| Frequently Asked Questions |
Scheduling
How long does an inspection take?
Single Family House
A full inspection on a single family house takes 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Condos and Townhouses
A full inspection of a condo or townhouse will take 1 ½ to 2 hours. Townhouses can take longer as some are as complex as a single family house.
Commercial/Multi-Family/Specialized
Inspections on commercial or multi-family structures will vary depending on the level of detail required by the client and the complexity of the building.
Specialized inspections are generally for a specific issue and can be relatively short.
Do I need to be at the inspection?
You do not need to be at the inspection but it is strongly recommended that you are. If you can not be at the entire inspection, you should make every effort to be there for the conclusion. If any problems are found, you will be able to get a much better understanding of them if I can show them to you personally.
Does my agent need to be at the inspection?
MLS rules require your agent to be on site during the inspection. Your agent is also responsible for providing access.
What if I don't have an agent?
If you are not working with an agent, you are responsible for providing access to the building.
When can the inspection be done?
I make myself available during daylight hours 7 days a week. There are exceptions to the daylight hours rule but this will limit my ability to inspect the exterior. There are also limitations with rental property as tenants must be given notice.
What if I need to re-schedule or cancel?
I have a fairly easy cancellation policy. As long as I am given notice prior to beginning travel to the site, I do not charge for cancellations. I have had a few experiences where I did go to the site before I was called and in those cases I did charge a fee of half the cost of the planned inspection.
Reports
When will I get the report?
I will go over everything with you and the handwritten notes will be given to you at the end of the inspection. A typed version of the conclusions will be available by e-mail the following day.
Payment
When is payment due?
Payment is due at the conclusion of the inspection. Other arrangements can be made but must be agreed to when the inspection is scheduled.
What form of payment do you accept?
I do not accept credit cards. Payment by cash or check only.
Misc.
Should new construction be inspected?
New construction is inspected at various stages by officials from the local building authority. Their job is to ensure the approved plans and applicable building codes are followed. Generally, the local building authorities do a good job but they are not perfect and they are not looking for the same things a private inspector is looking for. I have found many problems in new construction. A few examples: The hot and cold water reversed on the entire second floor, heat ducts left un-attached in the crawlspace, heat registers under flooring and bath vanities with no openings, cold air returns that had been covered by drywall, used water heaters and vent fans.
The structure is being sold "as is" and the seller is not be willing to fix any problems found so what is the point of an inspection?
Regardless of who would be responsible for making repairs, potential problems need to be identified.
My Qualifications
I have been in the building trades for over 37 years. I have been a union service and repair plumber, a licensed general contractor in California and Washington. As a contractor I specialized in remodeling and repair. I have been doing inspections full time for 15 years.
I maintain membership in ICC [The International Code Council] which is the group that writes building code in the United States.
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