As someone who knew almost nothing about construction (I spent my 20s on Navy ships), my methods started out alot like all the others.
I mean, “I’m here to inspect the house and they knew I was coming, right?”
It was frustrating.
Then I started making minor improvements to ALL the ways I explored issues and delivered the results to you.
I call these techniques…
The BEST home inspections take more than a flashlight and a ladder.
It takes knowing WHAT to expect – and HOW to find – the issues no matter the age, type, size, or location.
And each of these variations has its own unique complications.
For example, a newer home is vastly different than a historic home (50+ years old).
A historic home used different materials, was built differently, and used in different ways so it was laid out differently than homes from other eras.
Electric appliances like stoves and central a/c units weren’t common so electrical service size was usually smaller than today.
Sewer lines are buried and made from rigid materials that crack, break, and get clogged so plumbing issues are also a big concern.
Efficiency, consistency, and safety weren’t front and center, so today’s INSURANCE COMPANIES (and certain loan programs) sometimes need extra assurance that these things – and others – are up to snuff before you get a policy.
Now, put a historic home in the country where updates happen slowly and building codes might not even exist, and you’re taking on these issues in the wild west.
And that’s just ONE type of house.
Go from a basement to a crawlspace, throw in termites, add sewer line problems (or septic issues), mix in a little Radon gas, and hopefully you see what I mean.
It takes alot more than spouting construction terms, flipping switches, and poking around the attic to get a home inspection that WON’T make you want to pull your hair out after you move in.
It takes someone who anticipates the issues and knows which questions to ask to keep you from buying a money pit that could EASILY end up costing you thousands in gut wrenching repairs after you move in.
And after two decades and thousands of lessons, we’ve learned HOW, WHERE, AND WHEN to look for the different types of issues so we not only CATCH the things that are MISSING but also find the defects HIDING above ceilings, inside walls, and beneath floors.
MORE important than that, we make the results easy for you to understand so you can tell pretty quickly what to do about them. We’ll even help.
Our 2000-item 100% MaxInspect™ home inspection is for ANYONE who wants to know all the details in and around the home.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a home buyer, home seller, or real estate investor, our MaxInspect™ inspection helps you plan, budget, negotiate, and avoid inspection-related expenses down the road.
Here’s what goes into a COMPREHENSIVE Kansas City home inspection designed to uncover maximum defects for maximum return on your investment with minimum risk and confusion:
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% inspection averages 2,000 items in and around the home (depending on the home).
In a nutshell, we will report on 100% of the items we can test, touch, see, smell, and hear – WITHOUT exception.
1Must be accessible
2Must be safe
3When the home is vacant
4Cooling system when outside temp. >65°F
Movement and moisture cause more damage than 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 go and how concerned you should be.
Sometimes finding problems is MORE like a riddle than a home inspection.
You know the quirks you sometimes find in a home? That’s a MYSTERY GLITCH.
We track, isolate, and reveal those random – and sometimes annoying – peculiarities that require a little more finesse to find because they’re HIDDEN from plain sight.
Things like:
You get the picture. And there are dozens of situations like this.
It takes years to learn which things go wrong, where it 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 home inspection.
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 answer 10 key questions about the defects we find:
These are the 10 questions every 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 who reads it – to understand.
The home inspection report is glue the binds this whole things together.
It’s the tool you’ll use to NEGOTIATE with your sellers, decide your next steps, budget for maintenance and repairs, understand your home, and what your wife will use to make your honey-do list (don’t say I didn’t warn you) 🤷🏽♂️.
It’s also the only thing you keep when it’s over, the only shred of proof the home inspection took place, and the backbone of the entire process.
Which means the home inspection report is a BIG part of your investment.
Would YOU Like To Check The Bones YOURSELF Before The Home Inspection?
We only use 10key™ comments inside our premium home inspection reports.
These are explanations that use conversational language to answer the most important questions every report should ask if you want to understand the full scope of each issue and the impact is has on the home.
The premium home inspection report also includes enhanced photos to help you – and anyone else – take a closer look at the details.
Plus, your premium home inspection report includes safety, major, and maintenance summaries that help you put things in perspective.
| Items | Full | 5-Point |
|---|---|---|
| 1. LANDSCAPING | YES | NO |
| 2. EXTERIOR | . | . |
| Foundation | YES | YES |
| 3. COOLING | . | . |
| Type of system | YES | YES |
| Refrigerant lines | YES | YES |
| Air distribution | YES | YES |
| Condenser unit | YES | YES |
| Evaporator unit | YES | YES |
| Operating controls | YES | YES |
| 4. ROOF | . | . |
| Gutters | YES | YES |
| Downspouts | YES | YES |
| Roof covering | YES | YES |
| Flashings | YES | YES |
| Soffits and fascias | YES | YES |
| Roof ventilation | YES | YES |
| Skylights | YES | YES |
| Chimneys | YES | YES |
| Penetrations | YES | YES |
| 5. CARPORT | YES | NO |
| 6. ATTIC | . | . |
| Roof structure | YES | YES |
| Attic access | YES | YES |
| Skylights | YES | YES |
| Chimneys | YES | YES |
| Penetrations | YES | YES |
| Insulation | YES | YES |
| Ventilation | YES | YES |
| Fans | YES | YES |
| Exhaust | YES | YES |
| Circuit wiring | YES | YES |
| 7. ALL ROOMS | YES | NO |
| 8. BATHROOMS | YES | NO |
| 9. HALLS/STAIRS | YES | NO |
| 10. KITCHEN | YES | NO |
| 11. FIREPLACES | YES | NO |
| 12. GARAGE | YES | NO |
| 13. BASEMENT | . | . |
| Foundation | YES | YES |
| Walls | YES | YES |
| Rim joists | YES | YES |
| Floor joists | YES | YES |
| Smoke detector | YES | YES |
| Floor | YES | YES |
| Ceiling | YES | YES |
| Sub-floor | YES | YES |
| Columns | YES | YES |
| Beams | YES | YES |
| Posts | YES | YES |
| Circuit wiring | YES | YES |
| 14. LAUNDRY | YES | NO |
| 15. HEATING | . | . |
| Energy source | YES | YES |
| Operating controls | YES | YES |
| Flues and vents | YES | YES |
| Heat in living spaces | YES | YES |
| Furnace enclosure | YES | YES |
| Heating equipment | YES | YES |
| Safety controls | YES | YES |
| Heat distribution | YES | YES |
| CO detector in space | YES | YES |
| 16. PLUMBING | . | . |
| Water supply | YES | YES |
| Interior drains | YES | YES |
| Interior waste | YES | YES |
| Interior vents | YES | YES |
| Water heater | YES | YES |
| Water main valve |
