I have an inspection today, and thought I would share a few notes about such things. In Colorado Springs, home inspectors are not licensed, but I only work with ones that are certified, usually by either ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) or NAHI (National Association of Home Inspectors), and that have errors and omissions insurance. I always attend home inspections for my buyers, because I want to hear what is said in case interpretation is needed in negotiating inspection issues. They are time consuming, but it has really helped in the past to be there, so I continue to do it.
Here, a typical home inspection is around $300, plus some additional services if desired, such as radon testing, water flow and/or potability testing (if the home is on a well), and sometimes we have to get additional inspectors involved if there are indications of mold, wood destroying insects (termites), or structural issues. It takes between 1 1/2 and 3 hours usually. I had an out of state client who said the inspector who came out when they sold their home, was only there for 20 minutes. That would be pretty impossible to do a proper job.
Generally radon testing is always a good idea. Radon is suspected as the #2 cause of lung cancer in the US, and while there are differences of opinion as to what the REAL limit should be for radon (the US EPA says 4 Pcl, in Canada they used to say 10, now it is 5), it is best if you know what you have before you just blow this off. Mitigation typically costs around $1,000 here.
We don't often run into mold, and the inspector will usually look for it to determine whether additional inspection or testing is done. The same applies to wood destroying insects. While termites are not very prevalent here, they do show up from time to time, especially in older neighborhoods where the trees have finally grown up.
Structural issues come up from time to time for a couple of reasons. We have some tricky soil conditions here. Sometimes the builder did not do things right, although this is more rare. Often, site drainage has been modified from what the builder had done, for landscaping usually, and it results in water coming in contact with expansive or poorly compacted soil, and this can create problems. We also have some hillside "creep zones", and even mine tunnels under the ground that can also wreak havoc. The areas most likely to have structural issues to watch for are west of I25, but they can happen almost anywhere.
The most common issues that come up on inspection reports are roof problems (previously undetected hail damage), electrical issues (usually homeowner done), furnace cleaning and servicing, bathroom grout issues and site drainage. The purpose of the inspection is really for the buyer to understand the true condition of the house at closing, so that they know what their "honey do" list will look like. The list of things the seller normally takes care of fall into the category of "safe, sound and sanitary". If any of these areas is affected, we typically ask the seller to take care of it. In Colorado, the inspection clause of the real estate contract is one of the most important contingencies. A buyer can terminate the contract for any inspection issue they choose.
Finally, a shameless plug for my favorite home inspector, Randy Morrow at Hawkeye Home Inspections. He does a great job, has inspected hundreds of homes for my clients, and I trust him completely. His number is 719-330-9821, and he does pre-inspections for sellers in addition to "due diligence" homes inspections for buyers.