Home Inspection: How Long Does it Take? 1 Hour? 3 Hours?

When asked how long it takes to do a home inspection, our reply is 1 to 3 hours. Some customers are shocked to know if the inspection will take more than 3 hours. Some insist that inspection should only take 15 minutes to 1 hour the most.

In this post, we’ll discuss what a home inspection includes, how long do we conduct it and why.

What a Home Inspection Includes

A home inspection depends on the design, size of the building, and the number of interruptions. Small homes take lesser time compared to bigger homes. The inspection period can also be measured based on floor coverage.

For example, an 800-square foot floor might take 1 ½ hour. Usually, it can take between 2 to 3 hours.

Here’s what to expect during a home inspection:

A home inspector will look at a house’s roof, attic, floors, doors and windows, basement, foundation, structural components, interior plumbing, HVAC system, and electrical systems, then provide a written report with results. We recommend that a buyer or seller should be present at the inspection.

A home inspection is very important when buying or selling a house. This applies to both the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent. Each has a client to represent and should be present during the home inspection. The inspection report is usually the basis for a list of repair items that the buyer wants the seller to address.

Sharing the report helps communicate any issues to the seller. We provide the home inspection report within 24-48 hours of it being completed. After the inspections, that’s when you can negotiate with the buyer or seller.

If you’re a seller, you don’t necessarily need to repair your home before you sell it as long as you’re upfront and honest through the course of the sale.

How Long Do We Conduct Several Types of Home Inspection

Building and Pest/Termite Inspection

Our inspectors will be onsite for about 3 to 4 hours depending on the age and size of the property. We will be assessing all major and minor defects, safety hazards, and other important information related to the site, exterior, interior, subfloor, roof loft space, and roof exterior of the property.

At Effective Building & Consultancy, we believe in doing the job right the first time, rather than trying to save time and missing what could be essential information for you.

Structural Building and Pest Inspection

For this type of home inspection, the duration lasts 1.5 hours on average. This inspection is less thorough than the building and pest inspection. This is because the inspector only identifies the major defects to primary structural elements of the property. The inspector doesn’t report on issues within the site (retaining walls, fencing, or roof covering) with this type of inspection.

New Home Building Inspections

New home building inspections usually take 1 hour to 2.5 hours depending on the size of the property. During our completion inspection, our inspector is usually on-site for 3 hours or longer than that depending on the size of the property.

As above, Effective Building & Consultancy believe spending a  little extra time to conduct a thorough inspection will save any issues being overlooked, causing stress to you.

We are aware that there are many building inspectors in Sydney that spend less than 1 hour onsite, some stay as little as 10 minutes. For us, we feel it’s very insufficient time to be able to assess all aspects of the property as outlined in AS4349.1-2007.

Although building inspectors are governed by Australian Standard, it’s important to understand that building inspectors require no form of qualifications or minimum level of experience here in NSW. So, it’s best to research your inspector’s level of relevant experience and qualifications, as well as reading reviews from real customers before engaging an inspector.

At Effective Building & Consultancy, we believe it’s essential that your home should be thoroughly inspected to ensure that it’s safe and structurally sound.

Want A More Comprehensive Home Inspection?

Choose Effective Building & Consultancy, because, with us, you are ensured that we’ll include the most important aspects of a thorough home inspection. 

Call 02 9613 3353 today or click here to schedule online 24/7 right from our website.