Home Inspection Checklist
ELECTRICAL HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Check to make sure all the light fixtures are installed properly and not broken
Turn on all the lights to make sure they work.
Bring a radio to plug in to test out the electric receptacles.
Make sure the three-way switches turn on and off from both switches (they are sometimes mis-wired)
Ring the doorbell to make sure it works (front and back doors).
HEATING AND COOLING HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Turn up the heat and air conditioning (weather permitting) to make sure they are functioning.
If you have a hot air and or air conditioning system make sure there is there adequate air flow through the heating and cooling registers.
If you have radiators or convectors are they getting warm?
KITCHEN HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Turn on all the appliances to check for leaks and to determine if they function properly.
Countertops and cabinets are frequently damaged during construction or moving, check them for damages.
Open the cabinet doors and pull out the drawers to check for damages and to be sure they function.
GENERAL HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
If you were smart enough to hire a professional home inspector now is your last chance to think “were all my questions answered that you had for the home inspector?” If not get the home inspector on the phone NOW!
Same for any questions you asked the homeowner – were they answered in writing to your satisfaction?
If the owner agreed to fix anything did they? I have yet to reinspect a home for a home buyer and find the home seller fixed all the items they said they would. You may have better luck than I do but do not count on it.
If professionals make repairs have you been given warranties and guarantees?
Many times home inspectors provide home buyers with recommendations. Have all the home inspectors recommendations been implemented? Did you obtain all recommended additional inspections and have the suggested invasive inspections performed? OR can you afford to take open-ended risks?
EXTERIOR HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Windows and screens are easily damaged. Access to them could have been blocked during your home inspection. Check the operation of the windows and screens?
Has grading been improved in order to stop water from accumulating near the building? If the answer is NO you are advised to EXPECT water infiltration. It is not IF it is WHEN will water infiltration occur.
Deterioration of decks, doors, siding, windows and exterior surfaces occurs on an ongoing basis. Do a final check to see if additional damages have occurred since you last saw the home.
Check for water infiltration from the roof, siding or windows, the fresh paint the owner applied just before the home inspection may not have been touched up.
Storms may have damaged gutters or downspouts, give them a final check.
Are the downspouts discharging water away from the foundation? If the answer is NO you are advised to EXPECT water infiltration. It is not IF it is WHEN will water infiltration occur (yes, I know I wrote that a few lines up, however, water infiltration is a very frequent complaint).
Was the soil around the home pitched away from the foundation? (if not see the above sentence).
INTERIOR HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Have all the areas listed in your home inspection report as inaccessible or not traversed been accessed & professionally inspected to determine if defects exist?
Check the garage door to be sure it opens and now is the time to obtain the garage door opener from the owner and to test it too.
Test the reversing devices for the garage door openers, better to find out it does not work now than when a child is stuck under it.
Check again for stains or cracks on any of the walls or ceilings that have become noticeable as they begin to show through the paint and or those that have appeared since the time of the home inspection?
Were any cracked windows or mirrors replaced or repaired?
Double-check to determine if any of the double-pane windows are clouded due to failed seals?
Have any appliances been changed or damaged?
Birds, rodents or animals can infest a home without warning, perform a final check NOW.
Walls, floors and ceilings are frequently damaged during construction or by movers, is there any new damage that you see?
PLUMBING HOME INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Faucets can start to drip without any warning at all, check all the faucets to determine if they leak or drip and if any repairs are necessary.
Chips and or damage to plumbing fixtures are sometimes found when buyers move in, check the fixtures now (look under any forgotten carpets and towels.
Make 100% sure you run water for a time through all plumbing fixtures and check for leakage. You would be surprised how often leaks suddenly appear when buyers move in
Ever hear about people putting cement or other objects in a sewer pipe or down fixtures just before they lose the house? People do it, so make sure you run water for a time through all plumbing fixtures and check for stoppage?
It is vital that you complete this home inspection checklist during your walkthrough and go over it with your attorney prior to closing on the property
Our home inspection company accepts no liability for changes and problems that occur after the home inspection takes place, neither do most others
Please take the time to carefully and completely perform your pre-settlement walk through home inspection checklist and to contact the home inspection company if you have questions!
