The home inspection industry is well-established nationwide, and especially so in the DC Metro Area where home-buying exceeds the national average. National Organizations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), and the International Assoc. of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) all have standards for home inspections. The standards cover 7 basics systems: plumbing, electrical, heating & cooling (HVAC), roof/attic, interior, exterior, and the structure. Many states have similar standards, such as Maryland’s Title 9, Subtitle 36, Chapter 7.
Something home-buyers should be aware of is that current standards require only a visual inspection of the “readily accessible areas” of the structure, with no probing or tactile examination required if no visual evidence of deterioration exists. Take a look at Maryland’s Standards here. What does this mean? Well, in regard to the foundation, a critical structural component, this means that inspectors can stand in the middle of a basement, scan the foundations walls (which are often covered by personal items and drywall) and if they don’t see anything, they can call it day and move to the next system. This is a critical fault of home inspections standards – not inspectors – but the standards. The structure is the most important part of the home and anything but a CLOSE, HANDS ON inspection is a recipe for trouble, most notably the risk of missing major defects.
I’m a realist, and I know that to keep home inspection prices affordable, limits must be made, but at the expense of the very structure of the home?
At Kemp Home Inspections, we are enthusiastic about accessing difficult to reach areas in order to assess the condition of the structure. We go far beyond the industry standards during a standard home inspection. That said, during a standard inspection, we cannot spend the 1 to 2 hours necessary to evaluate the structure to the fullest degree and remain competitive. That’s why we offer a higher-level of structural examination than other companies. Drawing on 15 years of structural inspection experience, when you order a Level II structural inspection, we ratchet the inspection up a few notches. We don’t just inspect the readily accessible areas, we inspect the hard-to-reach areas, sometimes on our hands and knees in a muddy crawlspace or climbing through the roof trusses. When we do an advanced structural inspection, not only do we get up and personal with the critical structural elements, but we get our hands on them and we probe, shake, tap, wiggle, stomp, and sound every element to the fullest extent (without risking damage, of course). So keep it in mind, if you want the best possible home inspection in Maryland, Northern Virginia, or DC, get a home inspection PLUS a Level II Structural Inspection from Kemp Home Inspections. It’s worth the investment. And remember, we are not only home inspectors, we are professionally licensed engineers.
