Frequently Asked Questions

When it comes to choosing a home inspector, choose a company that has the experience, qualifications, insurance, and reputation to back up their claims. Be careful about choosing based solely on the cheapest price. A cheap home inspection most often does not equal quality.

Remember, buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your life. NHI is the home inspection company that will competently guide you through the inspection process and provide you with the information and warranties to make a confident decision.

Professional home inspectors are required to be licensed in the State of Tennessee. All of NHI’s home inspectors have met all of Tennessee’s requirements for home inspectors.

We carry Errors and Omissions, General Liability, and Workers Comp insurance to protect all parties involved.

We require 24-hour advance notice to cancel a home inspection. Otherwise, we charge a $95 fee. Same-day cancellations will be charged half of the inspection fee. Please also remember that if the inspection is on a home that is in foreclosure or on a new construction, be sure the utilities are turned on at least 24 hours before the scheduled inspection.

This is our contract that must be signed prior to the home inspection. It will outline what the inspection includes and does not include. It will also have important notes about the standard protocols we follow. It is important that you read and understand the agreement prior to your inspection.

A home inspection includes a thorough inspection of the major systems of the structure including the exterior, interior, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. Plan on allowing between 2.5 to 3.5 hours.

When scheduling your final inspection, be sure all the utilities are turned on. Cosmetic items and inaccessible areas are not part of the inspection process. View all services to see a more detailed list of what each inspection includes.

It is to your benefit to attend the inspection. The inspector will point out any areas of concern directly to you and you can ask questions and discuss any issues you may already have. If you can’t attend the entire home inspection, it will still be beneficial if you show up 90 minutes after the inspection begins to speak with the inspector.

If you cannot be present at all, payment and agreement must be received before you will be able to access your report.

Your inspector will email a link for the digital report to you within 24 hours of your inspection, guaranteed. You can then download it as a PDF file if you wish or view it as an HTML. The report includes digital photos and details of what we discovered during the home inspection. For descriptions and samples of specific reports, please view all services and choose an inspection type. Each inspection report is considered confidential and other than your realtor, no one can view it without your permission. You are not required to give the report to the homeowner or the listing agent.

You have three options to pay for the inspection:

  • When you schedule your appointment, we will send an email link that allows you to pay by credit card or ACH
  • You may also pay in cash at the time of the appointment
  • You can roll the inspection fee into your closing costs with Inspect Now, Pay Later

 

If, however, you are not present during the inspection, payment and agreement must be received before you can access the report. We do not accept checks.

For nonsmokers, radon is the top cause of death from lung cancer. Because this odorless, invisible gas seeps into homes through cracks in slabs, foundations, footing joints, loose fitting pipes, and many other ways, the EPA recommends all homes be tested for radon gas. Once radon gas infiltrates a building, it becomes trapped and may reach dangerous levels.

In a home, mold thrives in areas where moisture is found. Check areas where flooding, plumbing leaks, and roof leaks were or are present; also, check showers, bathtubs, refrigerator water pans, and any other areas where moisture is present. Mold can be present on surfaces, and it can travel through the air as spores. Some types are toxic.

For most people, mold can cause allergic symptoms, but for those with asthma or compromised immune systems (children, the elderly, pregnant women, or cancer patients), mold can trigger more serious health risks.

The only way to know for certain if mold is toxic or not is to conduct a mold test by taking a sample and sending it to a laboratory. If the mold is found to be toxic, the mold must be cleaned by an industrial hygienist, and it must be eradicated.

Yes! Even though newly constructed homes have walk-throughs with county inspectors prior to closing, our new home inspections are more in-depth. We typically uncover items such as construction mistakes, damaged roof shingles, nail holes in the roof shingles, missing flashings, deck problems, electrical issues, HVAC errors, and plumbing problems.

At NHI we will spend two to three hours inspecting the home. Identifying problems sooner rather than later can save thousands of dollars in repairs. If there are construction mistakes, the builder may be required to fix the items for you. Mistakes during construction may pose a problem for you if you decide to sell the home later. Keep in mind that cosmetic items are not part of the final inspection.

Most builders include a one-year warranty on a new build. We recommend that homeowners schedule an inspection with NHI around the 11-month mark of new home ownership before the warranty on your new home expires. We will thoroughly inspect the home to look for any defects that the builder needs to fix so that you’re not stuck with repairs later. We don’t want you to have to “pay twice” for your new home. We can perform a one-year warranty inspection whether or not we conducted an inspection prior to purchase.