"What's inspected a General Home Inspection ?

The general home inspection, according to the Standards of Practice, shall "provide the client with a better understanding of the property conditions, as inspected at the time of the inspection".

The general home inspection includes:

1. Structural Components - foundation, floors, walls, columns or piers, ceilings, and roof, probe structural components where deterioration is suspected, enter under crawl spaces, basements, and attic spaces except where access is obstructed, when entry could damage the property, or when dangerous or adverse situations are suspected, report methods used to inspect under floor crawl spaces and attics, report signs of abnormal or harmful water penetration into the building or signs of abnormal or harmful condensation on the building components.
    
2. Exterior - wall claddings, flashing, trim, entry doors and a representative number of windows, garage door operators, decks, balconies, stoops, steps, areaways, porches, applicable railings, eaves, soffits, fascias, vegetation, grading, drainage, driveways, patios, walkways, and retaining walls with respect to their effect on the condition of the building.
    
3. Roofing - roof coverings, roof drainage systems, flashings, skylights, chimneys, roof penetrations, signs of leaks or abnormal condensation on building components.
    
4. Plumbing - interior water supply and distribution systems including piping materials, supports, insulation, fixtures and faucets, functional flow, leaks, cross connections, interior drain / waste / vent system including traps, drain / waste / vent piping, piping supports and insulation, functional drainage, hot water systems including water heating equipment, normal operating controls, automatic safety controls, chimneys, flues, and vents, fuel storage and distribution systems including interior fuel storage equipment, supply piping, venting, supports, and leaks, and sump pumps.  Plumbing fixtures shall be operated including faucets and all exterior faucets attached to the house, except where the flow end of the faucet is connected to an appliance.
    
5. Electrical - service entrance conductors, service equipment, grounding equipment, main over-current device, main and distribution panels, amperage and voltage ratings of the service, branch circuit conductors, their over-current devices, the compatibility of their ampacities and voltage, operation of a representative number of ceiling fans, lighting fixtures, switches and receptacles located inside the house, garage, on the dwellings exterior walls, the polarity and grounding of all receptacles within six feet of interior plumbing fixtures, and all receptacles in the garage or carport, and on the exterior of the inspected structure, the operation of the ground fault circuit interrupters, arc-fault circuit interrupters and smoke detectors.
    
6. Heating - permanently installed heating systems including heating equipment, normal operating controls, automatic safety controls, chimneys, flues, and vents where readily visible, solid fuel heating devices, heat distribution systems including fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with supports, insulation, air filters, registers, radiators, fan-coil units, convectors, the pre presence of an installed heat source in each room.
    
7. Air Conditioning - central air conditioning including cooling and air handling equipment, normal operating controls, distribution systems including fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with associated supports, dampers, insulation, air filters, registers, fan-coil units, and the presence of an installed cooling source in each room.
    
8. Interiors - walls, ceilings, floors, steps, stairways, balconies, railings, counters and a representative number of built-in cabinets, and a representative number of doors and windows,
    
9. Insulation and Ventilation - insulation and vapor retarders in unfinished spaces, ventilation of attics and foundation areas, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry venting systems, the operation of any readily accessible attic ventilation fan, and when temperature permits, the operation of any readily accessible thermostatic control,
    
10. Built-in Kitchen Appliances - inspect and operate the basic functions of the following kitchen appliances; permanently installed dishwasher through a normal cycle, ranges, cooktops, and permanently installed ovens, trach compactors, garbage disposal, ventilation equipment or range hoods, permanently installed microwave ovens.
     
11. Fireplaces and Chimneys