Northern Virginia, DC Home Inspections

PRE-PURCHASE RESIDENTIAL INSPECTION

Our inspectors are very thorough and provide a tremendous amount of information both during the inspection and in the report. We will conduct a detailed structural and mechanical inspection and provide comprehensive reporting including digital photographs. Not only will you receive a Summary report onsite, but we will also email a full report later the same day.

NEW CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS

Just like inspections for existing homes, it is equally important to inspect new construction properties…maybe even more important. There are three phases of New Construction Inspections.

1. The first phase, Foundation Inspection, focuses on the newly poured foundation paying particular attention to the footers, foundation, weatherproofing and drainage tiles.



2. The second phase is the Pre-Drywall Inspection. Click here for ASHI Predrywall standards. This is where we get to take a good look at what is behind the walls. We prefer to schedule this appointment before the insulation is installed so there is nothing limiting our view.



3. The third and final phase is the Final Inspection where we perform a complete inspection of the entire property, double checking items we found during the first two phases to ensure they have been repaired by your builder.

You will receive a report at the end of each phase.

FIRST ANNIVERSARY INSPECTION

Builders Warranty Inspection – This inspection is designed to help home-buyers who have been in their newly constructed home less than one year and are scheduled to provide their builder with their first anniversary list of items in need of warranty repair or replacement

SELLER’S ADVANTAGE INSPECTION

In today’s market, it is especially important to have an edge when selling your home.

We will perform a comprehensive structural and mechanical inspection of your home and provide you with detailed reporting on all the major systems and components.

After the inspection we will provide a one hour consultation to go over all your repair options with you. Once those repairs are complete, we will return to your home and certify those repairs.
We will then assist in marketing your property by sending out an email campaign advertising your listing, provide a sign for the yard stating that the home has been pre-inspected, and create 20 brochures for you to hand out to prospective buyers.
Additionally, we can be available to walk through your property with a potential buyer and answer any questions that they may have on items noted in the report.

Specialty Inspections

ROOF INSPECTION

Are you having a roof leak or just want to know if you need to budget for future repairs? We can help and there’s no need for a full home inspection!

INVESTORS INSPECTION

Unlike a complete home inspection which is over 500 points, this is a limited 5 point inspection designed to help investors to make a sound business decision.

DECK INSPECTION

Worried about the condition of your deck? Some contractors will give you repair cost estimates that include services you may not need. We can give you all the information you need to decide which repairs are for you!

FOUNDATION INSPECTION

Do you have cracks in your foundation that concern you? Let us help you to decide if you need to spend money on a structural engineer or if you have simple settling cracks.

ANNUAL HOA ARCHITECTURAL INSPECTION

We work with local property management companies to perform annual ACC (Architectural Control Committee) inspections for local Home Owners Associations. Whether the community is large or small, we can provide an independent assessment of the condition of the homes and whether they are in violation of HOA ACC guidelines.

WATER INTRUSION INSPECTION

Moist basement? Stains on your ceiling? Worried that these might lead to larger problems? Let us help you determine what is causing these conditions to decide the best course of action for resolution!

FINAL WALK-THROUGH ASSISTANCE

It is very important when buying a home that you conduct a final walk through of your property shortly before settlement to make sure everything is in order. We can help you to quickly understand condition of your property before you take possession. If there have been repairs made, we can assess the correctness of these repairs.

LIGHT COMMERCIAL

Call us for more information on our commercial inspection services.

Additional Services

Bundled pricing available!

ADDITIONAL STRUCTURES

Does your home have a shed; pool house, guest cottage, barn or workshop? We can inspect any and all of the additional structures during our inspection appointment.

RADON TESTING

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and approximately 22,000 people die from radon related lung cancer in the US today. Radon gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless and it doesn’t matter what type of home you have. Radon can be a serious health risk for you and your family. There’s only one way to know if you have elevated levels of radon, or if your radon remediation system is working correctly, and that’s to have it tested. The type of test equipment used really does matter. We use continuous monitors that not only measure radon concentrations on an hourly basis, but also temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, and tilt. This way we know if the equipment or the environment has been tampered with during the test period which could skew the results. Other types of test equipment do not give you this kind of peace of mind.

TERMITE INSPECTIONS

Most lenders today require termite inspection, so even if you think you don’t have termites, or if the home has been recently treated, check with your realtor to find out if a termite inspection is required.
Did you know that your termite report can be no more than 30 days old at the time of settlement? If your home inspection is more than 30 days before settlement, we can still take care of it for you. We’ll just delay it until we are within that 30 day window and send you the report when it’s ready. There is no contingency on your termite report. As long as your lender & title company receive it before settlement, you’re all set!

LEAD BASED PAINT TESTING

In 1978, Lead Based Paint was banned in the US. However, paint manufacturers were allowed to sell off their existing inventory. Which really means that lead based paint could have been used in new homes until around 1980. All houses built before 1978 are likely to contain some lead-based paint. However, it is the deterioration of this paint that causes potential problems. The EPA now has stringent guidelines for Lead Containment on all construction, whether it’s being performed by a Class A contractor or by the home owner. You should know before you begin a construction or remodeling project what you will be faced with during construction.

ASBESTOS TESTING

Asbestos can exist in older homes in the flooring, insulation, roofing, siding and many other places. It’s important to know if you have asbestos in your home! Here is some information provided by the EPA about Asbestos.
In 1973, EPA banned spray-applied surfacing asbestos-containing material for fireproofing/insulating purposes.
In 1975, EPA banned installation of asbestos pipe insulation and asbestos block insulation on facility components, such as boilers and hot water tanks, if the materials are either pre-formed (molded) and friable or wet-applied and friable after drying.
In 1978, EPA banned spray-applied surfacing materials for purposes not already banned.
In 1977, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned the use of asbestos in artificial fireplace embers and wall patching compounds.
In 1989, the EPA issued a final rule under Section 6 of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) banning most asbestos-containing products.

POOLS & SPAS

Click here for ASHI pool standards. Pools and their attached spas are a wonderful source of fun and recreation for you and your family. They can also be a source of worry for any home owner. When buying or selling a home with a pool it’s important to know if there’s anything to worry about. Relax and let us check out the pool/spa for you. The pool should be “open” and operating for us to do a complete inspection and test all of the systems. However, most pools are closed in the winter. We can do a Limited Visual Pool Inspection where we will visually examine all the elements of the pool which will give you a good idea of the current condition but not the function of the systems.

IRRIGATION SPRINKLER INSPECTIONS

If your home has an irrigation system installed we can tell you if it’s functioning. We have several levels to best suit your particular system from a single zone, 2-5 zones, 6-10 zones and beyond.

ESCROW BILLING

Whether you’re trying to conserve cash flow during the real estate transaction, or have seller closing costs to spend, many of our services are eligible for deferred billing. This means that we will send our invoice to the title company, who will add our invoice to the HUD-1 statement, withhold funds at settlement and issue us a check shortly thereafter. Additional fees may apply.

GAS LINE LEAK TEST

If your home has a gas fireplace, stove, furnace or anything else, there’s a possibility that the gas pipes may have a leak. Only major leaks can be detected by the human nose, so it’s important to have a simple, low cost, test performed. Our gas sniffer equipment is very sensitive and can detect even minute traces of gas in your home.

DE-WINTERIZATION

Winterization is commonly used to protect properties without utilities. De-winterization will need to be performed before the inspection. We can help with this, however, it’s very important that all the utilities are turned on by the seller before we arrive.