A home inspection is a comprehensive visual examination of the home's structure and working systems. It should cover the exterior building envelope, all accessible structural components from the foundations to rooftop and includes basic testing of the bathrooms, plumbing, heating, electrical and ventilation systems. A home inspection will reduce the risk of having to deal with unexpected defects in a house. You will gain knowledge and familiarity with the house and determine whether or not it meets your expectations.

A home inspection should cover the following:

• Foundations, crawl space
• Structure
• Garage or Carport
• Exterior walls and windows
• Doors, porches and decks
• Roofing, gutters and skylights
• Chimneys and masonry
• Attic, ventilation and insulation
• Interiors
• Kitchen and bathrooms
• Plumbing and domestic hot water systems
• Heating systems
• Electrical system
• Abondonned fuel oil tanks

You and the seller should be present, at least for part of the home inspection review any observations, and to answer any resulting questions or concerns.