. Louis]

You can do it yourself, but what you pay for is the experienced eye/mind that knows what clues to look out for, which of course comes from experience. 

That is very true, however, having material in your hands that makes you appear "formidable", might be just enough to get a lazy assed inspector on his "A-Game" and step up to the plate. If you "lay down", so might he.

This is your house and your money. The smartest money spent is money not spent at all.

Bob

[pansixt]

Geo,
I have a sample report done by an inspector friend of mine on a property he inspected in Colorado Springs last year.
It is PDF document with pictures and is very thorough. The file is 1.41 MB so it can be easily sent. I will have to edit the address and private info
but that shouldn't be a problem. PM me if you would like it.
James