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My home inspection services include:

• Buyer’s and seller’s home inspections
• Reinspections (look at repaired or replaced items to insure they were fixed properly)
• Outbuildings
• New construction inspections
• Home warranty inspections
• Peace-of-mind inspections (identify issues that need attention)

Your Home Inspection Report includes easy-to-read details on:

• The condition of every major component from the roof to the basement. This includes but is not limited to: grounds, roof, exterior, garage, electrical, plumbing, kitchen, bathrooms, living spaces, and outbuildings.
• Evaluation and description of the manually tested working order of all operable systems, i.e. windows, doors, faucets and sinks, heating and a/c systems, etc.
• A summary page that helps to prioritize items of concern such as major defects, deferred cost items (things that may need replacing/repairing within 5 years), safety issues, potential improvements, and items to monitor.

I email the detailed home inspection report to you to (and your realtor, if requested) and will always make sure you understand everything and answer any remaining questions. I generally email the report within 24 hours of the inspection.

At Check It Out Home Inspection, my job is to give an objective, accurate description of the state of a home or other structure. No more, no less.

Pre-Purchase Home Inspection Services

A home inspection is a visual, noninvasive process where all of the items typically used within a home are tested and/or operated to verify proper operation or installation. Doors and windows are opened and closed, the grounds and roofing and siding materials are inspected, air-conditioning and heating systems operated. Attics and crawlspaces are inspected, looking at structure, insulation, venting, plumbing, and electrical systems, etc. I fill the sinks and tub(s), run the shower(s), and flush the toilets. All the while making notes on the condition and operation of the components tested. (more…)

Sellers Home Inspection Services

A seller’s inspection can help you close faster and save money. The information a seller and their realtor get from a seller’s inspection helps them price appropriately, opt to make advance repairs, give buyer fuller disclosure, and avoid costly and lengthy negotiations that can hold up closing, or worse, throw the deal. (more…)

New Construction and Warranty Pre-Expiration Inspections

Homeowners may choose to get a new construction inspection when construction is complete, but prior to your final walk-through with the builder. It is always a good idea to verify that utilities (gas, water, and electric) have been turned on, either by you or the Builder depending on the Builder’s policy. The inspection should be scheduled just a day or two before your final walk through with the Builder. Also, a homeowner can order a home inspection shortly before a home warranty will expire, giving the homeowner the chance to call out problems that need to be fixed by the builder before the warranty expires. (more…)

Maintenance/Peace of Mind Home Inspection

Maintenance and peace of mind inspections.

Prior to a home inspection, my client and I sign an agreement that sets the terms of the service I provide, which adhere to the Oregon and Washington State Standards of Practice. This creates a mutual understanding of the scope of a the home inspection report. Please take the time to read the Pre-Inspection agreement in its entirety.

Here are some highlights:

• You will receive a written report of the apparent condition of the readily accessible installed systems and components of the property at the time of the inspection.
• A home inspection report is a snapshot in time, it represents the state of the home at the time I write the report.
• I adhere to the Oregon and Washington State Standards of Practice (SOP).
• The inspection is for the sole, confidential, and exclusive possession of the client. The word “client” represents that this obligation is incurred in the interest of the family.
• A home inspection is neither an appraisal of the value nor a physical survey. The written report is not a compliance inspection nor certification of past or present governmental codes or regulations of any kind.
• Based on age and condition of house, I may recommend testing for such things as mold, lead, asbestos, and other hazardous substances.
• Auxiliary systems are not included in an inspection report. These include wells, septic systems, security systems, central vacuum systems, water softeners, sprinkler systems, fire and safety equipment, and others listed in the agreement.
• The inspection does not determine whether the property is insurable.

Sample Pre-Inspection Agreement

Buying a house

Buying a house is a big decision — one of the biggest a person, couple, or family will ever make. How do you know you are making the right decision? Ultimately, only you can decide that. But it helps to have the information I can give you.

Why a Buyer Needs a Home Inspection

A home inspection gives the buyer detailed information about the overall condition of the home prior to purchase. A home inspector takes an in-depth, unbiased look at your potential new home to:

• Evaluate the physical condition: structure, construction, and mechanical systems
• Identify safety hazards
• Identify items that need to be repaired or replaced
• Estimate the remaining useful life of the major systems, equipment, structure, and finishes

What a home inspection covers:

• Grounds and exterior, including roof, gutter, chimney, drainage, grading, siding, trim, windows, doors
• Interior, including ceilings, walls, windows, insulation, and ventilation
• Bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms
• Appliances on a pass/fail basis
• Electrical and plumbing systems
• Crawlspaces
• Attic structure, insulation, ventilation
• Condition and life expectancy of heating and cooling system and water heater
• Garages and carports

Fixed monthly costs

Selling your house quickly can save you money. While your house is on the market, you are still paying the mortgage, insurance, taxes, and utilities. Getting the best price for your home is important, but a seller’s home inspection will usually cost you less than a single month’s overhead.

Contingencies and hung deals.

Most purchase/sale agreements are contingent upon the buyer’s response to a home inspection. If the inspection exposes any major defects, this can lead to a new round of negotiations, or hold up closing while defects are repaired. You and the buyer may both want to get estimates for the repairs. This all takes time, during which you continue to pay the fixed monthly costs. In some cases it can even cause the deal to fall through, sending the house back on the market.

Preemptive options

When you purchase a seller’s home inspection, you know in advance what the defects are. This gives you two good options.

• You may opt to order the repairs yourself, adding value to the deal and preventing last-minute delays to closing.
• Or, you can get estimates for the repairs and present these in full disclosure to the buyer stating that the home price reflects the fact that these repairs need to be done.

Appropriate pricing

Either of these choices gives the buyer an added sense of security and a way to feel confident that the house is being priced appropriately. Also, in both cases, the buyer has the option to purchase a much less expensive reinspection report which confirms the repairs have been done correctly.

Clear benefit

Taking either route, you are likely to sell your house more quickly, saving headaches and money.

Read more:

• When good deals go bad: Tips to keep your real estate transaction on track, Kari Richardson (March 16, 2012), The Chicago Tribune
• Pending HomeSales Gone Bad: Why Pending Home Sales Blow Up, Elizabeth Weintraub (Retrieved on: 11/10/2013), About.comm

Here is a list of things that will make your home inspection go smoothly. I look forward to meeting and working with you!

• Plan to be present for the last half hour of your inspection for a review. I schedule inspections for 4 hours.
• You can pay via check, a credit card with a 2.75% fee (3.75% if manually entered), or Venmo. 
• Sign the pre-inspection agreement that was emailed to you prior to the inspection. (You can also sign at the inspection, or online when I send the report. I cannot release reports without payment and a signed pre-inspection agreement.)
• Your report has a summary page, but please take the time to read the entire report. (Click to view Sample Home Inspection Report)

Checklist for Seller’s Agents and Buyer’s Agents

Below are two checklists. One is for Sellers agents (which includes homeowners and tenants). The other checklist is for buyer’s agents.

Checklist Seller’s Agents / Homeowner / Tenant:

On the day of the inspection, the seller/homeowner/tenant should PLEASE:

• expect to be gone for at least 4 hours.
• have all animals out of the house and yard or contained.
• clean up animal waste in the yard. 
• provide clear access to the furnace, the electrical panel, all doors and windows, and as many outlets as possible—especially GFCI outlets.
• remove personal belongings that block clear access to the crawlspace hatch and attic hatch—especially if they are in a closet.
• have all sinks clear of personal property so faucets and drains can be tested.
• have the areas under the sinks cleared so drain lines are visible.
• have all firearms and other weapons secured in a location where the home inspector will not be in danger, or be responsible for moving them.
• leave all gates and outbuildings to be inspected unlocked.
• make sure all utilities (electricity, water, natural gas/propane) are on and pilot lights are lit. ( gas fireplaces, water heaters, stoves)
• have all window coverings open so windows are accessible.
• know that you may need to reset some clocks because testing GFCI and AFCI circuits interrupt power.
• make sure all switch-controlled lights have operating bulbs.
• for OR inspections, make sure the OR State required smoke alarms and CO detectors are installed.

Checklist for Buyer’s Agents:

• Utilities: Make sure all utilities are on. Systems cannot be inspected if not on. Electric, water, natural gas/propane.
• Sellers Agent: Make sure the seller’s agent knows the inspection schedule and notify the seller for proper access. 
• Disclosure: Send us the disclosure form via email. (checkitouthomeinspection@gmail.com)
• Time: My thorough home inspections require at least 3.5 hours for a typical house—sometimes more for larger, older, or poorly maintained homes. Clients are welcome to be at the inspection, but especially should be present for the half-hour of review time in the end. So the inspection time on site is a total of 4 hours. 
• Payment: Please remind your client that payment is due at the time of inspection. Your client can pay with a check, credit card with a 2.75% fee (3.75% if manually entered), or Venmo. (Your client received instructions in an email prior to the inspection.)
• Pre-inspection agreement: Remind your client that they must sign the pre-inspection agreement before I will release the report. (This was also sent via email, prior to the inspection. They can sign via the email, at the time of the inspection, or can sign online when the report is sent.)

A home inspection is a visual, noninvasive process where all of the items typically used within a home are tested and/or operated to verify proper operation or installation. Two of the primary concerns of today’s homeowners are safety and energy efficiency. Below you can find resources and links recommended by Check It Out! Home Inspection services.

Home Safety:

• EPA Information on Mold
• Information on Safety and recalls at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC)
• Electrical
  • Allen Electrical: Electrical panel Problems
  • Allen Electrical: federal Pacific Electrical Panel Fire Hazards
  • NBC: Federal Pacific Circuit Breakers: Investigation Finds Decades of Danger 

EPA information on home energy efficiency:

• Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick
• Green Building Reducing Energy Use

If you are scheduling a re-inspection or a warranty inspection, then please email me. Please know how many items you are wanting re-inspected.