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A home inspection checklist for buyers

Take this checklist to a viewing or use it to prepare questions for your inspector. Mark items as recorded, add notes by area and download your record. A completed checklist means you recorded the items; it does not certify the home’s condition.

Published by Castilho EnterprisesUpdated

Your inspection preparation checklist

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0 / 24 items recorded

Progress tracks your notes, not the condition of the house.

Before you go
Exterior and drainage
Roof and attic questions
Foundation, basement and crawl-space questions
Electrical and heating / cooling
Plumbing, kitchen and bathrooms
Living rooms, bedrooms and openings
Report and follow-up

What should you do before the inspection?

Confirm the inspection agreement and which buildings, systems and additional services are covered. Collect seller disclosures, available maintenance records and your own viewing notes in one place. Flag the areas you want the inspector to explain.

What should you do after the report arrives?

  • Read the detailed findings and access limitations as well as the summary.
  • Match report findings to your viewing notes. Ask about anything important that remains unanswered.
  • For each unresolved concern, record the responsible professional and the date by which you need their answer.
  • Use the repair-budget worksheet after obtaining scoped estimates; a checklist cannot establish repair prices.

What do home inspectors look for?

A general inspection is a visual, limited review governed by the inspector's agreement, applicable standards, and local rules. Scope should be confirmed before the appointment.

Systems a general inspection typically covers

  • Site drainage, exterior surfaces, roof coverings, flashing, and visible structural components.
  • Electrical service and distribution, representative fixtures and receptacles, and visible safety concerns.
  • Plumbing supply, drainage, fixtures, water heating, and visible leakage.
  • Heating, cooling, ventilation, insulation, interiors, and accessible attic or crawl-space areas.
  • Installed components that are included in the agreement and safely operable at the time.

Questions about scope

  • Which standard of practice and local licensing rules apply?
  • Will the roof, attic, crawl space, panel, and heating or cooling equipment be accessed?
  • Are sewer scope, radon, termites, mold, asbestos, lead, chimney, pool, septic, and well services separate?
  • How are unsafe or inaccessible components reported?
  • Can you attend and ask questions after the inspector completes each area?

Older home inspection checklist

Older homes can combine original construction, repairs, additions, and multiple generations of systems. Age alone does not establish condition, but it changes the questions worth asking.

What to check

  • Identify additions, converted spaces, structural changes, and visible differences in materials or workmanship.
  • Document service panels, wiring types, plumbing materials, heating systems, chimneys, and fuel storage.
  • Ask whether the home has knob-and-tube wiring, common before the 1940s, or a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel, which inspectors and insurers often flag for evaluation.
  • Ask about supply pipe materials: polybutylene (gray plastic installed roughly 1978–1995) and galvanized steel are common concerns in older homes.
  • For a home built before 1978, ask for the federally required lead-based paint disclosure; buyers normally get 10 days to arrange a lead inspection unless both parties agree in writing to change that.
  • Look for drainage, foundation movement, moisture, wood deterioration, and ventilation patterns.
  • Ask about roof layers, windows, insulation, sewer or septic, and prior water events.
  • Treat suspect lead or asbestos-containing materials as undetermined until evaluated safely.

Questions to ask

  • Which systems are original, replaced, abandoned, or near an expected maintenance decision?
  • Are permits and professional records available for alterations?
  • Should an engineer, electrician, plumber, chimney professional, sewer contractor, or environmental professional be involved?
  • Which materials must not be disturbed before testing?
  • What insurance or financing questions should be resolved early?

Condo and townhouse inspection checklist

A unit inspection covers accessible components within the agreed scope. Building envelope, structure, shared systems, and association obligations may require separate documents or specialist review.

What to check

  • Inspect visible unit interiors, plumbing fixtures, electrical components, HVAC equipment, windows, doors, balconies, and installed appliances within scope.
  • Note signs that may originate from common roofs, walls, piping, drainage, or adjacent units.
  • Review association budgets, reserves, minutes, insurance, assessments, litigation, maintenance plans, and engineering reports with qualified advisers.
  • Clarify responsibility for windows, balconies, pipes, HVAC, water damage, and finishes.
  • Check storage, parking, shared amenities, access, noise, ventilation, and life-safety information.

Questions to ask

  • Which common elements can the inspector access?
  • Who is responsible for the observed component under the governing documents?
  • Are major projects, assessments, claims, or deferred maintenance disclosed?
  • How are water intrusion and shared-system repairs handled?
  • Which documents need legal, financial, insurance, or engineering review?

New construction home inspection

New does not mean fully verified. Construction sequencing, municipal inspections, builder quality control, and an independent home inspection serve different purposes.

What to check

  • Review contract access, builder milestones, plans, options, warranties, and change orders.
  • Ask about foundation or pre-drywall inspection opportunities before assemblies are concealed.
  • At completion, review drainage, exterior, roof, interiors, systems, finishes, and installed equipment.
  • Document incomplete work, damage, substitutions, and items requiring operation or testing.
  • Plan a warranty-period review before applicable coverage or notice windows expire.

Questions to ask

  • Which independent inspections are allowed and when?
  • Will utilities and systems be operational?
  • How are punch-list items documented, scheduled, and verified?
  • Which permits, approvals, manuals, warranties, and test reports will be delivered?
  • Does the inspector have relevant new-construction experience?

Specialty inspections: sewer scope, radon, termites and more

A general inspection agreement often excludes tests or specialized systems. Property age, location, construction, disclosures, and visible clues help determine which separate services to discuss.

When to consider each service

  • Consider a sewer scope for relevant age, materials, trees, history, symptoms, or local practice.
  • Use an appropriate radon test rather than photographs or odor; EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or higher.
  • Arrange licensed pest or wood-destroying-organism evaluation where relevant.
  • Use accredited professionals for suspect asbestos or certified lead professionals for lead hazards.
  • Consider chimney, septic, well, pool, structural, geotechnical, environmental, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, or roofing specialists when scope requires.

Questions to ask

  • Which services are excluded from the general inspection?
  • What property or regional factors make each test relevant?
  • Who holds the required local license, certification, or accreditation?
  • Will results arrive before contract deadlines?
  • What follow-up is recommended for an inconclusive result?

Sources and further reading

Authorship and review

Published by Castilho Enterprises. Educational content; no independent professional review is claimed.

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