To protect yourself as a homebuyer, use the inspection to understand the property and identify questions that need answers before your transaction deadlines. A residential inspection evaluates visible, readily accessible systems and components within the agreed scope. It cannot guarantee that concealed defects or future problems will be found.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends an independent home inspection, scheduled early enough to allow follow-up, and attending when possible. These ten steps turn that advice into a practical buyer checklist.
Before the inspection
1. Confirm the deadlines for your decisions
Ask your agent or attorney to identify the inspection, response and any further-evaluation deadlines that apply to your purchase contract. Write down the dates and ask what must be delivered, to whom and by what method. Share the relevant inspection window with your inspector before requesting an appointment.
Ask: “If the report recommends another evaluation, how much time will I have to arrange it?” Do not assume an inspection appointment or an outstanding test result extends a contract deadline. Ask your transaction professionals to confirm the timing and options under your actual contract.
2. Choose your inspector and preview the report
Ask a prospective inspector about relevant experience, references, the inspection scope and how questions will be handled. Check any credentials claimed with the organization or authority that issues them. The lender’s appraisal is different from a home inspection; it does not replace this review of the home’s physical condition.
Open TMK’s public sample residential inspection report (PDF) before booking. Look at how an observation, its location, photographs, limitations and recommended next steps are presented. A useful question is: “Will I be able to ask you to explain an item after I read my report?”
3. Send a short property brief
Give the inspector information that helps confirm the scope and timing. You can use this message:
Property address: [address]. Approximate age and size: [details]. Property type and occupied/vacant status: [details]. Known additions, recent work or concerns: [details]. Private well, septic system or detached buildings: [details]. Known access or utility restrictions: [details]. Inspection deadline and two preferred appointment windows: [details]. Please confirm the services, report timing and appointment availability.
Share relevant concerns from the seller’s disclosures or available service records as questions for the inspector. Those records do not replace an inspection. Coordinate lockbox, alarm and gate codes directly; leave them out of the online request.
4. Confirm what is included and what needs separate arrangements
Ask which services are included in your agreed residential inspection and whether the property warrants separate testing or specialist evaluation. Radon testing, WDI/termite inspection, sewer scope, well-water testing and septic services should not be assumed to be included. Confirm availability and scope for the services you actually request.
Ask who will arrange safe access and confirm utility status with the listing side. TMK home inspection reports are always sent the same day; separate testing has its own timeline. Confirm when any additional results are expected before relying on them for a deadline. A submitted appointment request still needs TMK’s confirmation of the scope, final price and appointment.
During the inspection
5. Ask about observations, uncertainty and next steps
If you can attend, ask the inspector how and when to raise questions. Bring the concerns from your property brief. For an item you do not understand, ask: “What did you observe? What remains uncertain? What follow-up do you recommend, and how soon?”
These questions help you distinguish a visible condition from a possible explanation. Ask whether a qualified specialist should investigate further rather than treating an on-site conversation as a complete diagnosis or repair estimate.
6. Keep track of what could not be inspected
When access or utility conditions limit the inspection, note the affected area or system and the reason. Ask: “What remains unevaluated, and what would be needed to assess it?” An inaccessible area is an unanswered question, not evidence that its condition is satisfactory.
Discuss safe access or another evaluation with the inspector and your agent. Do not remove electrical covers or restart a disconnected or winterized system yourself to overcome a limitation.
After the inspection
7. Turn the full report into an unanswered-question list
Read the findings and limitations as well as the summary. Use TMK’s report access page for the public sample or your private client sign-in. The sample PDF is a preview; it is not your property’s report or an interactive request-list tool.
For each item that could affect your decision, make a short note: “Report item and location: [reference]. Question still to resolve: [question]. Person to ask: [inspector, qualified specialist or agent]. Timing to confirm: [date].” Ask your inspector to clarify the finding before turning uncertain wording into a repair request.
8. Arrange recommended evaluations before choosing a response
If the report recommends further evaluation, ask the appropriate qualified professional about availability, access and the information they need. Tell your agent if the evaluation may not fit the contract timeline. Where repair cost matters to your decision, request an appropriate evaluation and written estimate rather than guessing from a photograph or the number of report comments.
Keep the specialist’s findings, estimate and work scope with the original inspection report. Ask what remains unknown. An inspection recommendation alone does not establish the full extent of a concealed condition, the repair method or a guaranteed price.
9. Separate the inspection finding from your seller request
Discuss possible responses with your agent and an attorney when appropriate. Keep the report item and location, the inspector’s recommendation, and the action you want to request as separate pieces of information. A recommendation for evaluation should not become an assertion that a particular repair has been proven necessary.
For supported HomeGauge request-list steps and the printable follow-up planner, use our home inspection process guide. Creating a list does not make it an agreed repair obligation. Whether you can seek repairs, a credit or another response depends on your contract and the parties’ agreement; your transaction professionals should guide that discussion.
10. Confirm what is resolved and what remains open
Before the next transaction deadline, review the unanswered-question list with the appropriate people. Ask your agent what response has been agreed in writing and how any promised work will be documented or checked. Keep evaluation reports, work descriptions and invoices together.
If you want the inspector to revisit an item, ask about availability, the specific scope, access and any separate fee before relying on a return visit. After the purchase, retain the full report for maintenance planning, including items that were not part of a seller request.
This checklist is general inspection education. Your inspection agreement defines the agreed services; your purchase contract and transaction professionals govern deadlines, rights and negotiated responses.
TMK Inspections serves southeast Pennsylvania, New Castle County in Delaware, and Camden, Burlington, Gloucester and Salem Counties in New Jersey. Chris Burns handles New Jersey inspections. Review our service-area guides and current services and pricing. Request an inspection time; TMK confirms the scope, final price and appointment.