How Much Your Inspection Will Cost, And What It Will Tell You

What is a home inspection?

A home inspection is a professional evaluation of a property’s condition that helps buyers identify potential issues before committing to the purchase.

When you make an offer on a home, your agent will probably advise you to include an inspection contingency. This clause gives you the opportunity to have the property professionally examined after your offer is accepted.

If the inspection uncovers major problems, such as foundation issues, roof damage, plumbing defects, or electrical hazards, you can negotiate repairs, ask for a credit, renegotiate the purchase price, or even back out of the deal without losing your earnest money.

Without an inspection contingency, you could be stuck buying the home and paying for expensive repairs yourself. That’s why many buyers see it as an important safeguard during the homebuying process.

What does a standard home inspection include?

A standard home inspection gives buyers a closer look at a home’s overall condition before closing the deal. The inspector checks the property’s major systems and looks for any signs of damage, wear and tear, or potential problems.

Where you live will influence where inspectors concentrate their attention. For example, in a cold-weather state, they may spend a lot of time on the roof. In a hot, humid state, they’ll test your air conditioning system.

After the inspection, they’ll give you an inspection report. This could be a print-out in a binder, an emailed PDF, or an interactive report with videos and pictures. You should hang on to this report, even if you don’t use it to negotiate on price.

As Orr puts it, “Sometimes you want an inspection just to simply have a checklist of improvements to make on the home down the road.”

How much does a home inspection cost?

The cost of a home inspection can vary depending on where you live. Local market conditions, demand, and even the number of inspectors available in your area can all play a role in the final price. In Orr’s market, home inspections typically cost around $400, while most buyers nationwide can expect to pay between $296 and $424.

In general, Nick Gromicko, the founder of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, says, “Size, distance from inspector, price, and age of home are all factors that determine the price.”

It’s up to your inspector how they want to set their pricing. Some charge a flat fee based on square footage, such as $350 for a 2,000-square-foot home, tacking on $25 for each additional 500 square feet. If one home has double the square footage of another you made an offer on, expect its inspection report to cost more than the smaller home’s.

Others might dig deeper into the home’s age and condition before quoting a price. Older homes can have more issues, such as plumbing or an electrical system that’s not up to code, and an inspector might charge more to look at a 100-year-old home than they would for new construction. This is because the inspector will have to spend more time in older homes.

Cost of specialized home inspections

Specialized inspections will add to the overall cost. If you or your agent thinks the home may have potential hazards, it’s worth considering these additional tests. Finding problems early can save you from surprise repairs that could end up costing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars down the road.

Cost of home inspections by size

What if you’re not buying a single-family home? Do you still need a home inspection? Yes! Some of the same problems that a single-family home could have, such as a leaking roof or faulty electrical, can still exist in a condo or townhome. Even a new construction home could have issues if the contractor cuts corners.

The cost for a home inspection for a condominium can be less, sometimes just $200, if it’s a smaller unit. It costs, on average, about $250 to have a mobile home inspected, but the fee will rise if it’s a double-wide or triple-wide.

If you’re taking out a VA loan or another government loan to fund your purchase, expect to pay the normal price for a home inspection. The inspection process is the same, and the inspector won’t discount their services.

Why is a home inspection important?

Do you have to get an inspection? Not always. But it’s actually smart to protect yourself from unexpected repair costs and avoid buying a home with hidden issues.

Problems aren’t always visible to the naked eye. In certain circumstances, such as when you’re buying a foreclosure or a home “as is” and there are no seller’s disclosures, the home inspection is even more important.

Moreover, a home inspection can give you negotiating power, or it might reveal a problem so big that you choose to walk away. One of Orr’s buyers had made an offer on a house with what they thought was just an addition. But the inspection revealed substandard construction, and the buyer wasn’t required to complete the purchase.

That said, in hot seller’s markets, where a seller has multiple offers, buyers sometimes waive the home inspection. It can make your offer more appealing, but it also means taking on more risk. Before you go that route, make sure you’d be able to handle any surprise repairs right after moving in.

If this makes you too uncomfortable, you could write an offer stating that you won’t request any repairs after the home inspection. You’ll either proceed with the purchase or walk away. Both options shorten the timeline to close on the house, and the seller may prefer a shorter closing.

»Learn more: Even a well-maintained home can come with repairs after move-in. Use the Home Affordability Calculator to set a homebuying budget that helps you stay financially comfortable.

How long does a home inspection take?

A home inspection usually takes about two to four hours, depending on the size, age, and condition of the property. Smaller or newer homes tend to be quicker to inspect, while larger or older homes can take longer.

The inspector will go through major systems like the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC during that time. After the walkthrough, it may take another day or two for the inspector to put together the full report.

If you’ve chosen to have a specialized inspection done, it’ll take longer. A radon test takes two days, plus a few hours to get results. The inspector leaves the equipment in the home to measure radon levels in the air during that time. A sewer scope can take less than an hour, and the results from an asbestos test can come back within a day.

Results for other specialized tests depend on lab analyses and their turnaround time. If your home inspector suggests that you have one of these tests done, they should be able to set your expectations for when you’ll get the results.

Who hires and pays the inspector?

You do, as the buyer. Since you’re the one using the inspection to help decide whether to move forward, ask for repairs, or back out, you’re also the one who pays for it.

But in some cases, a seller might actually get a home inspection done before listing the home. When Orr is the listing agent and notices something obvious, like possible termite damage or signs of a past leak, he’ll flag it to the seller and suggest getting an inspection done before listing.

He wants to ensure that his sellers disclose what they know about the house, and it “foreshadows with the buyers what they’re going to receive from their inspector.”

If the seller already has a home inspection report, it can help you get a sense of the home and make a realistic offer. But you should still get your own inspection done.

Orr has seen instances where someone had a home inspection done and then decided not to purchase the house for unrelated reasons. But they had a friend they thought might be interested, so they sold them their home inspection at a discounted price.

“Come to find out, the inspector missed something,” Orr says, but “they’re not obligated to you or to the other person who didn’t buy the house.”

In this instance, there was no way to hold the home inspector accountable because the person who bought the house used a resold inspection report.

That’s the key thing to remember: someone else’s inspection, whether it’s the seller’s or even your friend’s, was done for their benefit, not yours, and it may not fully protect your interests. Getting your own inspection gives you an independent, unbiased look at the home’s condition so you know exactly what you’re buying and can make decisions with confidence.

How do you find and vet an inspector?

A good place to start is asking your agent for recommendations. When Orr’s clients ask, he usually shares a list of inspectors he’s worked with before along with their contact details. One of the perks of working with an experienced agent is having access to their trusted network.

To vet an inspector, it helps to understand who can become one and how they get licensed or certified, but you should also check a few other things. Look at online reviews and past client feedback to see what other buyers are saying. And don’t be afraid to ask questions upfront, like what’s included in their inspection and how long the report usually takes to come back.

Who can become a home inspector?

When choosing an inspector, start by checking their certifications. The main organizations that certify inspectors are the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), and the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI).

They all offer training, require ongoing education, and help inspectors stay up to date with state rules and standards.

If you’re in a state where home inspectors don’t need a license, then certifications matter even more. If your state licenses them, make sure they actually have a valid license. Check through your state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies. It’s also worth doing a quick online check for any complaints on the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Angi, or similar review sites.

Many home inspectors make copies of sample reports available on their websites, so you can see what you’re getting for your money. Or, you can request sample reports from one to two home inspectors that you’re comparing to see if you’ll receive the same level of detail.

Given the size of your investment, spending a little time to vet your home inspector can pay off in the long run.

Can you attend a home inspection?

Yes, in most cases, you can attend a home inspection, and many buyers choose to. It gives you a chance to see the home up close and ask the inspector questions in real time. You’ll also get a better feel for any issues they point out and how serious they might be.

Most first-time homebuyers often like to accompany the inspector during the inspection, as they can learn a lot about home systems and maintenance. Sometimes, you’ll arrive at the end of the inspector’s time in the house, and they’ll have time to point out anything important that they’ve found.

That said, some buyers prefer not to attend and just wait for the full report instead. Either way works, but being there can make the findings feel a lot clearer.

If you or your agent had any particular concerns when you first saw the house, be sure to mention them to the inspector. That way, they can spend extra time looking at those areas of the house and either alleviate your concerns or tell you how seriously you should take the problem.

What if your home inspector misses something?

Unfortunately, you won’t have a lot of recourse if the inspector misses something.

Orr had a situation where the seller concealed that they had built the house over a septic tank. They packed the septic tank with mothballs to disguise the smell and absorb the methane gas, and the home inspector missed it.

When the buyers discovered the septic tank under their living room floor, they filed a lawsuit. The judge ultimately ruled that the previous sellers had to purchase an adjoining lot and put in a new, complete system for the home’s buyers. But it obviously took time and money for the buyer to get a resolution, and in this case, the inspector was not at fault for failing to find the septic tank that the seller took such pains to conceal.

Some home inspectors offer a warranty, which, depending on its provisions, might provide insurance to cover repairs or legal costs if they didn’t find an existing problem. While their inspection report could cost more than an inspector who doesn’t offer a warranty, if you’re a nervous buyer, it would give you some added peace of mind.

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Not sure which inspection issues are serious and which are minor? A trusted real estate agent can help you interpret the report and advocate for your best interests during negotiations.

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Worth the peace of mind

In the grand scheme of things, a home inspection doesn’t cost that much. It gives you a ton of useful information and can save you from making an expensive mistake. Most experienced agents will strongly recommend getting one done.

At the end of the day, it just helps you feel more confident about what you’re buying. And you’ll sleep better knowing you saw the full picture before you ever stepped into your new home as the owner.

If you’re starting your home search, partner with a trusted agent through HomeLight who can guide you through the inspection process and help you make smart, confident decisions from offer to closing.

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