The home inspection: what to expect, what to test, what to walk away from

The inspection is the only point in the process where you get to look at a house with a professional whose job is to find problems, before you own them. In a competitive market buyers are pressured to waive it. Do not. Shorten the contingency window if you must, but see the report.

What the general inspection covers

• Roof (age, wear, flashing), gutters and drainage, siding, windows, grading around the foundation.
• Basement and foundation: moisture, cracks, efflorescence, evidence of past water. In this area, assume every basement has had water at some point; the question is how it was handled.
• Heating system age and condition, water heater, visible plumbing, electrical panel and any knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring.
• Attic insulation and ventilation, evidence of pests or past leaks.
• Appliances, interior surfaces, doors, stairs and railings.

Add-on tests worth the money here

• Radon (air): $150–250 through the inspector, or a $25 charcoal kit if you have a week. Massachusetts has plenty of homes above the 4 pCi/L action level; mitigation is $1,200–2,500 and is a normal seller negotiation.
• Water quality if the house is on a well: bacteria, nitrates, arsenic. Required by many lenders; $150–400.
• Septic: Title 5 inspection is the seller's responsibility in Massachusetts and must be within two years — ask for the report, do not just take 'it passed'.
• Sewer scope for houses older than 1970 with big trees: $250–400, and it can find the $8,000 problem that nothing else does.
• Wood-destroying insect report if the house has any wood-to-soil contact.

How to read the report

Every report is long and every house has a list. Sort it into three buckets: safety and structure (foundation movement, active leaks, wiring, a failing roof), big-ticket systems near end of life (furnace over 20 years, water heater over 12), and everything else. Negotiate the first bucket, budget for the second, and ignore the third — the seller is not fixing a loose doorknob.

If bucket one is empty and bucket two is short, buy the house. If bucket one has a foundation or a roof in it and the seller will not move, that is what the contingency is for.