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What Your Home Inspection Should Cover
- Siding: Look for dents or buckling
- Foundations: Look for
cracks or water seepage
- Exterior Brick: Look for cracked bricks
or mortar pulling away from bricks
- Insulation: Look for
condition, adequate rating for climate
- Doors and Windows: Look
for loose or tight fits, condition of locks, condition of
weatherstripping
- Roof: Look for age, conditions of flashing,
pooling water, buckled shingles, or loose gutters and downspouts
- Ceilings,
walls, and moldings: Look for loose pieces, drywall that is pulling
away
- Porch/Deck: Loose railings or step, rot
- Electrical:
Look for condition of fuse box/circuit breakers, number of outlets in
each room
- Plumbing: Look for poor water pressure, banging pipes,
rust spots or corrosion that indicate leaks, sufficient insulation
- Water
Heater: Look for age, size adequate for house, speed of recovery,
energy rating
- Furnace/Air Conditioning: Look for age, energy
rating; Furnaces are rated by annual fuel utilization efficiency; the
higher the rating, the lower your fuel costs. However, other factors
such as payback period and other operating costs, such as electricity to
operate motors.
- Garage: Look for exterior in good repair;
condition of floor—cracks, stains, etc.; condition of door mechanism
- Basement:
Look for water leakage, musty smell
- Attic: Look for adequate
ventilation, water leaks from roof
- Septic Tanks (if applicable):
Adequate absorption field capacity for the percolation rate in your
area and the size of your family
- Driveways/Sidewalks: Look for
cracks, heaving pavement, crumbling near edges, stains
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