Home Inspection Checklist: What Inspectors Check and What They Miss

A home inspection is the last real opportunity to understand what you're buying before you're legally committed to it. Most buyers treat it as a formality. The buyers who get the most value treat it as a technical due diligence process. Here's the difference.

What a Standard Home Inspection Covers

A licensed home inspector follows ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) or InterNACHI standards, which define minimum inspection scope. A standard inspection covers:

Structure: Foundation, framing visible from attic and crawl space, load-bearing walls, floor systems, roof structure.

Exterior: Siding, trim, windows, doors, grading and drainage, decks and porches, garage.

Roofing: Roof covering material, gutters, downspouts, flashing, skylights, chimneys.

Plumbing: Supply and drain lines visible, water heater, fixtures, water pressure, drainage function.

Electrical: Service panel, visible wiring, outlets (tested), GFCI protection, smoke and CO detectors.

HVAC: Heating and cooling equipment operation, filters, visible ductwork, thermostats.

Insulation and ventilation: Attic insulation, vapor barriers, ventilation adequacy.

Interior: Walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, stairs, fireplaces.

What Standard Inspections Routinely Miss

This is the more important list. A standard inspection is a visual, non-invasive examination — inspectors don't open walls, pull permits, or test for substances not visible to the naked eye.

Sewer lines. The inspector flushes toilets and runs drains but does not camera the sewer line. A $200–$400 sewer scope by a plumber shows the actual condition of the underground line — tree root intrusion, belly in the pipe, cracked cast iron, offset joints. On any home over 20 years old, get a sewer scope in addition to the standard inspection.

Mold behind walls. Inspectors look for visible mold and moisture staining. They don't open walls. An air quality test ($300–$600) by a certified industrial hygienist identifies mold spores even when there's no visible evidence.

Pest damage. Most standard inspections don't include a pest inspection unless it's specifically bundled. A licensed pest inspector checks for termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles, and rodent activity — wood damage that looks like normal aging from the outside.

Chimney interior condition. Inspectors look at the exterior and visible firebox but don't camera the flue. A chimney inspection by a CSIA-certified chimney sweep ($150–$300) assesses flue integrity, creosote buildup, and damper condition.

Oil tanks. Homes in the Northeast that heated with oil may have abandoned underground storage tanks (USTs). These are environmental liabilities — cleanup of a leaking UST can cost $10,000–$100,000+. If the home has or had oil heat, ask specifically about tank location and status.

Permitted work. An inspector doesn't pull permits to verify that additions, renovations, or electrical work was done with permits. Your real estate agent or attorney can pull permit history from the county. Unpermitted additions are your liability after closing.

Chinese drywall. Homes built 2001–2009 using Chinese-manufactured drywall may have sulfur off-gassing issues that corrode electrical wiring and HVAC components. If the home was built or renovated during this period, it's worth asking specifically.

How to Get the Most from Your Inspection

Attend the inspection. An inspector narrating findings in real time conveys far more than a written report. You understand context, can ask questions, and learn things about the house that don't make it into the formal report.

Ask "what's the worst thing you've seen today?" Inspectors are often trained to be neutral and comprehensive — which can make it hard to prioritize. Direct questions about severity get more useful answers.

Read the full report before your repair request deadline. Reports are long and detail-heavy. Don't skim. Understand every category before deciding what to negotiate.

Prioritize four categories for repair requests: Safety items (active electrical hazards, carbon monoxide risks, structural deficiencies), active water intrusion, major systems at end of life (roof, HVAC, water heater), and anything that affects insurability.

Don't negotiate cosmetic items. Asking for credits on minor cosmetic defects in a competitive market makes sellers less cooperative on the items that actually matter. Focus repair requests on material defects.

Interpreting the Report

Home inspection reports are not pass/fail. No house is defect-free. The question is which defects are material (affect safety, habitability, or require significant spending) versus routine maintenance items (every house has these).

A 200-item report where 180 items are maintenance recommendations and 20 are deferred maintenance is a normal report on an older home. A 200-item report with 15 items tagged as safety hazards and 8 items indicating active water intrusion is a different situation.

Ask your inspector to walk you through the summary and identify the 3–5 items that concern them most. Their professional judgment on severity is more useful than the item count.

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Buying a home with significant repair needs and want a licensed contractor's perspective on the realistic cost of the items found? Schneider Construction and Development offers remote inspection report review nationwide — email hello@schneidercondev.com.