When buyers walk through a house, they naturally notice the things that are easiest to see. They look at the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, room sizes, finishes and whether they like the overall layout. They may notice an old furnace, a crack in a wall or a stain on a ceiling, but they’re usually looking at the house from the standpoint of someone considering living there.
When I’m inspecting a house, I’m looking at it differently.
I’m not only looking for individual problems. I’m looking at how the different conditions in the house may relate to one another. Sometimes one condition doesn’t tell you very much. Several conditions together can tell a different story.
Water is a good example. A stain on a basement wall may be from an old problem that hasn’t occurred in years. I don’t want to assume that every stain means there is an active water problem. But if I see that stain along with poor grading outside, downspouts discharging too close to the foundation, efflorescence on the masonry or other evidence of moisture, those conditions start to tell me more.
I’m not just looking at the stain. I’m trying to understand what the rest of the house is telling me.
Foundation cracks are similar. Cracks are common, particularly in older houses, and the presence of a crack doesn’t automatically mean there is a serious structural problem. I look at the direction and location of the crack, its width, whether there is displacement, and whether there are other indications of movement.
I also look beyond the foundation. What are the floors doing? Are doors and windows operating normally? Is there movement or cracking elsewhere? What does the grading look like outside? Is water being directed toward or away from the foundation?
A crack by itself is one piece of information. The conditions around it help put it into perspective.
This kind of thinking applies throughout an inspection. If I find improvised electrical work in one area, it gives me a reason to pay closer attention to the electrical work elsewhere. It doesn’t mean I’m going to find additional problems, but it is information I don’t ignore.
The same thing happens in an attic. If I see water staining, I’m not only looking at the stain. I’m looking at the roof above it, the flashing, plumbing penetrations, ventilation and bathroom exhaust ducts. I want to know whether there is active moisture and whether anything else I can see helps explain why the staining is there. Sometimes the answer is fairly clear. Other times it isn’t, and it’s important to say that too.
That’s a big part of inspecting houses. You don’t want to make a condition more significant than the evidence supports, but you also don’t want to dismiss a small clue before looking at what is around it.
Buyers also tend to focus on the age of things, especially expensive things.
I frequently get questions about an older furnace, air conditioner, water heater or roof. Age is useful information, but age doesn’t tell the whole story. An older furnace isn’t automatically defective because it’s old, and a newer furnace isn’t automatically in good condition because it’s new.
I’m interested in the visible condition of the equipment, how it is installed, how it operates at the time of the inspection and whether I see indications of leakage, corrosion, deterioration or other concerns. If the equipment is older, the buyer should understand that repair or replacement may become necessary simply because it is further along in its useful life.
There is an important difference between saying something is old and saying something has failed.
The same applies to a roof. A roof can be older and still performing its intended function. Another roof can be considerably newer but have installation problems, damaged materials or flashing conditions that deserve attention. I’m trying to give the buyer a realistic understanding of what is there rather than making a judgment based on one number.
I’m also looking beyond whether something simply works.
A sink can drain while the visible piping underneath it has problems. An electrical receptacle can provide power while still having an improper wiring condition. A furnace can produce heat while there are concerns with its venting or installation. A garage door can open and close but still have safety issues. A roof may not be leaking on the day of the inspection but can still show deterioration or installation conditions that increase the possibility of problems.
Operation is important, but it is only part of understanding the condition of a house.
Another thing buyers may not immediately recognize is the significance of several moderate conditions occurring at the same time.
An older roof may be manageable. An older heating system may be manageable. Some deteriorated exterior components or drainage improvements may also be manageable. But when a house has an aging roof, older heating and cooling equipment, older windows, drainage problems, electrical concerns and a number of deferred maintenance items, the overall picture begins to change.
None of those things individually has to make the house a bad house. But together they can represent a considerable amount of responsibility and expense during the first several years of ownership.
That’s information I think a buyer should understand.
Sometimes what I don’t find is also important. If I see a foundation crack but don’t see displacement, significant movement elsewhere or other related concerns, that additional information helps put the crack into context. If I see an old water stain but the area is dry and I don’t find other evidence of an active problem, that matters too.
An inspection shouldn’t be about making everything sound alarming. Houses aren’t perfect, and they don’t need to be.
Part of inspecting a house is separating normal aging and maintenance from conditions that deserve greater attention. Some things need to be repaired. Some things need to be budgeted for. Some conditions require additional information before the buyer can understand their significance. And some things are simply part of owning and maintaining a house.
There are also limits to what I can see during an inspection.
A home inspection is primarily a visual inspection of accessible areas. I can’t see through finished walls or ceilings. Furniture, stored belongings, insulation and finished surfaces can conceal conditions. Underground components generally can’t be seen without specialized inspections. Weather can also affect what is observable.
A basement that’s dry when I’m there may experience water during a severe storm. A roof may leak only during certain wind and rain conditions. Mechanical equipment operating normally during the inspection can fail later. There are conditions in every house that simply aren’t visible during a home inspection.
That’s why I think it’s important to be straightforward about both what I found and what I couldn’t determine.
The purpose of the inspection isn’t to guarantee that every problem in the house will be discovered. It’s to learn as much as reasonably possible about the visible and accessible condition of the property before the buyer takes responsibility for it.
A buyer and a home inspector are looking at the same house, but we’re looking at it for different reasons. The buyer is deciding whether the house works for their life. During those few hours, I’m concentrating on the house itself and trying to understand what all of the different pieces are telling me.
Sometimes that means finding an obvious defect. Other times it means recognizing that several smaller observations may be connected. And sometimes it means recognizing that something that initially looks concerning doesn’t have other conditions around it that would make me more concerned.
That’s really what I’m doing when I inspect a house. I’m not just looking for a long list of problems. I’m trying to understand the house as a whole and give the buyer useful information about what they’re considering taking responsibility for.
About John Martino
John Martino is a Board-Certified Master Inspector and owner of LookSmart Home Inspections in East Hanover, New Jersey. A New Jersey licensed home inspector since 2002, John provides independent home inspections for buyers throughout Northern and Central New Jersey.
John’s approach to home inspection is educational and straightforward. He believes buyers should understand not only what was found during an inspection, but why it matters, which conditions deserve greater attention, what can reasonably be expected as a house ages, and what responsibilities may come with owning the property.
Through the LookSmart Home Inspections Learning Center, John writes about the questions and concerns that regularly come up during real home inspections. His goal is to provide clear, practical information that helps buyers understand the homes they are considering and make informed decisions.