You’ve most likely came to this page from the email you received confirming your inspection date, time, and address. Please ensure that you have signed the inspection agreement by 5:pm prior to the day of the inspection. Payment is also required prior to the inspection, if you’d like to pay with cash for a $10 discount at the time of inspection, that is fine, and you can reply to the email that was sent to let me know.
If the home is vacant, I recommend confirming with your realtor that the utilities are on (water, power, gas), as well as confirming that all shut-off valves and/or breakers are in the on position, as my insurance does not allow me to activate or shut down items or appliances.
If the home is occupied I recommend consulting with your realtor and/or the seller(s) to ensure that the attic is accessible with any personal belongings removed from access locations. Personal belongings should also be removed from areas surrounding major appliances (HVAC and Water Heaters), crawl space accesses, electrical panels, etc. If personal belongings are present in these areas at the time of inspection, these items and areas will be inspected as best I can from visible portions, as personal items are not moved for the sake of accessibility.
There is language available that can be used as an addendum to your purchase contract that will ensure this is done. The language is as follows:
A. In addition to Seller’s obligation under this agreement to have all utilities, services, and other items operational during all inspections, Seller will also ensure that the crawl space, garage, electrical service panel and/or attic areas will be accessible and free of debris and/or personal articles.
B. If anything is unable to be tested and/or inspected during any of the inspections because Seller did not have the utility services and other items operational and accessible, and as a result Buyer’s inspections that were paid for by buyer were unable to be performed, then Seller agrees to ensure that the utility services and other items will be operational during any follow up inspections, and the Seller will pay for any and all fees incurred by buyer in order to have the non-functioning items re-inspected.
A return-trip to inspect items that were not accessible or ready will cost $125 or more depending on the location of the property because this is time taken away from inspecting another house.
You’ll receive a reminder email the day prior to your inspection.
Home inspections are scheduled for either 9:am or 1:pm each day. The arrival time for 1pm inspections can vary between 12pm and 2pm due to the age, size, or other conditions of my first inspection.
You are encouraged to attend the inspection for a recap on the deficiencies found with the home, but if you do not attend, a phone conference can be scheduled for after the inspection to review the report and photos/videos. I just ask that you please save any questions for the end of the inspection as I have a routine and system that is conducted on every home, and I must concentrate to ensure I’m able to look over everything thoroughly. I also request that you practice COVID safety such as wearing an approved mask and keeping a healthy distance.
Inspections typically last between 2 – 4 hours based on the age, size, and condition of the home.
If visible fungal growth (possible mold) is found during the inspection, I can take surface samples of the growth and send these sample(s) to the lab as desired by you. Surface sampling is $100 for the first sample, and $50 for each additional sample.
Indoor air quality testing can also be conducted if a musty smell is present in the home or moisture intrusion (typically from rain leaks or plumbing leaks) is found. These services will be accompanied by an additional agreement and report, and vary in price starting at $300. More information about mold testing can be found here.
You will receive the inspection report the evening of the inspection by email. In this email there will also be a link to the invoice for your records. The software I use to prepare inspection reports has several tools available to help you communicate any concerns with your realtor.
The inspection report will contain a lot of information and typically consists of 35 – 70 pages and well over one hundred photos and diagrams. I provide this much information, not in an attempt to overwhelm you, but to give you as much information about your potential home that I possibly can. It is not uncommon for me to find 30 or more defects with a home so do not despair if you get a long report because this is normal. Here is a video tutorial on how to open the report and use its feature:
Sample reports can be viewed to show you what to expect.
KEHI provides Residential, Radon, Thermal Imaging, Well Water Quality Testing, Mold, 11th Month Warranty Inspections, and New Home Construction to East Tennessee including Knoxville, Farragut, Concord, Tellico, Maryville, LaFollette, Morristown, Lenoir City, Loudon, Tellico and Athens .