DIY Home Inspection Checklist: How to Assess Your Home

You don’t necessarily have to be an electrician to know when a light switch isn’t working correctly, but you should probably hire one to fix the problem. While there are plenty of items in this section that you should ask a professional for help with, there are some items you can diagnose yourself.

□ Painted outlets.
□ Hidden breaker boxes.
□ Uncapped, exposed live wires.
□ Unlabeled breaker box switches.
□ Ungrounded three-prong outlets.
□ Non-working outlets or light switches.
□ Adherence to GFCI protection outlet regulations — within six feet of a sink.

Keeping your doors in operational order is simple enough. However, there are some things that you may not notice about your door that could be flagged during an inspection, such as minor sticks or a loose knob. Be sure to check these common problems:

□ Bowing frames.
□ Signs of wood decay.
□ Non-working locks and latches.
□ Sticking when opening or closing.
□ Cracked or missing glass, if applicable.
□ Improper weather-stripping on exterior doors.

Here are some key things to check for as you inspect your HVAC and any appliances you plan on leaving behind:

□ Dirty or old filters.
□ Leaking gas or water connections.
□ Improper connection of ventilation.
□ Inoperative or unstable built-in appliances.
□ Inadequate outlet voltage for appliance type.

These spaces are often used only for storage, but they are a critical step in any home inspection. Because they can be areas you don’t visit often, issues may develop without your noticing. While working through your DIY home inspection, be sure to look for these issues:

□ Damp, musty smells.
□ Large cracks in the walls.
□ Insufficient ventilation and insulation.
□ Decay or water stains on exposed wood.
□ Stains or major cracks in the foundation.
□ Plumbing, exhaust or appliance vents that end in the attic.

If there are structural problems in the house, the walls and ceilings are usually the first to show it. While certain things such as small cracks or holes may not be a big issue, they are worth double-checking because they could be symptoms of a larger problem. While smaller issues like a dent in drywall might not merit much thought, here are some issues that you should be looking for:

□ Visible stains.
□ Leaning walls.
□ Sagging ceilings.
□ Flaking or peeling paint.
□ Significant cracks or holes.
□ Gaps between walls and the floor.
□ Cracks connecting with door frames.

Gutters and downspouts help keep your home dry and take the water away from your foundation. That is why it is important to make sure they are all properly working. Many gutter issues can be taken care of on your own, but if you notice issues with a chimney, professional help is suggested. Whichever route you take, keep an eye out for these problems while doing your inspection.

□ Clogged gutters.
□ Unsealed gutter joints.
□ Rusty downspouts or gutters.
□ Missing bricks or a lean in the chimney.
□ Downspout directing water toward the home.
□ Water in a gutter does not run toward a downspout.

While a quick glance at a window could leave you thinking everything is fine, inspectors will spend a bit more time checking them out to make sure there are no issues with the seal and structure surrounding the panes, hurting their energy efficiency. Here are some common things home inspectors will look for:

□ Broken glass.
□ Bowed frames.
□ Worn weather-stripping.
□ Exposed or rusted lintels.
□ Rotting or decaying wood.
□ Difficulty opening and closing.
□ Cracked or missing caulk around joints and frames.

Gas, water and electricity need to enter your home somewhere. Often, these connections can be expensive to fix and need to be done in conjunction with your utility provider. Additionally, outlets, external air conditioning units and water spigots have to enter through the wall of the house. Inspect these connections and keep an eye out for:

□ Improper caulking and sealing.
□ Outlets not weather protected.
□ Spigots and outlets that don’t work.

In addition to the home itself, inspectors will give the grounds a once-over to make sure there are no obvious issues that could be problematic. While there are a range of things that inspectors can look for, here are the most common:

□ Unstable structures.
□ Inadequate drainage.
□ Trip hazards in walkways.
□ Loose railings on stairways.
□ Signs of wildlife or rodent issues.
□ Trees limbs touching or hanging over the house.

A 2001 joint study by the National Association of Realtors and the American Society of Home Inspectors found that 84% of buyers had an inspection completed before closing the sale. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the home inspection business to grow 10% by 2026, meaning the trend of buyers requesting a home inspection isn’t going to stop.

While a professional home inspection is not required by law at any stage of the home buying process, it is a very common request from buyers. Performing a home inspection yourself allows you to disclose issues in the agreement or remedy them before listing.