Home Inspection: DIY or Leave It for the Pros

You found the perfect new place and want to sign on all those dotted lines, but are you sure that there aren’t any hidden issues? Is the structure sound? What about the plumbing, wiring and the exterior?

The best way to discover any problems is to hire an expert to conduct a home inspectionbefore you sign any contracts, but some aspects of the inspection you may be able to do yourself.

You may not know city building codes—for that, you’ll need a professional. But with some homework you may be able to inspect some areas yourself, saving a home inspector time and yourself some money.

Internal Home Inspection

Structural: A home inspector will be able to tell you whether the property was built on a slab or raised foundation. You may need to consult a foundation engineer to ensure the foundation remained stable.

Electrical: You don’t need an expert to spend time (and your money) flipping switches to make sure electrical fixtures work, or checking to ensure outlets have undamaged covers. You should bring in an expert when it comes to reviewing the wiring, grounding, circuit breakers, exhaust and ceiling fans and receptacles.

Roof and attic: You should be able to check whether the roof is draining correctly, in addition to checking the attic air vents. You may need a professional to determine the condition of the shingles or roofing material.

Pests: Signs of pests can be difficult to spot, especially if they are in the walls. You will probably want an expert to give a once-over here.

Paint: Lead-based paint has been banned since 1978, but not all homes measure up, especially older ones. You may need to hire an expert here, especially if you have young children.

Plumbing: You can check whether all the showers, sinks, toilets and faucets are in working order, though you might want a plumber to advise you about the condition of the pipes.

Doors and windows: You can check whether the locks on the external doors work and if all doors are aligned properly. You should also be able to tell whether windows open and close properly and if they have screens and bars where necessary.

Other components: You can test the heating system, air conditioning and sprinklers to see if they work. You will likely need the assessment of an expert to see if there are any cracks or other issues with duct work, a chimney, furnace or fireplace.

External Home Inspections

Gutters: You can see if the gutters are damaged and whether they drain properly.

Vegetation: You can determine quickly if the sprinklers work and the grass seems healthy, but you might consider hiring an arborist to check tree health on a wooded property.

Drainage: You can check whether water flows into the house from the yard and if the plants are at least 18 inches from the outside walls (to avoid trapped moisture).

Gas and asbestos: An expert should look for dangerous gases, such as radon, methane or formaldehyde, and whether the building material contains asbestos.

This article is updated from an earlier version written by Ben Apple.