Booking your first home inspection is a strange kind of purchase. You are paying for information about a house you do not own yet, and until the report arrives you cannot really see what you bought. This post walks through what a home inspection on a Greater Phoenix house covers, what sits outside it, how long the visit takes, and what reaches you afterwards. It expands on the home inspection service page, which is the short version of the same answer.
What We Look At
We work through every visible and accessible part of the home, inside and out. In the Phoenix East Valley that means paying particular attention to the things this climate is hard on: tile and foam roofs baked by 110-degree summers, stucco and its drainage details, HVAC equipment that runs half the year, and slab-on-grade foundations. The list below is the standard scope.
- Roof covering, flashing, and visible drainage
- Exterior, stucco condition, grading, and drainage away from the slab
- Structure, visible foundation, and attic framing
- Plumbing supply, drains, fixtures, and the water heater
- Electrical service, panel, wiring methods, and outlets
- Heating and cooling equipment, ducting, and condensate handling
- Built-in appliances, doors, windows, cabinets, and interior finishes
- Attic insulation and ventilation
What an Inspection Is Not
An inspection is a visual assessment of what can be reached on the day, so it is not a warranty and it is not a code inspection. It is also not a test, which means no house comes out of it with a grade. What you get is a description of the home's condition on the day we saw it, organized so you can decide what matters to you.
That is worth separating from the municipal inspection a new house goes through. A municipal inspection confirms the work meets code. It is not a review of workmanship or finish quality, and the inspector is not there on your behalf. The two serve different purposes, and one does not replace the other.
What Is Not Included, and What You Can Add
A standard home inspection stops at the visible plumbing. The line running from the house to the city sewer or the septic tank is underground, and nothing about a normal inspection reveals its condition. A sewer scope puts a camera down that line from an accessible cleanout and records the pass, looking for root intrusion, cracks, blockages, bellies and offsets.
A pool is a second mechanical system attached to the house, and it is not part of a standard home inspection either. A pool and spa inspection covers the equipment that runs it, the surfaces and decking around it, and the safety barrier and gate hardware. A termite inspection can be added as well; we take care of that one through our partner termite company, and the findings come to you in writing.
Add-ons are priced separately from the inspection itself, and each one is listed on the pricing page. A sewer scope is 200 dollars added to an inspection or 300 dollars on its own. A pool is 50 dollars, a spa is 50 dollars, and the two together are 75 dollars.
How Long the Visit Takes
Most inspections take about an hour and a half to two hours. Larger homes run longer, and so do homes with a pool, a casita or a detached structure added on. You are welcome to walk along and ask questions while we work, and we encourage it. Most people learn more in that hour than from any report. Attending is not required and the report stands on its own, but walking the home together is the fastest way to understand what you are buying.
What Arrives Afterwards, and When
Your full report arrives within 24 hours. That timing is deliberate, because inspection periods are short and you should not lose a day waiting on paperwork. Findings are color-coded by priority, so a safety issue, a repair recommendation and a note that is simply worth knowing do not arrive looking alike. If you want the longer explanation of how to work through one, that is the whole subject of our guide to reading an inspection report.
Findings are sorted into hazards, recommendations and observations. We explain what we saw and what it usually means. What you do with that information, whether that is a repair request, a price conversation, or nothing at all, is your decision to make with your agent.
What It Costs
Pricing is published and based on square footage, so you know the number before you call. Residential inspections start at 400 dollars for homes under 1,000 square feet and run to 700 dollars at 4,500 to 5,000 square feet. Condo pricing is lower because the scope is smaller, starting at 300 dollars under 1,000 square feet. The full rate card, including every square-footage band and every add-on, is on the pricing page.
When a Different Inspection Fits Better
A standard home inspection is the right call for most buyers, but not for everyone. If you are selling, a pre-listing inspection is the same full inspection a buyer would order, run several weeks earlier so you see the information first and choose what to fix, what to disclose and what to price in.
If you are buying an attached unit where the association maintains the roof, the exterior walls and the grounds, a condo inspection focuses on the systems and components you own. If the house is brand new or coming up on the end of a builder warranty, a new construction and warranty inspection is the independent look at the builder's work. And if you have one question rather than a general one, such as a roof you cannot see, a panel that looks unusual, or a crack that has you wondering, a single-item inspection answers that on its own.
Whichever one fits, the purpose is the same.
Our job is to help you understand what you are buying. Your job is to decide if what you're buying is what you were hoping for.