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, but you also have to worry about whether the house itself has any hidden problems that could become costly surprises down the road.
As professional Home Inspectors, it is our job to look for those problems for you. The Home Inspection is an unbiased, professional assessment of the condition of the house. It provides an expert opinion and a professional report on the condition of the physical structure and various systems within a home.
Giving you an increased peace of mind about the largest purchase you'll ever make is our goal.
With every home inspection, we include a limited infrared scan of the home using advanced Infrared scanning technology. This helps us to locate possible areas of concern that are typically not visible to the naked eye. We often discover hidden moisture, electrical and plumbing problems that owners and occupants never knew about. Full in-depth home 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, it was installed improperly or may have been 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 areas was not accessible from the attic area!
To prepare the report, our inspector must visually inspect 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 would like to 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 home's systems, in addition to letting you see the home without anyone pressuring you to hurry or 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)
- Swimming pools; (We work closely with one of the best pool inspection companies in the area. Pool inspection require 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 arraignments 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 let you know of any problems we found and talk about them with you. We'll let you know whether these are significant issues or minor concerns. We'll point out any safety concerns we notice. When possible, 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 and answer any questions you may have. You'll receive an easy-to-read, written report with a summary and photos of the issues that will be available for downloading and viewing in a PDF format or HTML online within 24 hours of the inspection. Over the years, we have discovered that our clients are served better when we can review the data and research back at our office if needed. We then compile the data into a comprehensive and detailed report. We will not issue an onsite report; we feel that that type of reporting only benefits the inspection firm and not the client.
We want you to know that our goal is to discover and inform you of anything we find that might impact your purchase decision. We'll let you know about any problems we encounter and make repair recommendations. Your inspector will also let you know 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 a low-cost real estate agent-dependent inspector fails to report? Here’s another secret: Your real estate contract can often obligate the seller to make repairs if they want to sell their home. The more problems your home inspector finds, the more money you’ll save. And if the house is a disaster, you might save 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.