Home Inspections in New Brunswick, NJ
Certified Master Inspector Michael Del Greco brings 30+ years of experience and 13,000+ completed inspections to New Brunswick home buyers and sellers across Middlesex County.
What You’ll Find on This Page
- What Michael Finds in New Brunswick Homes
- Why New Brunswick Buyers Choose Accurate Inspections
- Your Inspector: Michael Del Greco, CMI
- What We Inspect in Your New Brunswick Home
- How Your New Brunswick Home Inspection Works
- Common Questions About New Brunswick Home Inspections
- What Our Clients Say
- New Brunswick Neighborhoods We Serve
- New Brunswick Housing & What Buyers Should Know
- Common Inspection Findings in New Brunswick Homes
What Our Clients Say
Real feedback from real clients across New Jersey
“Took his time to explain and give proper terms/common. Would recommend”
“Ontime, very thorough. Answered my many questions.”
“Mike is very thorough and helpful.”
“Very informative. Great experience overall! Thank you.”
What Michael Finds in New Brunswick Homes
New Brunswick is a vibrant city of roughly 57,500 residents and the home of Rutgers University’s College Avenue campus. Its housing stock is a mix of historic homes and rowhouses in established residential neighborhoods, multi-family and apartment buildings, and a large share of renter-occupied units serving the university community — giving Michael a wide range of building types and ages to evaluate throughout the city.
In New Brunswick’s older homes and multi-family buildings, Michael frequently finds aging electrical systems and wiring that haven’t kept pace with modern demands, original plumbing supply lines showing corrosion or reduced pressure, and roofing and siding reflecting decades of urban exposure. In multi-unit and rental properties, he also pays close attention to shared systems, fire separation, and how renovations were tied into older structures.
Whatever Michael finds, his job is to give you a complete, honest picture of your New Brunswick property — so you can negotiate from knowledge, not guesswork. Call (973) 812-5100 to schedule your inspection.
Why New Brunswick Home Buyers Choose Accurate Inspections
- Certified Master Inspector (CMI) — the industry’s highest credential
- 30+ years of hands-on inspection experience
- 13,000+ home inspections completed across New Jersey
- Same-week appointments, including evenings and weekends
- Detailed digital reports delivered same-day, with photos
- Direct access to Michael — no call centers, no rotating staff
Common Inspection Concerns in New Brunswick, NJ
- Aging electrical systems: Many of New Brunswick’s older homes and multi-family buildings still carry original panels and wiring that can fall short of modern electrical demands.
- Plumbing age and material: Original supply lines are common in the city’s established residential buildings and can show corrosion, reduced pressure, or be nearing the end of their service life.
- Multi-family and rental-unit systems: In a city with a large share of renter-occupied housing, Michael evaluates shared walls, fire separation, and unit-to-unit system tie-ins with extra care.
- Roofing and exterior wear: With much of New Brunswick’s housing reflecting decades of urban use, roofing materials and exterior siding are frequently approaching or past their expected service life.
- Permit history on renovations and conversions: Michael verifies that conversions, additions, and system upgrades in these older city properties were completed to code with proper permits.
Meet Your Inspector — Michael Del Greco, CMI
Michael Del Greco is a Certified Master Inspector (CMI) — the highest credential awarded in the home inspection industry — with more than 30 years of hands-on experience and over 13,000 inspections completed throughout New Jersey. New Brunswick home buyers and sellers get Michael himself at every appointment: no call centers, no rotating subcontractors, and a same-day digital report with photos documenting exactly what he found.
What We Inspect
How the Inspection Process Works
- Schedule your appointment — Call (973) 812-5100 or book online; same-week appointments including evenings and weekends are available.
- On-site inspection — Michael personally inspects the property top to bottom, typically 2-4 hours depending on size and age.
- Walk-and-talk summary — Before he leaves, Michael walks you through his key findings in plain language so you understand what matters most.
- Same-day digital report — You’ll receive a detailed report with photos documenting every finding, delivered the same day in most cases.
- Follow-up support — Michael remains available afterward to answer questions as you move through negotiation and closing.
Frequently Asked Questions — New Brunswick Home Inspections
How much does a home inspection cost in New Brunswick, NJ?
Pricing depends on the home’s size, age, and the services requested (such as radon testing or a wood-destroying insect inspection). Call (973) 812-5100 for a fast, accurate quote for your specific property.
How long does an inspection take?
Most single-family home inspections in New Brunswick take roughly 2-4 hours, depending on the size, age, and condition of the home.
Should I test for radon in New Brunswick?
Radon testing is strongly recommended throughout Middlesex County. Soil and foundation conditions vary block to block, and radon is a colorless, odorless gas that can only be detected through testing — not by visual inspection. Michael offers radon testing alongside the standard home inspection. For more on what radon is and why testing matters, see our full Home Inspection FAQ.
Will I get the report the same day?
In most cases, yes. Michael provides a detailed digital report with photos the same day as your inspection, so you have the information you need before key deadlines in your contract.
Do you inspect condos and townhomes as well as single-family homes?
Yes. New Brunswick has a wide mix of housing types — single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums — and Michael inspects all of them, tailoring the inspection to the property type and any association-specific considerations.
New Brunswick Neighborhoods We Serve
New Brunswick — Middlesex County’s county seat and one of New Jersey’s oldest cities — contains some of the region’s most historically significant housing, as well as a large inventory of rental-converted urban properties. Michael inspects across all city neighborhoods.
Downtown / Rutgers Core
The city’s urban center with a dense concentration of rowhouses, three-family homes, and converted multi-family properties — many dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Jersey Avenue Corridor
A transitional neighborhood with older single-family homes, duplexes, and smaller apartment buildings; buyers here should budget for substantial system updates.
Boyd Park / Lower George Street
A desirable section closer to Raritan River parks, featuring larger late-Victorian and Craftsman-era homes.
Rutgers North / College Avenue
Heavily student-impacted area with significant rental conversions; owner-occupant buyers occasionally find undervalued properties here, but deferred maintenance is common.
Highland Park Border
The area abutting Highland Park Borough features some of the city’s most well-maintained housing and a mix of early 20th-century colonials and bungalows.
South New Brunswick
Less dense than the urban core, with a mix of post-WWII and mid-century residential stock and a more suburban character.
Buying in New Brunswick requires a clear-eyed view of what older urban housing stock looks and costs to maintain. Michael’s detailed reports give buyers that clarity before the contingency window closes.
New Brunswick Housing Market: What Buyers Should Know
New Brunswick’s housing stock is among the oldest in Middlesex County. Many of the city’s residential properties date to the late 1800s and early 1900s — an era when knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized iron water supply pipes, and clay tile drain lines were standard construction. These materials have long exceeded their designed service lives, and buyers should understand before making an offer whether any of these original systems remain in place.
The high concentration of rental properties in New Brunswick means that many homes coming to market have histories as multi-unit rentals. Tenant-related wear accelerates deterioration of plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, doors and windows, and finished surfaces at a rate that owner-occupied homes of the same age rarely see. When Michael inspects a property with a rental history, he evaluates condition with that context in mind.
Lead paint is a material concern in New Brunswick’s older housing stock. The federal government banned residential lead paint in 1978, but homes built before that date — the majority of the city’s single-family stock — may contain lead-based paint on interior and exterior surfaces. New Jersey now requires a lead paint inspection for certain property sales. Michael recommends that buyers of pre-1978 New Brunswick properties factor lead paint evaluation into their due diligence planning.
New Brunswick has undergone significant downtown revitalization, and that investment is beginning to lift residential values in adjacent neighborhoods. Buyers who act during this transitional period can find substantial value — but they need accurate information about the true condition of the properties they are considering. An independent inspection from a Certified Master Inspector with 30+ years of NJ experience is the clearest way to get that information.
Common Inspection Findings in New Brunswick Homes
New Brunswick’s historic urban housing stock creates one of the most complex inspection profiles in Middlesex County. These are among the findings Michael most consistently documents when inspecting in the city.
Knob-and-Tube Wiring
Knob-and-tube wiring was the residential electrical standard from approximately 1880 through the 1930s — the primary construction era for much of New Brunswick’s housing stock. K&T wiring lacks a grounding conductor and cannot safely be covered with insulation. Michael identifies it wherever visible and recommends evaluation by a licensed electrician.
Galvanized and Lead Water Lines
New Brunswick’s oldest homes may contain galvanized iron supply lines within the house and lead service lines between the street main and the foundation — a public health concern. Michael notes visible supply line materials and recommends buyers verify service line composition with the city water utility.
Flat Roof Condition
Many New Brunswick properties have flat or low-slope roof sections. Flat roofing membranes have shorter service lives than pitched shingle roofing and are more susceptible to ponding water and membrane failure. Michael assesses accessible flat roof areas and notes signs of deterioration.
Multi-Unit Conversion Issues
Homes converted from single-family to multi-family use often have electrical, plumbing, and structural modifications done without permits or to below-standard quality. Michael identifies evidence of unpermitted work and recommends buyers request permit history from the city building department.
Chimney and Fireplace Conditions
New Brunswick’s older housing stock contains a high proportion of masonry chimneys that have not been serviced in years. Deteriorated mortar joints, missing caps, and failed flue liners are common — a deteriorated chimney is both a fire hazard and a water intrusion pathway.
Rowhouse Foundation Challenges
New Brunswick’s rowhouse stock presents unique foundation challenges: shared party walls, limited access to exterior foundation surfaces, and original rubble or brick foundations that may have shifted over more than a century. Michael evaluates what is accessible and notes limitations clearly.
Buying or Selling in New Brunswick? Schedule Your Inspection Today.
Get a thorough, honest, same-day-report home inspection from a Certified Master Inspector with 30+ years of experience and 13,000+ NJ inspections completed.
New Brunswick is Middlesex County’s county seat — a university city anchored by Rutgers University and Johnson and Johnson’s headquarters, with a real estate market that has evolved significantly over the past two decades. The housing stock is a mix of pre-war row houses, two-families, and single-family homes in the established residential neighborhoods surrounding the downtown and campus, alongside newer development and condo construction in the revitalized urban core. It offers buyers urban convenience and transit access at price points that compare favorably to many surrounding municipalities.
Pre-War Housing Stock
New Brunswick’s established residential neighborhoods — the streets surrounding the Rutgers campus and the older sections of the city — contain pre-war two-families and single-family homes with the inspection profile typical of early 20th-century urban construction. Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized steel supply lines, cast iron drain stacks, and the accumulated modifications of 80 to 100 years of ownership are standard findings. In two-family properties, shared systems, electrical panels serving multiple units, and the quality of prior renovations require careful evaluation.
Condo and Newer Construction
New Brunswick’s revitalized downtown area has added significant condo and newer residential construction over the past two decades. For condo buyers, Michael’s inspection covers the interior of the unit and its systems. The building’s shared systems, exterior, and common areas are HOA responsibilities — reserve studies and HOA financials should be reviewed before closing.
Environmental and Flood Awareness
New Brunswick sits on the Raritan River, and portions of the city are in FEMA-designated flood zones. The Raritan River has a history of flooding during major storm events. Buyers of properties near the river should verify flood zone designation and insurance requirements. Michael also recommends buyers research the environmental history of any property near the city’s former industrial sites with their attorney before closing.
