Kansas City Home Inspection Process – The MaxInspect™ System
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Are you curious …
- WHAT makes Kansas City home inspectors different?
- WHY are home inspection prices different?
- WHAT makes us think you should choose us?
The MOST Complete Kansas City Home Inspection Process
What does this mean?
Our Kansas City home inspection process is designed for the way a home SHOULD be inspected.
You see, I knew almost nothing about homes when I first got started back in 2003.
As I gained experience, I realized the normal everyday home inspection process that’s meant to protect home inspectors is also the root of most of the disappointment homebuyers feel after a home inspection.
But a home inspection process is necessary because homes are dangerous.
There is real risk in walking on a roof, getting into an attic, or opening a main electrical panel.
Plus, different home inspectors have different skills and abilities and check a broad range of homes made of different materials in various climates and conditions all over the world.
And while the average Kansas City home inspection process keeps your home inspector safe, it also delivers inferior results.
That’s pretty unacceptable for someone who only has one job:
To find and share the issues in a way you’ll understand.
And if they’re handicapped by a play-it-safe Kansas City home inspection process, it’s only a matter of time before you get disappointed – or even worse, burned.
This is why some home buyers, real estate investors, and real estate agents even skip the home inspection or walk away feeling confused.
It’s also why you should NOT hire a new, inexperienced (less than 5 years of full-time experience), or low-priced home inspector because their by-the-book Kansas City home inspection process has taught them to:
- NOT move furniture
- NOT move personal items
- NOT move storage items
- IN FACT, try not to touch anything they didn’t bring with them
Plus…
- Most DON’T walk on the roof
- Or REMOVE the electrical panel cover 🙈
- They only check HALF the windows
- And only check HALF the outlets
- They’re scared to use the word ”mold’
- They also WON’T tell you what caused the problems they find
Unfortunately, this is what you can expect from most home inspection companies.
To them, they’re just following the rules and doing nothing wrong. You’ll get charged top dollar for a vague Kansas City home inspection process that’s got a good chance of leaving you confused and frustrated. 😲
And now’s the time I tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. 😉
Because after the market crash of 2008, I scrapped these sub-par guidelines and started inspecting homes my way.
I call these series of techniques…
The MaxInspect™ Kansas City Home Inspection Process
What’s The Difference?
A good Kansas City home inspection process takes more than just a flashlight and a ladder.
And it takes more than knowing construction terms (like tieback), flipping switches, and peeking inside the attic to find a quality home inspection company that WON’T make you want to pull your hair out after you move in.
It takes a Kansas City home inspection process that anticipates the issues and knows which questions to ask – no matter the age, type, size, or location of the home.
And when no two homes are the same, you can’t call just anyone because it takes experience to do it right the first time.
For example, a new home is vastly different than a 50-year-old home.
And a 50-year-old home is vastly different than a historic home.
Electric appliances weren’t common in historic homes, so the size of the electrical service was much smaller than today.
They were also built differently, used different materials, and accommodated different lifestyles than homes in other eras.
Back then, sewer lines were made from clay and cast iron that cracked, broke, and got clogged, which also makes plumbing issues a very real concern.
And since efficiency, consistency, and safety weren’t front and center, insurance companies (and certain loan programs) also sometimes need proof that these areas – and others – are up to snuff before you get insured.
I’m sure you get the picture.
Now, plop this historic home in a rural area where updates are slow, repairs are sloppy, and building codes might not even exist, and suddenly you feel like you’re really back in the wild west.
And this is just ONE house.
Switch it up from a basement to a crawlspace, throw in termites, add sewer line problems, mix in a little Radon gas, and hopefully you see why we created The MaxInspect™ Kansas City home inspection process.
Here’s what goes into the most deliberate, detailed, and exhaustive Kansas City home inspection process designed to uncover maximum defects for maximum return on your investment while giving you minimum risk, loss, and confusion:
100% Inspection
This uncovers 85%-90% of the visible and readily available defects in and around a home.
While there are roughly 400 items the average home inspector must check, our 100% Kansas City home inspection process checks an average of 2000 items in and around the home (depending on the home).
Our MaxInspect™ Kansas City Home Inspection Process inspects:
- Landscaping (drainage, driveway, porch, deck, and patios)
- Roof (soffits, fascias, rake boards, ventilation, shingles (including number of layers), flashings, and chimneys2.
- Every window1
- Every toilet1
- Every light and ceiling fan1
- Every switch1
- Every outlet1
- All appliances (that stay with the home)
- Operation and testing of entire plumbing system (inside the home)
- Operation and testing of HVAC system4
- Run water through all faucets for entire inspection3
- Exterior (siding, outlets, windows, window wells, foundation, and retaining walls)
- Attic (insulation, ventilation, ductwork, electrical wiring, roof deck, and rafters)1
- Every door1
- Every ceiling (including stains and cracks)
- Every floor (for waviness and unevenness)
- Every air vent1
- Every garage (including firewalls and openers)
- Foundation (for movement, cracking, and water seepage)
- Testing and inspection of entire electrical system (inside and out)
In a nutshell, we will report on 100% of the items we can test, touch, see, smell, and hear.
1Must be accessible
2Must be safe
3When the home is vacant
4Cooling system when outside temp. >65°F
Gravity Flow™ Process
Movement and moisture cause more damage than just what we see on the surface.
And because gravity is CONSTANTLY pulling things down, we follow these problems as far as we can to help you understand how far they spread and how concerned you should be.
That’s why our Kansas City home inspection process checks your home from top to bottom. This lets us use the force of gravity to help us uncover the whole story by following cracks and stains down to the source or down as far as they go.
Mystery Glitch™ Technique
Sometimes, finding problems is MORE like a riddle than a home inspection.
Mystery glitches are the quirks you sometimes stumble on unexpectedly in a home.
Things like:
- A hallway light switch in a bedroom
- A shower leak that trips a circuit breaker
- A garbage disposal that turns on the microwave
- Or an outlet that turns a ceiling fan on and off. Check it out 👇🏽
You get the picture. And there are dozens of situations like this.
We do our best to track, isolate, and uncover those random—and sometimes annoying—peculiarities that need a little more finesse to find because they’re hidden from plain sight.
It takes years to learn which things go wrong, where they could be, and how to troubleshoot.
Every home is DIFFERENT, so knowing what to expect is impossible.
But that’s a skill we bring to your Kansas City home inspection process.
11Key Comment Method™
Finding the defects is only half the battle.
Once we find them, YOU need to understand WHERE it is and WHAT’S happening so you can make the right choice for yourself.
That’s why we ask ourselves 11 key questions for every defect we find:
- What did I find?
- Where is it?
- What does it mean?
- What will happen if it’s ignored?
- Any signs of past repairs?
- Is this a major concern?
- Has it affected anything else?
- Has it damaged any surrounding areas?
- What do I recommend?
- What caused it?
- Any signs of past problems?
These are the 11 questions every home inspection report MUST answer if you hope to understand each defect and the impact it has on the home.
You’ll get them in plain English so they’re QUICK and EASY for you – or anyone else – to understand.
Kansas City Home Inspection Process FAQs
When you’re NOT concerned about defects in other areas or the home is in REALLY rough condition.
Yes, always. As long as there is safe access and the pitch is not too steep (usually 8-12 or greater).
Good question. There are alot of differences, but too many to list here.
No.
Many real estate investors do not want a termite inspection, so it’s NOT included.
Not at all.
It takes years to master this craft.
Less experienced operators will not have the same knowledge, experience, and intuition as someone who has seen something a thousand times before.
This is important because your home is an engineering feat and you’re about to take full responsibility for it.
1. Have questions.
It’s best to ask before the inspection and again at the end.
2. Attend the inspection.
But try not to distract the inspector with chitchat. He’s trying to build a story that will help you buy the home. Feel free to observe, take measurements, jot down notes, and be there for the summary and discussion when it’s over.
