A home inspection in New Jersey is a visual noninvasive inspection of the accessible components and systems of the subject home. A home inspection is a visual so a home inspector will not open walls, remove carpeting, ceilings, or dismantle systems. A home inspector will be able to report on what he or she sees visually. Home inspections, although visual, should be very comprehensive and cover all areas and systems of the home.
A home inspector should inspect the entire exterior of the property, and this should include the grading, exterior foundation walls, exterior siding, structure, trim, exterior windows, roof, gutters, flashings, chimney, walkway, decks, retaining walls, patios, attached structures, and driveways. To a certain extent the home inspector should also comment on trees and vegetation if they are growing too close to or negatively affecting the home.
The home inspector should then do a complete inspection of the basement or crawl space. It is typically the area under the home that the majority of the home’s problems will be found. So, a complete and thorough inspection of the area under the house is extremely important. A comprehensive home inspection of the basement will include inspection for water infiltration, seepage, inspection of the interior structure if visible such as ceiling joists, sill plates, box plates, sill plate attachment, interior foundation walls, flooring, ceilings and lighting, electrical receptacles, boiler or furnace, water heater, visible plumbing such as water supply and waste piping and support, sump pumps and slop sinks. An experienced home inspector will take their time with the basement portion of the inspection. It is not uncommon for the basement portion of the inspection depending on the size of the home to take anywhere from one hour to two hours. It can take much longer depending on the size of the home that is being inspected.
The heating and air conditioning system as well as the water heater should also be tested and inspected. An important aspect of a home inspection is also for the home inspector to identify old equipment and to alert their client to any of the equipment or systems that are near or past their life expectancy. Of course, if it is winter and the exterior temperatures are too low then the central air conditioning cannot be tested. This is understood because of the cold winters in New Jersey.
You should expect the comprehensive home inspection to include inspection of the main electrical service panel, all subpanels, GFCI protection, electrical receptacles, arc fault circuit interrupters, and branch circuit wiring. In New Jersey home inspectors are required to remove the covers and inspect the interior of all electric panel boxes including main panels and subpanels. Home inspectors do not open other electrical boxes or remove receptacle covers.
The next area to be inspected is the garage. If it is an attached garage the garage is typically the next to be inspected after the lower level, basement, or crawl space. If the garage is detached the home inspector is likely to include the garage in the exterior inspection portion of the home inspection. Some of the components that a home inspector will look at in a garage are the exterior structure, siding, windows, operation of the garage door and all associated safety features, interior walls and structure if visible including sill plate and studs. The home inspector will also operate the automatic garage door opener and inspect the garage door itself for damage and safety issues. A NJ home inspector will also determine if the garage is attached if the walls are properly fire rated at its attachment to the home including a fire rated door. If there is living space above the garage the inspector will determine if the garage ceilings are adequate without damage or holes. Much of the garage inspection is done to determine if any safety issues exist especially if the garage is attached to the home.
Next it is likely that the home inspector will move to the kitchen. Some home inspectors will not test appliances however I strongly recommend that you find a home inspector that is willing to test the appliances. All appliances in the kitchen should be tested to make sure they are operational. These can include the range, oven, garbage disposal, microwave, water filters, and refrigerator. Also, the inspector will determine if the plumbing under the kitchen sink is correct and if there is adequate hot and cold-water flow as well as functional drainage. All electrical receptacles in the kitchen will be inspected and tested for GFCI protection. All interior walls, ceilings, `cabinetry and flooring will also be thoroughly inspected and reported on if there are any defects.
After the kitchen is inspected it is likely that the inspector will move on to the laundry room if the home has one. Here again you want a home inspector who is willing to test the washer and dryer to make sure they are in operational condition. After testing the washer and dryer the plumbing connections to the washer will be inspected as well as any sinks present in the laundry room. The washer discharge and waste piping will also be inspected as well as the condition of the washer supply line. Dryer ventilation will also be confirmed because clothes dryers need to vent to the exterior of the home. This is often a defect that is present and should be reported if the dryer does not vent to the exterior as required. The inspector may also recommend the installation of a one touch laundry type valve coupled with a washer drip tray which will make for a nice upgrade to help prevent leakage and damage.
The home inspector will also inspect the fireplace. Home inspectors in New Jersey do not perform a focused inspection of the fireplace, which is a level II chimney inspection which is recommended to be performed on a real estate transaction. However, home inspectors can inspect the fireplace and determine if any visual problems exist. The exterior of the fireplace including the mantle, fireplace hearth, damper, and fireplace floor and firebrick will also be inspected and reported on. Home inspectors will be somewhat limited in their ability to report on fireplace and chimney defects that is why a level II focused chimney inspection is recommended in New Jersey.
All interior rooms will also be inspected. These include the dining room, living room, den, office, great room, bedrooms. Home inspectors will inspect all interior walls, flooring, ceiling, lighting, and electrical receptacles. Although it is only required that a home inspector operate two windows per room I highly recommend that you hire a home inspector who opens all of the windows and reports on any defects. Opening just two windows in each room is inadequate and problems can occur to the other windows that are not opened or tested.
The bathroom should be thoroughly inspected. Some of the components that home inspectors will inspect in bathrooms are the sink, tub, shower, flooring, windows, electrical receptacles, lighting and where the bathroom exhaust fans discharge. Often bathroom exhaust vent into interior spaces which is improper and should be reported on by the home inspector.
The last area of the home that is generally inspected is the attic space. Although some home inspectors will start their inspection in the attic space. I personally start my inspection in the basement and work my way up through the home using a system going from the lowest portions of the home to upper. In the attic space it is likely that much of the structure is visible. The attic is probably the second most important area of the home to get thoroughly inspected other than the basement or crawlspace. In the attic home inspectors are looking for properly framed structure including floor joists, rafters, roof sheathing. In the attic particular attention should be paid to any water staining or evidence of leakage especially if the roof system is older. A good home inspector will use moisture meters to determine if any of the roof staining has active moisture content. The use of a moisture meter is not a catchall by any means it is just a tool, and it is not a guarantee that leakage does not exist if moisture testing comes back negative for moisture content in an attic stain. It could just mean that it has not rained or has not rained in a way to make the roof leak. But that does not mean that a leak does not exist. Insulation is also evaluated as well as determining if there are any pests or vermin activity visible in the attic space. There may be whole house fans or attic ventilation fans that must be inspected, as well as the overall ventilation characteristics in the attic space. The home inspector is also looking for mold and moisture damage inside the attic space. The attic space often contains mold caused by household moisture or improper ventilation.
Comprehensive home inspectors will also use thermal imaging in their home inspection process. The use of high-resolution thermal imaging can at times allow the home inspector to determine if water leaks or problems exist in the home that may not be readily apparent on the visual inspection. Use of the thermal imaging camera can also bring to light problems with air loss and areas of missing insulation in the home.
Getting a comprehensive home inspection when you are buying a home in New Jersey is paramount to understanding the home that you are thinking about buying as well as helping you to make the best-informed decision about purchasing. You are making a huge investment in a home, and it is crucial to hire a qualified home inspector who will perform a comprehensive home inspection.