Inspection Reports

At minimum, your inspection report should provide descriptive and inspection information on the following:

• Heating and central air conditioning systems (depending on weather),
• Plumbing and electrical systems,
• Interior walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors,
• Condition of the roof, attic and visible insulation,
• Foundation, basement and other visible structures,
• Exterior condition, and
• Grounds or lot information.

Insist that your inspection includes estimates of repair costs for any damaged areas and systems, in order to estimate any additional funds required to bring the property up to your standards and space requirements.

Inspectors generally issue two types of reports: checklists and narrative reports. Checklist reports highlight features and systems checked during the inspection, and include basic notations about the property's condition. Used alone, checklists are often inadequate. If your inspector uses this format, it should contain at least 400-500 inspection items. Better checklists tie you into an encyclopedic-like manual of 200 pages or more of background information and explanations of deficiencies.

Narrative reports can be extremely long -- 60-80 pages or more -- but provide substantial information on the property. Computer-generated written reports might not require the inspector to address nearly every aspect of the property like an extensive checklist does.

 
Examples of inspection reports:

• Example I
• Example II – Examples of commercial properties
• Example III – Examples of residential properties
• Example IV – Residential and commercial reports
• Example V
  
• Example VI– Examples of many reports