You’re about to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house. A home inspection costs $400–$700. It’s the cheapest peace of mind in the entire purchase, and it’s the one step first-time buyers are most tempted to skip.
Don’t skip it.
What a home inspection is
A home inspection is a visual examination of a house’s physical structure and systems by a licensed professional. The inspector walks the property, looks at everything they can see and reach, and gives you a written report on the condition of the house.
It’s not a pass/fail test. There’s no grade. The report is information — what needs fixing now, what will need fixing soon, and what to keep an eye on. You use it to decide whether to proceed, renegotiate, or walk away.
What it costs
A standard inspection runs $400–$700 in California, depending on the size and age of the house. A large or older home costs more. Add-on inspections — sewer scope, chimney, mold, pool — run $100–$300 each.
Compare that to the cost of what an inspection finds. A cracked foundation: $10,000–$30,000. A roof at the end of its life: $12,000–$25,000. A sewer line full of roots: $5,000–$15,000. The inspection pays for itself if it finds one thing.
What inspectors check
A general home inspection covers the visible, accessible parts of the house:
- Roof — age, condition, missing shingles, flashing (the metal sealing where the roof meets walls, chimneys, and vents), gutters, signs of leaks.
- Foundation and structure — cracks, settling, drainage, signs of movement.
- Electrical — panel, wiring, outlets, grounding, whether the system is safe and up to code.
- Plumbing — supply lines, drains, water heater age and condition, leaks.
- Heating and cooling — furnace and AC age, condition, whether they actually work.
- Interior — walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, stairs.
- Exterior — siding, grading, drainage, driveways, decks.
- Attic and crawl space — insulation, ventilation, signs of pests or water.
The inspection usually takes 2–3 hours for a typical single-family home. The report follows in 24–48 hours and can run 50–100 pages with photos.
How the inspection actually goes
- You hire the inspector. Your agent will have recommendations, but the inspector works for you. Pick your own — don’t use the seller’s.
- The inspection happens during your contingency period — the window in your contract when you can still walk away and get your deposit back if the house fails a check. In California, you typically have 17 days from acceptance to complete inspections and remove contingencies. Schedule the inspection for the first few days, not the last.
- Be there. This is the single most valuable part. Walk with the inspector. Ask questions. They’ll show you where the shutoffs are, how old the water heater is, what that crack means and what it doesn’t.
- You get the report. Read the summary first — that’s the important stuff. Then read the full report.
What they usually find
Most inspections find things. That’s normal. A house is a machine with a hundred moving parts, and almost no house is perfect — including new construction. Common findings:
- Minor plumbing leaks and drips.
- Electrical issues — double-tapped breakers (two wires forced onto one breaker), ungrounded outlets (the old two-prong kind), an old panel.
- Roof wear — a few years of life left, not zero.
- Water heater near the end of its life.
- Grading and drainage issues — water pooling near the foundation.
- Evidence of past repairs, some done well, some not.
The question isn’t whether the report has items on it. It will. The question is whether any of them are deal-breakers, expensive, or safety issues.
When you need a specialist
The general inspector flags problems; specialists diagnose them. If the report says “further evaluation recommended,” take it seriously:
- Roof: a roofer, if the roof looks near end-of-life.
- Foundation: a structural engineer, if there are significant cracks or signs of movement.
- Sewer: a sewer scope, especially on homes built before 1980.
- Pests: a termite inspection, which your lender may require anyway.
- Mold: a mold specialist, if there’s visible mold or a history of water damage.
Specialist inspections cost extra, but they tell you whether the $500 problem is actually a $15,000 problem.
What inspectors don’t do
This matters as much as what they do.
- They don’t open walls. They can’t see inside them, behind them, or under floors. If there’s a problem hidden behind drywall, a standard inspection won’t find it.
- They don’t test for everything. A general inspection doesn’t include mold testing, radon testing, lead paint testing, or asbestos testing unless you order them separately.
- They don’t tell you whether to buy the house. That’s your decision. They give you facts; you decide what they’re worth.
- They don’t guarantee anything. An inspection is a snapshot on one day. Something can break the week after you close.
How to find a good inspector
- Ask your agent for two or three names, then pick your own.
- Check that they’re licensed (California doesn’t license home inspectors at the state level, so look for certification from InterNACHI or ASHI, the two big home-inspector associations).
- Ask how long the inspection takes. If they say 45 minutes, that’s a red flag. A real inspection takes 2–3 hours.
- Ask whether you can attend. A good inspector wants you there.
- Ask for a sample report. It should be thorough, with photos and clear summaries — not three pages of boilerplate.
What to do with the report
- Read the summary. The summary section lists the significant findings. Start there.
- Separate safety from cosmetic. A missing smoke detector is a safety issue. A scuffed wall is not. Focus your negotiation on safety and major systems.
- Get quotes for the big stuff. If the report flags a $10,000 roof, get a roofer’s quote before you negotiate. Don’t negotiate from the report alone — negotiate from real numbers.
- Decide: proceed, renegotiate, or walk. You can ask the seller to fix items, ask for a credit, or accept the house as-is. You can also walk away during your contingency period and get your deposit back. That’s what the contingency is for.
Do I really need one on a new house?
Yes. New construction has problems too — and they’re often the kind that are cheapest to fix before you move in. A new home inspection catches framing issues, plumbing mistakes, electrical errors, and grading problems (the ground sloping toward the house instead of away from it) while the builder is still responsible for them. The cost is the same $400–$700, and the builder’s warranty doesn’t replace an independent set of eyes.
My Take
A $500 inspection is cheap. A $15,000 surprise after closing is not.
What to do with this
- Budget $400–$700 for the inspection, plus $100–$300 for a sewer scope if the house was built before 1980.
- Schedule it for the first few days of your contingency period, not the last.
- Be there in person and walk the house with the inspector.
- When you’re ready to make an offer, start your pre-approval first — a pre-approved buyer negotiates from strength, and a seller takes your repair requests more seriously when the financing is already solid.
Inspection costs are California averages for a standard single-family home, verified November 8, 2026. Repair cost ranges are planning figures based on typical contractor pricing — your actual costs will depend on your market and the specific issue. California’s standard 17-day inspection contingency is from the California Residential Purchase Agreement. This is education, not a guarantee of any property’s condition. Dat Nguyen, Certified Mortgage Advisor, NMLS 1379110, Everyday Lending Group.
First Time Home Buyer Pros Podcast — Episode 11: What Is a Home Inspection? What Inspectors Check — and What They Don’t