What Do They Check During a Home Inspection?
What do they check during a home inspection is a question that lives more comfortably as a story than as a list. Buyers who attend their inspection notice the inspector follows a pretty consistent rhythm: arrival walkthrough, systematic exterior loop, room-by-room interior pass, attic and basement investigation, and a final summary conversation. That rhythm exists because the trade’s Standards of Practice are easier to follow in a defined sequence than in a random order. This guide walks through the temporal flow of a typical Front Range home inspection from the moment the inspector pulls into the driveway to the moment the buyer drives away with the verbal summary in hand.
What do they check during a home inspection from start to finish?
A standard residential home inspection unfolds in roughly five distinct phases that together take about 2 to 3 hours on-site for a typical 2,500-square-foot single-family home. Each phase has a clear focus, a defined output, and a transition into the next phase. The inspector moves through the phases in a deliberate sequence because doubling back through the same area wastes time and creates gaps where systems get missed.
The phases are: arrival and exterior walkthrough, systematic exterior loop, interior room-by-room pass, attic and basement or crawlspace investigation, and final summary conversation. Buyers who attend the final 30 to 45 minutes of the inspection get the most value because that is when the inspector summarizes findings, prioritizes items, and answers buyer-specific questions. The Front Range buyer’s guide to the inspection process covers how to coordinate attendance with the buyer’s agent and the listing schedule.
Phase 1: Arrival and initial walkthrough (15 to 25 minutes)
The inspection begins before the inspector touches anything. Most experienced inspectors arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to walk the perimeter of the property and form a first impression of the site. That initial perimeter walk identifies obvious red flags (drainage problems, foundation movement visible from the street, recent roof damage, large branches over the roof) that shape how the rest of the inspection unfolds. The inspector takes a few photos of the front, sides, and rear elevations to anchor the report.
After the perimeter walk, the inspector greets the buyer (if attending) and the buyer’s agent, confirms the scope of work and any ancillary services that were ordered, and discusses the home’s history if the seller has provided disclosure documents. That conversation usually surfaces the buyer’s specific concerns, which the inspector mentally adds to the standard scope. A buyer who mentions worrying about the basement after a recent rain gets a slightly more thorough basement inspection than the default scope requires.
Why the arrival phase matters
The arrival phase sets the tone for the entire inspection. An inspector who arrives late and skips the perimeter walk often misses early context that informs the report later. An inspector who arrives early, walks the property, and talks with the buyer almost always produces a more thorough report because the initial impressions guide the depth of attention paid to each system later in the visit.
Phase 2: Systematic exterior loop (30 to 45 minutes)
The exterior loop is a structured walk around the property that examines every exterior component in sequence. The inspector typically starts at one corner of the house, works around the perimeter, and finishes back at the starting point. The components examined include the roof (from ground level and from a ladder where safely accessible), siding, trim, windows and doors from the exterior, foundation walls visible above grade, grading and drainage patterns, exterior electrical components, and exterior plumbing components.
Most inspectors photograph each elevation systematically, capturing close-up shots of any defects and wide-angle shots of overall conditions. Roof access depends on slope, height, and weather. On a single-story home with a low-slope roof, most inspectors walk the roof directly. On a two-story home with a steep-pitch roof, ladder access from the eaves combined with a drone or pole-camera shot is more typical. Front Range hail damage often drives the most detailed roof documentation in the report.
What gets documented during the exterior loop
The exterior phase produces the largest single block of report photos. Typical findings documented include shingle damage, gutter slope problems, downspout discharge that drains toward the foundation, hairline foundation cracks above grade, peeling paint on trim, wood rot at trim corners, and any visible structural movement at masonry features. The inspector also examines the air-conditioning condenser, gas meter and connections, hose bibs, and exterior outlets during this phase.
Phase 3: Interior room-by-room pass (45 to 75 minutes)
The interior pass is usually the longest phase and accounts for the bulk of on-site time in a typical inspection. The inspector moves through the home systematically, starting in one corner room and working through each room and hallway in sequence. The order varies by inspector preference, but most start with the most complex room (usually the kitchen) and work through the bedrooms, bathrooms, and living spaces from there.
In each room, the inspector checks walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, electrical outlets and switches, lighting fixtures, and any built-in features. Testing typically includes running water at each sink, flushing each toilet, operating each window, checking each door for proper latch and swing, testing each switched outlet, and running each major appliance through a basic operational cycle. The inspector documents any findings as they go, taking photos of defects with annotations that will appear in the final report.
How kitchens and bathrooms get extra attention
Kitchens and bathrooms get more attention than other rooms because they contain higher concentrations of plumbing, electrical, and appliance components. A typical kitchen inspection takes 10 to 15 minutes alone, covering the sink and faucet, dishwasher (visual and a partial cycle test), garbage disposal, range and oven, refrigerator (visual only, the inspector does not pull it out from the wall), microwave, exhaust fan, and all visible cabinetry and countertops.
Bathrooms get 5 to 10 minutes each. The inspector runs hot and cold water at every fixture, checks drain function, flushes toilets, tests bath fans, inspects visible plumbing under sinks, and looks for water damage indicators around toilets, tubs, and showers. Caulking failures, slow drains, and toilets that rock at the base are common bathroom findings.
Phase 4: Attic, basement, and crawlspace investigation (30 to 45 minutes)
After the main living spaces are documented, the inspector turns to the harder-to-reach areas: attic, basement, and crawlspace. Each area requires its own access route and often the inspector’s full body protection (knee pads, headlamp, dust mask in older homes). The attic and crawlspace investigations are the parts of the inspection that buyers almost never accompany, both for safety and for practical access reasons.
The attic inspection looks at structural framing, insulation depth and type, ventilation pathways, any signs of pest activity, plumbing vent pipes, electrical wiring runs, and any moisture indicators on the underside of the roof sheathing. The basement or crawlspace inspection examines foundation walls from the interior, sill plate condition, structural framing, plumbing and electrical runs, water-heater and furnace condition, and any moisture indicators or active water entry.
What the inspector documents in hidden spaces
Attic and crawlspace findings often surprise buyers because these spaces are rarely seen during a normal house showing. Typical findings include inadequate attic insulation depth, missing or compromised vapor barriers, plumbing leaks that have not yet reached the living space below, electrical splices that should be enclosed in junction boxes, and rodent activity in older homes. The inspector’s perspective on hidden-space findings covers what experienced inspectors specifically watch for in attics and crawlspaces.
Phase 5: Final summary conversation (20 to 30 minutes)
The closing phase is the buyer’s most valuable opportunity to learn from the inspector directly. Most inspectors conduct a verbal walkthrough of the major findings, prioritized by significance, before they leave the property. That conversation typically takes 20 to 30 minutes and gives the buyer the chance to ask follow-up questions, see specific defects in person, and understand which findings rise to the level of negotiation material versus normal maintenance.
The verbal summary is not a substitute for the written report. Most inspectors complete the written report within 24 to 48 hours and deliver it via email or a secure online portal. The written report includes all findings, photos, and recommendations in a structured format the buyer can share with their real-estate agent and use during the inspection-objection process.
How specialty add-ons interleave with the standard phases
Ancillary services like radon testing, sewer-scope inspections, and infrared thermography interleave with the standard inspection phases rather than running as separate visits. A radon test is deployed during the arrival phase (the continuous monitor placed in the lowest livable level) and retrieved 48 hours later. A sewer-scope inspection is run during the exterior loop or the basement phase, depending on the cleanout location. Infrared scanning happens during the interior pass, with the inspector sweeping suspected problem areas with a thermal camera as the inspection unfolds.
Buyers ordering multiple ancillaries should expect the total on-site time to grow modestly (typically 30 to 60 minutes for a full bundle of radon, sewer scope, and thermography) rather than doubling. The interleaved structure is efficient because the inspector is already on-site and equipped.
How the temporal flow shifts for unusual property types
The five-phase sequence holds for most single-family Front Range homes but flexes for unusual property types. A condo or townhome inspection typically compresses to 90 minutes total because the exterior loop is limited to the unit’s own envelope and the attic and crawlspace investigation is often unavailable. A historic home (pre-1940) usually stretches to 4 or 5 hours total because the systems are more complex, the materials are less standardized, and the inspector spends extra time documenting unusual conditions. A multi-family or small apartment inspection runs longer still because each unit has its own kitchen, bathrooms, and HVAC equipment to examine.
New-construction homes follow a different cadence entirely. Many new-construction buyers schedule three separate inspections during the build: a pre-pour foundation inspection, a pre-drywall inspection (after framing and rough-ins but before the drywall is hung), and a final pre-closing inspection. Each of those visits has its own focus and its own sequence. The pre-drywall inspection is the most valuable because the framing, plumbing rough-ins, electrical rough-ins, and HVAC ductwork are all visible and any defects can be corrected before they are hidden by finishes.
What the buyer should bring and ask during each phase
A buyer attending the final summary conversation benefits from arriving with a short list of property-specific questions written down ahead of time. Common questions include the expected remaining lifespan of major equipment, the priority order of recommended repairs, whether any findings rise to the level of inspection-objection material, and what specialists the inspector recommends for follow-up evaluations. A buyer who has prepared questions tends to leave the inspection with a clearer mental picture than one who shows up cold.
Buyers can also ask the inspector to revisit any specific area of concern during the summary phase. An inspector who has just spent two hours documenting findings is usually willing to walk the buyer to a specific defect and explain it in person. That walk-the-defect conversation is often the most memorable part of the inspection for the buyer and the most useful for understanding the report later.
References
- ASHI Standards of Practice — inspection process — American Society of Home Inspectors
- InterNACHI Residential Standards of Practice — InterNACHI
- HUD home-buying inspection guidance — US Department of Housing and Urban Development