Frequently Asked Questions

Learn what you can expect before, during, and after your home inspection with us.

About the Inspection

  • A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive examination of the overall condition of a house. Click here to learn more.

  • Unless you’re an A-list celebrity or just won the lottery, a home is most likely the largest purchase you will make in your lifetime. Better yet, think of a home as an investment that needs to last a lifetime. When spending thousands of your hard earned money, you want to be confident in your decision to purchase by avoiding a potentially very costly mistake. Be informed to either seal the deal or run for the hills with a thorough and detailed inspection. A great home inspector will help you understand the condition of the property so you can make an empowered investment decision. Read more here.

  • We perform inspections in and around Des Moines, Iowa. We are willing to travel, so give us a call and ask about our service area before scheduling.

  • A home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of the accessible areas of a home and are based on the observations made on the day of the inspection only. A home inspection is NOT a prediction of future conditions. With this in mind, you can expect a thorough inspection followed by a detailed report delivered to your email inbox next business day by noon.

  • We recommend every client hire us for our full home inspection service paired with add on services, such as sewer scope and radon testing. For more information, click here to visit our Services and Pricing page.

  • House inspection costs vary. Click here to visit our pricing page.

  • Great question! One of our exceptionally trained and knowledgeable home inspectors will take excellent care of you on inspection day! All of our inspectors are InterNACHI certified, which means they are among the most elite group of professionals within the industry.

Inspection Day

  • We get this question a lot, so it’s wise you asked! We pride ourselves on performing a thorough inspection by taking our time. A great inspection is all in the details! Please plan for the inspector being on the premises for roughly one hour for every 1,000 square feet. Of course, this is dependent upon the age and condition of the home, as well as any additional services being performed.

  • Of course! The only circumstances we would be unable to go into a crawlspace or basement is if it’s inaccessible, poor whether conditions, and/or a safety issue.

  • Absolutely, we love roofs! We inspect the roof every time, as long as it is accessible and safe to do so. If permitted, the inspector is equipped with a FAA certification and drone to take high resolution photos of areas we cannot physically inspect.

  • It depends. If you are working with a real estate pro, ask if they plan to be present for the inspection. We encourage the homebuyer and homebuyer’s REALTOR® to attend towards the end of the inspection. This allows ample time for the inspector to put together a summary of defects to present to both the homebuyer and realtor on site once the inspection is complete.

  • It is common practice for a seller to not be present during an inspection. However, the seller does own the home and we technically cannot force them to leave. In a best case scenario, a seller will follow common practice, but it’s wise to prepare for them to be present.

The Inspection Report

  • We offer highly intuitive, digital home inspection reports, which are full of detail about the home’s defects, safety concerns, recommendations, and maintenance items. In addition, we include high resolution photos and videos, as well as helpful homeowner information you may need after the home inspection and sale.

    View our sample home inspection report here.

  • Excellent question! We understand tight deadlines for many real estate transactions, so we do our best to accommodate. As long as you’ve made payment, we deliver the report next business day by noon to your email inbox.

  • As home inspectors, we are highly competent and capable in what we do. However, within every industry there are limitations. A home is comprised of many complex systems and that sometimes requires other professionals within a certain expertise to evaluate further. Whenever we refer you to another professional, you can be confident that they are on our list of vetted and trusted vendor partners.

  • Fantastic question! Think of your home inspection report as a homeowner’s guide or maintenance manual. It’s a good starting point, but it is in no way technically exhaustive and does not contain everything you need to know about your home.

    A home inspection is a non-invasive, visual inspection of a home’s systems and properties. Due to the nature of an inspection being limited to what is visual and accessible, there may be instances when a part of the home is not visual or accessible. This is called a “limitation” to the inspection.

    Limitations to an inspection can include homeowner’s belongings, pets, weather, utilities, and safety issues, to name a few.

  • A house inspection report is meant to capture a home’s overall condition for a moment in time. Once the home inspector leaves the property, the report is technically outdated.

    As a homebuyer, it’s good reason to refrain from using an old report from a current homeowner. There are many things that can happen overtime to a home that may not work out in the homebuyer’s favor.

    Read more about why you need a home inspection with a fresh report!

Sewer Scope Inspection

  • A sewer scope is a tool. Sewer scope is also commonly known as the process of a camera-led inspection. See the question below for more details.

  • A sewer scope inspection is a camera-led visual inspection of the lateral sewer line. The scope tool enters at the house line and navigates via a long cable to the end of the lateral sewer line connecting to either the city main or septic system. A sewer scope inspection does NOT include scoping the entirety of the home’s plumbing system.

    We’ve written a blog post on this topic. Click here to read more!

  • The lateral sewer line is the pipe that carries wastewater from the home to the main sewer line or septic system. The lateral line will end where the city main or septic system starts. The homeowner is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the lateral sewer line. Don’t skip the scope!

  • The main sewer line is the pipe that carries wastewater from the lateral sewer line to the city. The city is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the main sewer line.

  • Yes, we do! We offer a sewer lateral inspection as long as there is a safe and accessible entry point within the home. We never inspect or enter the main sewer line.

  • When we perform a sewer scope inspection, you receive the following as a homebuyer:

    1. Clear, high-quality video recording of the entire scope.
    2. Well-organized, concise written report of the findings.
    3. Professional referrals to our trusted plumbing partners.

  • We do not offer septic tank inspections at this time. Septic tank inspections are a special skill and outside of our wheelhouse. Let us know if you need one and we can set you up with some amazing referrals through our trusted vendor partners.

  • Visit our pricing page here.

Radon Testing

  • Radon, like carbon monoxide, is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It cannot be detected through human senses, so it must be detected through a special test. Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up.”

  • Radon tests are not mandated in the state of Iowa for most real estate transactions. However, we highly recommend testing with every home purchase to protect against the radioactive gas that has been proven to cause lung cancer. We also recommend testing even if there is a mitigation system already installed. Testing will ensure the mitigation system is working well and doing its job.

    We’ve put together a blog post about what radon gas is and why you need a radon test before purchasing a home in Iowa. Read more here.

  • The question at hand is, “Is radon testing necessary with a home inspection?” The short answer is yes, absolutely!

    Home inspections are visual inspections, which means that there are things concerning a home that are not covered in the inspection. A prime example of this is radon testing. Radon testing isn’t typically something a home inspector will do within a general home inspection, so you will need to request it as an add on service or find a radon company who specializes in radon testing and mitigation.

    In order to fully understand why you need a radon test with a home inspection, you first need to grasp what radon is, why it’s important to test for radon, when to test, and who can test for radon.

    We’ve put together a blog post to answer these questions and do our part to help protect your family. Read the article here.

  • We partner with an outstanding third-party radon testing service who is certified and well-qualified to perform your radon test. You receive our unique company discount when scheduling your radon test through us and you eliminate the hassle of scheduling elsewhere. Your home inspection plus add-on services can all be scheduled under our one convenient roof! Pretty nifty, huh?

  • Visit our pricing page.

Policies

  • We require payment due before or at the time of service. After scheduling, you will receive an email containing a link to your unique inspection portal where you will sign all pre-inspection agreements and select your payment option. Thank you for your partnership in ensuring our team is promptly paid for their hard work! Making prompt payment will prevent delays in receiving your inspection report.

  • We are sorry, but we do not offer the option to defer payment to closing. We appreciate your understanding!

  • Yes, you can! We are flexible with cancellations and rescheduling if you let us know as soon as possible. We understand life happens. We also have a responsibility to our team to ensure that their hard work and time is compensated, so here’s the compromise. If an inspection is canceled or rescheduled for any reason within 24 hours of the inspection start time, we add $150 to the client invoice. Thank you for understanding!

  • We travel up to 60-miles round trip, free of charge! Any distance after 60-miles round trip is invoiced at $1.50 per mile. We calculate mileage from our business office to the inspection address.

  • Excellent question! We understand tight deadlines for many real estate transactions, so we do our best to accommodate. As long as you’ve made payment, we deliver the report next business day by noon to your email inbox.