The Trace Home Inspection
The home buying process can be confusing and stressful. Not only do you need to consider things such as price and location, you also have to worry about whether the house has issues that could become costly surprises down the road.
As professional home inspectors, it's our job to look into those problems for you. The Home Inspection is an unbiased, professional assessment of the house's condition. It provides an expert opinion and a professional report on the condition of the physical structure and various systems within a home.
Our goal is to give you increased peace of mind on the largest purchase you'll ever make.
With every home inspection, we include a limited infrared scan using advanced Infrared scanning technology. This helps us locate possible areas of concern that are normally not visible with the naked eye. Many times, we discover hidden moisture, electrical, and plumbing problems that owners and occupants never knew about.
Full in-depth scans are available for an additional fee.
It is amazing what an IR camera shows. We can now see where insulation is needed or even where the builder failed to have it installed, improperly installed, or damaged or compressed from water leaks. The above image is a great example of missing insulation on a single-story home located with a full home scan! The deep blue area on the ceiling is missing insulation; this area was not accessible from the attic area.
In order to prepare the report, an inspector must conduct a visual inspection of the house. The home inspection typically takes about 3 hours to complete on a typical home. This, of course, may vary according to the size and condition of the home. We strongly encourage you to attend, and we have found that most of our clients prefer to come towards the end of the inspection. This will give you a chance to ask questions and become familiar with the systems of the home, in addition to letting you see the home without anyone pressuring you to hurry or to make a quick decision.
We will inspect all of the readily visible structural elements and major systems of the home. Items that will typically be included in an inspection are:
- Framing (structure)
- Exterior cladding/siding (Stucco, EIFS, AMSV, Log have an additional fee)
- Roof and attic
- Foundation
- Grading of soil
- Doors & windows
- Garage & garage doors
- Electrical system
- Plumbing system
- Heating and air conditioning systems
- Fireplace/Chimney
- Insulation
- Ventilation
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Appliances (Built-in appliances only. Washers and dryers are not inspected)
- Swimming pools (We work closely with one of the best pool inspection companies in the area. Pool inspection requires an additional fee)
Additional items and systems unique to a particular home can also be inspected; you just need to let us know in advance so the proper arrangements can be made if the item or system is outside our scope of knowledge and expertise. Additional fees will be required when other professionals are needed.
When the inspection is complete, we'll tell you of any problems that were discovered and discuss them with you. We'll tell you whether these are major issues or minor concerns. We'll point out any safety concerns we notice. We'll tell you how old things are where that's relevant, like your water heater and HVAC system. We'll identify anything that's near the end of its typical lifespan. We will also tell you about any routine maintenance that should be performed, as well as answer any questions you may have. You'll also receive a full written inspection report emailed the day of the inspection or within 24-hours after our site visit.
We aim to discover and inform you of anything we find that might affect your purchase decision. We will tell you about any problems we see and make repair recommendations. We will also inform you of what maintenance tasks are required to keep the home and its systems in top condition. Even though we are not doing Code Inspections, we are familiar with the various building codes used in cities like Brentwood, Columbia, Franklin, Hendersonville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Spring Hill, and most of Middle Tennessee.
But I’m Buying a Starter House. I Can’t Afford to Hire the Best Nashville, Tennessee Home Inspector.
Hogwash! If money is tight, how will you pay for the repairs that the low-cost-real-estate-agent-dependent inspector fails to report? Here’s another secret: Your real estate contract usually obligates the seller to make repairs. The more problems your home inspector finds, the more money you’ll save. And if the house is a disaster, you might save yourself from financial ruin. It is less costly to hire us now than when your attorney tells you to hire us as an expert witness to help with your lawsuit.
Hiring the best home inspector doesn’t cost, it saves you money and brings you peace of mind. You’ll sleep better knowing you are buying a safe and sound home. And it’s not that expensive. Our price is based on the size, location, age of the house, and other factors. All homes are different, so should the pricing for an inspection.
Yes, we also specialize in deck inspections! Did you know that about 75% of residential decks are not built or installed correctly? Many are just waiting to collapse, as we have seen too often on the nightly news.
