The Scope and Purpose of a Home Inspection

This inspection was performed in accordance with the current Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) except as may be noted in the "Limitations of Inspection" Sections of this report. The Standards contain certain and very important limitations, expectations, and exclusions to the inspection. A copy is available prior to, during and after the inspection and it is part of the report.

It is the goal of this inspection to provide the purchaser of this property with information about the major deficiencies and material defects that may affect the habitability of the home. A material defect is a specific issue with a system or component of a property that may have a significant adverse impact on the value of the property or that poses an unreasonable risk to people, or that significantly affects the habitability of the house. For example, defects do not include minor, routine maintenance and repair items. Also, the fact that a system or component is near, at, or beyond the end of its normal useful life, is not, in itself, a material defect. The age of the furnace, A/C, and water heater will be documented in the report. Not all improvements will be identified during this inspection, especially those that may be considered minor and routine maintenance. Unexpected repairs should still be anticipated as this goes along with being a property owner. The inspection should not be considered a guarantee or warranty of any kind.

The inspection will be of readily accessible areas of the building and is limited to visual observations of apparent conditions existing at the time of the inspection only. Latent and concealed defects and deficiencies are excluded from the inspection. Equipment, items, and systems will not be dismantled.

This report is not a compliance inspection or certification for past or present governmental codes or regulations of any kind.

The inspection and report do not address and are not intended to address the possible presence of or danger from any potentially harmful substances and environmental hazards including, but no limited to, radon gas, legal/illegal drugs, bio-growth, mold, allergens, electromagnetic fields, chinese drywall, lead paint, asbestos, urea formaldehyde, toxic or flammable chemicals, refrigerants, carbon monoxide, insecticides or pesticides, and water and airborne hazards such as mold, mildew or fungus, or fuel oil. Also excluded are inspection of and report of spas, swimming pools, wells, septic systems, security systems, central vacuum systems, water softeners, sprinkler systems, fire and safety equipment, irrigation systems, fireplaces (woodburning and/or gas)/chimneys/flues, and the presence or absence of rodents, mammals, wood destroying insects and/or other insects/wildlife, unless contracted otherwise - of which will be documented in separate report(s).

Furthermore, no evaluations are performed to determine the effectiveness or appropriateness of any method or system (e.g., water filter, radon mitigation, etc.), designed to prevent or remove any hazardous or unwanted materials or elements. An environmental health specialist, or someone trained in the appropriate field should be contacted for evaluation of any potential health or environmental concerns. The noting of the presence of materials commonly considered to contain asbestos, formaldehyde, lead, suspected bio-growth etc in the inspection report, should not be construed to mean the inspector is inspecting for these things but instead should be seen as a "heads-up" regarding these materials and further evaluation by qualified professionals may be warranted.

©2013 International Association of Certified Home Inspectors & Master Inspector Certification Board.

💲Purchasing property involves risk

The purpose of a home inspection is to help reduce the risk associated with the purchase of a structure by providing a professional opinion about the overall condition of the structure. A home inspection is a limited visual inspection and it cannot eliminate 100% of this risk.

Some homes present more risks than others. We help to educate you about limitations about what we can observe, tell you what we cannot observed, and what we don’t know from the inspection.

Occasional typographical errors and other minor errors and omissions will occur in the report. Apologies in advance for these. If any of these typos make the report unclear, confusing or incomplete, please contact us immediately for clarification/correction.

A home inspection is not an insurance policy

This report does not substitute for or serve as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Home warranties can be purchased separately from insuring firms that provide this service.

A home inspection is visual and not destructive

The descriptions and observations in this report are based on a visual inspection of the components, systems, and structure. We inspect the aspects of the various components, systems, and structure that can be viewed without dismantling, damaging, or disfiguring the component, system, or structure and without moving furniture and/or interior furnishings and/or storage items. Areas that are concealed, hidden or inaccessible to view are not covered by this inspection. Some systems cannot be tested during this inspection as testing risks damaging the component, system, or building. For example, overflow drains on bathtubs are generally not tested because if they were found to be leaking they could damage the finishes below and A/C units cannot be tested under certain exterior temperatures. Our procedures involve non-invasive investigation and non-destructive testing which will limit the scope of the inspection.

If you desire any such component, system, or part of the building to be inspected at a later time when such can be inspected, other fees may apply. For example, if a seller or tenant moves out and all furniture and storage items are removed or the snow has melted off the roof.

This is not an inspection for code compliance

This inspection and report are not intended for city / local code compliance or certification for any other past or present governmental codes or regulations or permits of any kind. During the construction process or remodeling process, structures are usually inspected for code compliance by municipal inspectors if the house is young enough. Obviously, this does not apply to much older housing stock. Nonetheless, all houses fall out of code compliance shortly after they are built, as the codes continually change. National codes are augmented at least every three years for all of the varying disciplines. Municipalities can choose to adopt and phase in sections of the codes on their own timetables. There are generally no requirements to bring older homes into compliance unless substantial renovation is being done.

This is just my/our opinion - and just for you

The contents of this report are for the sole use of the client named above and no other person or party may rely on this report for any reason or purpose whatsoever without the prior written consent of the inspector who authored the report. Any person or party who chooses to rely on this report for any reason or purpose whatsoever without my express written consent of the author of this report, does so at their own risk and by doing so waives any claim of error or deficiency in this report.

Construction techniques and system or component installation and standards vary. There is no one way to build a house or install a system or component in a house. The observations in this report are the opinions of the author and based on training and experience. Other inspectors and contractors are likely to have differing opinions. You are welcome, in fact, encouraged - to seek opinions from other professionals in the context of doing your due diligence. This will not hurt our feelings. We may even document/recommend that you do so.

The scope of this inspection

This inspection will include the following systems: Structural Condition (basement/crawl space/concrete slab), Electrical, Plumbing (including water heater(s), Heating System(s), Air Conditioning System(s), Condition and age (or estimate of the age) and average life expectancies of furnace/AC/Water Heater/Roof, General Interior (ceilings/walls/floors/windows), Insulation and Ventilation, Roof, General Exterior (siding or masonry, gutters, drainage, grading), Attached Garage (additional charges may apply for a detached garage or other structures such as pole barns or pool houses).

Ranges, Dish Washers, and Refrigerators, Microwaves (and the like) are typically tested for basic function (Do they turn on). No assertions are made as to how well they function. Clothes washers/dryers are typically not operated.

All homes are likely to have some faults which may range from cosmetic defects to major defects and safety hazards. Not all defects will be found.  While some minor deficiencies may be mentioned, the emphasis of this report is to inform the buyer of the property condition by detecting major deficiencies and material defects or circumstances that may affect the structural integrity of the building and its components and its safe use as a residence.

You are encouraged to obtain competitive estimates for major repair needs. Safety and health issues should be addressed promptly. It is recommended that all corrective work, other than routine maintenance activities, be performed by qualified licensed contractors.

It is beyond the scope of the Standard Home Inspection to identify components within the home that may have been part of a "manufacturer's recall". If there is any mention of specific recalls within this report, this must not be construed to mean that all such items have been identified, or that such identification is part of a Standard Home Inspection. When possible, major appliance Model Numbers and Serial Numbers are included in the report and can be used to check for recall related issues. If you have any question about specific appliances, information can be found at the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) website or contact the manufacturer directly.

It is recommended that you obtain as much history as is available concerning this property. This historical information may include copies of any seller's disclosures, previous engineering reports, reports performed for or by relocation companies, municipal inspection departments, lenders, insurers and appraisers. You should attempt to determine whether repairs, renovation, remodeling, additions or other such activities have taken place at this property.

Throughout this report, comments may be made about the presence or absence of components or parts of components. This must not be construed to mean that these components or parts of components exist (or don't exist) in concealed areas or behind finished surfaces. For example: if foundation bolting was seen in one area, it does not mean that the bolting exists (or doesn't exist) in areas that are concealed. Also if an item was noted as "not being visible," that should not be construed to mean that none of whatever was "not visible" does not exist on the premises---it just means none was noted at the time of inspection and should be seen as a "heads-up" that the concern or condition might be present but hidden, or that the conditions that would allow its presence to be known was not replicated at the time of inspection.

Many of the non-narrative observations/documentation detailed in the report that are related to more "cosmetic" issues should not be construed as "all inclusive" but should instead be seen in as "suggestive" or a "guideline" of conditions that may exist elsewhere in the home. It is not the focus of the report to comment extensively on cosmetic issues, but notes of them at times may be made to help complete the "snap-shot" of the home at the time of inspection.  For example, "nail-pops" seen in one room are likely to be seen (and should be anticipated) in other rooms even though they may not have noted specifically in the report.

Throughout the report recommendations may be made as to possible repairs that are needed in order to fix a defective component or system. These recommendations are not intended to be substitutes or to be construed more appropriate than the recommendations of the professionals making the repairs. Conflicts in recommendations should be resolved prior to repairs being made.

Your expectations

The overall goal of a home inspection is to help ensure that your expectations are appropriate pertaining to the house you are proposing to buy. To explain further, if the house you are buying has been meticulously maintained, there may not be any major defects per se, but there may be some perceived defects that would be a significant concern for a property like this. On the other hand, however, if the property is in significant disrepair, has not been occupied for a year and has major defects that are in need of obvious repair just in order to occupy the property, what may be a signficant concern to the aforementioned house, may be of hardly any significance to this property due to the overwhelming poorly maintained condition. To this end, we assist with discovery by showing and documenting observations from the home inspection and help you keep in proper perspective the findings. This should not be mistaken for a technically exhaustive inspection designed to uncover every defect with a building in any way, shape, or form. Such inspections are available but they are generally cost-prohibitive to most home-buyers. If you have these expectations, please ask!

How to Read This Report

Getting the Information to You

This report is designed to deliver important and technical information in a way that is easy for anyone to access and understand. If you are in a hurry, you can take a quick look at our "Summary Page” and quickly get critical information for important decision making. However, we strongly recommend that you take the time to read the full Report, which may include digital photographs, captions, diagrams, descriptions, videos, and hot links to additional information.

The best way to get the layers of information that are presented in this report is to read your report online, which will allow you to expand your learning about your house. You will notice some words or series of words highlighted in blue and underlined – clicking on these will provide you with a link to additional information.

This report can also be printed on paper or to a PDF document.

Chapters and Sections

This report is divided into chapters that break down the home into logical inspection components. Each chapter is broken into sections that relate to a specific system or component of the home. You can navigate between chapters with the click of a button on the left side margin.

Most sections will contain some descriptive information done in black font. Observation narrative, done in colored boxes, will be included if a system or component is found to be significantly deficient in some way or if we wish to provide helpful additional information about the system or the scope of our inspection. If a system or component of the home was deemed to be in satisfactory or serviceable condition, there may be no narrative observation comments in that section and it may simply say “tested,” or “inspected.”

Observation Labels

All narrative observations are colored, numbered and labeled to help you find, refer to, and understand the severity of the observation. Observation colors and labels used in this report are:

• Major Concern:
  Repair items that may cost significant money to correct now or in the near future, or items that require immediate attention to prevent additional damage or eliminate safety hazards. Major concerns usually affect the habitability of the building.
• Recommended Maintenance:
  These are repair items that should be considered "routine home ownership items," such as servicing the furnace, cleaning the gutters or changing the air filters in the furnace.
• Monitor:
  Items that should be watched to see if correction may be needed in the future.
• Description:
  Detailed description of various aspects of the property noted during the inspection.

Summary Page

The Summary Page is the most important part of this report and is designed as a bulleted overview of all the observations made during inspection that are considered, in the opinion of this inspector, to be a major deficiency or in need of immediate repair, or that is a significant safety concern. This helpful overview is not a substitution for reading the entire inspection report. The entire report must be read to get a complete understanding of this inspection report as the Summary Page does not include photographs or photo captions.