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 weather stripping
- 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