Home Inspection Services - Virginia Inspection Service, Home Inspections in Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Virginia

Home Buyer
The most frequent inspection is performed for a home buyer who wants an independent, third party assessment of the condition of a real estate property. As a buyer, the first thing you should do is RELAX! Most of the things reported are what I classify "FIX-ITS", which are issues that can usually be corrected or repaired without great expense or trouble.

I don't report that the carpet is dirty, unusual paint colors, there's a tear in the wallpaper, random nail-pops in the drywall, normal wear and tear items, or most standard maintenance issues..

I do report on safety issues, things that may cause more extensive damage or become more expensive to repair if not corrected in the near future. I do report anything that may be detrimental to the structure or effect the usability or insurability of the property. I do report on anything that may cost more than a few hundred dollars to fix or can result in expense repairs. Sometimes I have to report an issue because it is required by the Virginia Home Inspector Certification program or the Standards of Practice of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI).

Home Seller
A pre-listing home inspection is an increasing service request in a buyer controlled real estate market. It is performed just before the house is placed on the market. When a prospective buyer has an inspection, you may find yourself looking at a list of maintenance, repair, and safety issues that you didn't know about. Help yourself sell your home, a Real Estate Agent can't do it all. Find the issues the buyer may use to negotiate down the price or may cause them to back out altogether.

    * Your home is viewed through the eyes of a critical and independent third-party.
    * A pre-listing home inspection can help you set a realistic price for the home.
    * You have the time to get reasonably priced and qualified contractors or make the repairs yourself, if you're qualified.
    * The pre-listing home inspection may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
    * A home inspection can alert you to immediate concerns such as safety issues, carbon monoxide sources, radon gas, or active termite infestation.
    * A professional home inspection report may relieve any concerns and suspicions of a prospective buyer

Please note that no two home inspectors and their reports are the same, even if performed on the same property at the same time. The pre-listing home inspection report is produced for and with the cooperation of my client, the home seller. The inspection report has to assume full and truthful disclosure by the seller. My client may choose to share the report with others, but it was performed solely for my client. All inspections and reports are objective without regard to the client's personal interests. Additional inspections by specialists or home other inspectors may discover other issues or report issues differently.

Home Maintenance
Every home requires regular maintenance. Periodically, it's important to know if there are things that need attention but of which you weren't aware. That's the purpose of a maintenance home inspection.

A maintenance inspection will provide information you need to ensure the home stays in good condition and help prevent serious damage by long-term on going problems that can be caused by inadequate drainage, soils and grading, poor construction workmanship or technique.

A maintenance inspection includes everything in my thorough standard home inspection with the exception of appliance checks and those are also included if my client is an absentee homeowner.

New Construction Monitoring
Building a house or performing major renovations?

I provide weekly status or critical stage inspections with reports that include pictures or videos to let you know how work is progressing.

The construction inspections include checks on construction workmanship, materials, and possible building code issues. This is not a code compliance inspection. A code compliance inspection may only be performed by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

This service has to be coordinated with, and requires cooperation by, the general contractor for the project. I require access to a set of building plans (blueprints) as well as any special provisions or specifications.

Pre-Drywall Inspections
A pre-drywall inspection is a new construction inspection service that is performed just prior to the installation of the insulation and drywall.

This is the best time to inspect the framing and nailing, electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling ducts is while they are still visible. These primary and safety-critical components cannot be inspected once they are covered up. Left uncorrected, they can result in dangerous structure conditions and expensive repair in the future.

Defects can be easily fixed if they are discovered while construction is still under way.

Please Click Here to go to a page dedicated to the Pre-Drywall inspection.

Mold Inspection & Testing
If you can see mold growth then you already know there is mold in the house. Mold is part of the natural environment and is going to be in a house unless it is sealed air -tight, has a pressurized HEPA filtered air supply, air lock entry, and a decontamination room at the frront door. Don't have all that? Well, since you already know you have mold in the house, what you need to know is from where the moisture is coming, or did come, that allowed the mold to flourish. I no longer perform mold inspections or testing but I'll continue providing information on mold testing and abatement. Please Click Here to go to the web page dedicated to mold and mold testing.

HUD Manufactured Housing Foundation Certification
After a field inspection of the foundation by Virginia Inspection Service, the report is transferred to a licensed professional engineering firm to evaluate and issue or deny a certificate. If the foundation structure does not meet minimum HUD specifications, the engineer will provide recommended corrective actions and list of contractors who can install support that may not require major modifications. Inspections and certifications can usually be scheduled and completed within a few working days. Please contact Stuart Brooks at Virginia Inspection Service at 1-866-918-8247 for information.

Special Investigative Inspections
Sometimes you just notice changes in or around the home and you want to know if there is a problem of which you're not aware.
Water problems recently? Cracks in a wall? Floor ups and downs? Doors suddenly sticking or won't latch. Have a remoldeling job going and you don't feel comfortable with what the contractor tells you or they don't answer questions? Has the project has dragged on much longer than it was supposed to?

Please Click Here to go to the page dedicated to investigative inspections

Light Commercial Inspecton
Buying a building for a business? Get needed information on the condition of the building, roof, parking, grading and drainage issues, the electrical and plumbing systems. Age and general condition of the heating and cooling systems. Three phase power? No problem. I will bring a Master Electrician with over 30 years of commercial and industrial power planning, installation, and maintenance. Specialist services can be provided if desired.