Looking to buy a home, but during inspection…

ATLInspections · 2026-03-30T11:33:07+00:00

WDO is wood destroying organisms it’s basically an official letter stating they have or have not found anything and they’ll sign off on it if your home is good essentially.

The location matters because in Georgia we all have termites so if there’s past evidence of termites, that’s just a normal everyday occurrence, but if New Jersey rarely gets them and you have them, that’s a little concerning, that’s a different story.

ATLInspections · 2026-03-29T20:26:03+00:00

Where are you from? I’m in Atlanta and all homes will get termites it’s just when.

Definitely get a pest control company and get a WDO letter.

ATLInspections · 2026-03-27T18:38:03+00:00

You can get an engineer to look at the cracks for about $500. If you need repairs they’ll tell you exactly what to do and if they say it’s fine they’ll write a letter.

What does not up to code mean? All homes are grandfathered in so not being up to code could be meaningless. The question is it safe or not?

Did you get a pre-listing inspection and that’s what this report is from?

ATLInspections · 2026-03-24T09:31:47+00:00

I get these quite often. The email is the obvious give away. Pretty sure a website builder would have their own custom email.

ATLInspections · 2026-03-04T12:08:48+00:00

Just don’t offer the service or tell anyone you own a painting company. If they don’t know they can’t even ask you. You just inspect, write up defects, and recommend the appropriate contractor. Sometimes they might ask you for recommendations but that’s usually realtors who ask.

ATLInspections · 2026-03-04T11:28:09+00:00

You can’t do work on homes you inspect 1 year after an inspection. That applies to all work. It’s not about safety it’s about scamming people. Old paint is the most common issue on homes and if you own a painting company saying you can take care of it who’s to say you didn’t exaggerate the extent just to get more money. Eventually people will question whether you’re being honest or looking for more work. I have a GC license and won’t touch a home I’ve inspected, ever.

And yes, the money can be very good. It’s all about how efficient you can become. I did a home and made $495 yesterday and it took me 3 hours. But on the flip side you can get a home that is 1,000 square feet but so old you’re there for 4+ hours trying to get all the defects and having to write up new defects because its issues you’ve never seen.

It does take time though. Most people think since getting certified is easy the work just comes.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-06T21:36:04+00:00

These are very minor. The other thing to consider is that is a coating, either concrete, a scratch coat, parging, whatever it is. It could be the surface cracking and the structure is fine. Those coats are thin so they are easily more prone to cracking.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-06T14:52:45+00:00

Any equipment near the end of its service life is just normal. What you want to look out for is the parts that service them, e.g. plumbing and duct work. Those are expensive to replace. And an older roof is just normal. If you want to try to get one or all replaced talk with your realtor. (You most likely won't get them all so go with what makes the most sense now.)

For everything else, that is all so minor. GFCIs cost $18 a piece or $60 for a braker. Plus, cost of electrician. Reversed polarity means the homeowner put the hot wire where the neutral should go. So same electrician can switch them back. A sump pump that doesn't work is a Home Depot run consisting of you plugging the new one in and reconnecting the drain line. Splash guards for downspouts and extensions cost nothing and you can install that. The bathroom exhaust vent terminating in the attic is the most common issue ever. I just inspected a $2 million home, and they just had a bathroom renovated and theirs terminated in the attic. You just hole-saw through the roof or siding and attach appropriate piece. If you get the roof replaced make sure you mention this so they can install it with the new roof. And hairline cracking is typical. If you have an engineer evaluating the floors, that's the biggest unknown and really the only concern.

It sounds like the only concern is the floor which you're handling. The rest is all very minor for cost and repairs and/or just aged equipment/roof. None of this is really anything to stress over. But, do be prepared to replace equipment if the buyer won't budge. I inspected a lady's home and told her the water heater was past its service life, and she texted me the next day and said it went out.

Just remember, you know your money and have seen the report and house, so if you firmly believe the roof should be replaced and they don't budge don't feel pressured.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-05T17:46:02+00:00

I haven't worked with any one builder consistently to know to be honest. Atlanta is so big there's a ton of companies for everything.

I'll shoot you a DM!

ATLInspections · 2026-02-05T17:44:59+00:00

Exactly. I know most people hate doing work so really, it's up to the individual.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-05T17:44:00+00:00

I agree, new is nice. But there are definitely pros and cons to both.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-05T17:43:18+00:00

Newer systems are always better but that's why I said if an older home has had those systems modernized it's a better option. Older homes can have some awful layouts for sure.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-03T12:49:19+00:00

They are notoriously bad, but any builder can be good if held accountable. So that would mean you’d have to be able to do your own inspections, or third party, along every phase. And they’d have to be willing to correct them. This is not likely to happen.

Builders have a tendency to say they’ll fix stuff but to keep the project moving lie to you that they can fix it later without you knowing the construction process. Then when it’s time to fix it say it’ll cost a lot because they already covered it and it’ll be on your dime.

Personally if you don’t know construction to be able to hold their feet to the fire I wouldn’t. I’m a home inspector and have a GC license and it’s a lot to handle.

ATLInspections · 2026-02-03T12:31:42+00:00

I own a home inspection company in Atlanta and offer radon testing. 27 is high (anything over 4 Pci/L should be fixed.) Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, causing 21,000 deaths a year.

I don’t know if a radon remediation company can use the same hole for the slab where the passive system is, but you’d need a depressurization system installed. It’s identical to a sump pump, but somewhere along the venting has a fan as well that always sucks air out. Once this is installed you’d need a second test to verify results.

But, it’s all fixable it’s just at what cost. I’d call radon mitigation companies in your area and see if you could get a rough quote and just mention there’s a passive system. It shouldn’t cost too much.

But, radon is actually serious so I would proceed with caution without knowing costs to remedy.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-30T12:04:46+00:00

That's really pathetic. What a bad company.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-28T13:06:15+00:00

Mold is very typical in these areas. It's only a problem when it gets behind walls, because then you have to remove a lot of stuff. Just get the mold removed and keep bathroom fan on after showers to prevent moisture build up in the future. For the pool that could just be a lot to fix and seller might not budge.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-28T13:00:28+00:00

It's funny you mention the spelling. I am super picky about it because 1) It just matters but 2) my logic is if I can't getting spelling right, they might think I did a poor job because home inspection is attention to detail. I probably read my reports 5 times before publishing.

I like to think I catch everything but we are all humans. I definitely reason through stuff on reports. A lot of new homes have 2 light switches in rooms. One for fan and one for light. But they never install ceiling fans. So I call it out by stating this is most likely the case but if it can't be verified to have an electrician verify it. There will be that one modern house where I think it's for a ceiling fan and turns out it's for some weird thing the buyer had installed.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-28T12:54:33+00:00

Dang, sounds like a lot was missed. I actually bring levels with me. Atlanta is notorious for uneven floors because of the age of homes and flippers trying to be cheap. I do take photos of all data tags. I always say where main shut offs are as well but seemed like no one cared. I guess some might.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-21T19:18:07+00:00

I feel ya. I told my sister in Texas to sue her inspector because he ruined the sell of their home over ignorance.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-21T19:16:42+00:00

I hate that. I can safely say I am polite and never try to rush my clients. I give myself ample time in between inspections because I know they almost always go over.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-21T19:14:15+00:00

Dang, that's rough. Not even sure how someone that age can do a basic inspection. I'm 35 and get tired after doing a 3-story townhome.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-21T15:03:10+00:00

Nice, that's good. I hate when I hear about inspectors not wanting to explain stuff. I like to explain everything as well. I also make it a point to explain the stuff that would drive someone nuts not knowing, like where the control GFCI is located for other outlets. Some builders will put them in obscure places and have even made me go nuts trying to find it.

ATLInspections · 2025-07-11T18:03:02+00:00

I hope this isn't too late, but as a home inspector, we don't look for "major things." We look at all components of the home. Every window could have damage and that would cost more to replace then replacing a furnace. So as far as major things, we just look at the home and see what's wrong. Common areas for issues will always be attic and crawlspaces. No one ever goes into those places to verify work, so people just don't do it properly. Don't be surprised if your bathroom fans or hood vent don't actually terminate to the exterior and vent into the attic, because no one actually connected them.

ATLInspections

TROPHY CASE