What We Inspect

Introduction

Thank you for visiting our website. We would love to help you make an informed purchase by hiring us to inspect your prospective property, whether it's a single family dwelling, a multi-family dwelling, a condominium, townhouse, or commercial building. We are heavily experienced in the construction and inspection industry. We have performed over 4,500 inspections, and we continue educating ourselves to make sure we serve you as best can be. We check everything in a property, except the clothes washer and clothes dryer, and we take hundreds of pictures. Because we are cognizant of the amount of money you are investing, we use the best, latest, and highest quality tools to help us detect defects. All of our inspections include thermal imaging at no extra cost, as well as droning of the roof (if it cannot be walked on) at no extra cost. We pride ourselves on providing the best customer service (see reviews below), and we strive to reveal all defects. Following is a list of what we inspect—according to the International Association of Certified Home Inspector’s Residential and Commercial Standards of Practice—as well as what we do not inspect.

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Roofs

We inspect every roof. Our method of inspection is by walking on the roof. However, if we cannot walk on the roof because of the type of roof (concrete, metal, wood, too steep, or too high, to name a few), we use a drone, and we do not charge extra for this service. Other inspection companies charge for this type of inspection—they call it an "ancillary service". The way we see it is as follows: You pay for an inspection, and you do not know what is excluded. Therefore, we make sure we serve you completely and properly. ​So, we check the roof covering, flashing, vents, chimneys, spark arrestors, gutters, skylights, solar tubes, and ducting.

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Exterior

We inspect all components of the exterior that are attached to the building. For example, we inspect the eaves, fasciae, exterior walls, stucco, siding, wood trim, windows, doors, weep screed, grading, walkways, driveways, steps, handrails, balconies, decks, fencing, walls, gates, planters, paint, screen doors, soffits, corbels, closets, enclosed patios, and patio covers.

​We DO NOT inspect sheds, BBQs, fire pits, exterior fireplaces, play equipment, ponds, fountains, elevators, escalators, stair chair lift, horse stalls, barns, and animal watering devices.

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Foundation

We describe and inspect the crawlspace access location, foundation perimeter, slab, foundation walls, suflooring, cripple walls, sill plate, posts, girders, floor joists, plumbing, electrical, basement, anchor bolts, ventilation, vent screens, and exhaust vents.

Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

We describe the locations of the heaters and air conditioning compressors, inspect the heaters by removing their covers, inspect the cooling coil, drain pan, drain tubes, venting, gas, heater base, the return air chamber, the electrical, thermostats, filter, registers, combustion, ductwork, heater enclosure, AC compressor ,its base, refrigerant line, AC wall units, and whole house fans.
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Plumbing

We inspect the main water valve and show you where it is located, the pressure regulator, exterior plumbing pipes, hose bibs, we check the water pressure, all sinks, faucets, and spray wands, all plumbing under all sinks, garbage disposals, bathtubs, showers, toilets, bidets, wet bars, wash basins, main gas valve, and interior & exterior gas.

Electrical

We inspect all main panels and subpanels; describe and inspect the wiring; breakers; amperage capacity; the service entrance cables; all exterior and interior lights, outlets, and ground fault circuit interruptors (GFCIs); all electrical in the attic and foundation; all 220/240 volt outlets; and all fuseboxes. 

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Fireplace

We inspect all fireplaces by looking in the firebox, the damper, hearth, flue, mantle, lintel, glass doors, spark screens, gas valves and pipes, switches, and we check the exterior as well. At the exterior, we check for the flashing where the chimney is attached to the wall, the bricks, covering, and look for any anomalies.

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Attic

In the attic, we inspect the access, the structure, framing, sheathing, insulation, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, vent screens, chimney, exhaust vents, and we report any findings we observe.

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Interior

In the interior, we inspect the walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, cabinets, closets, shower doors, shower walls, stairs, handrails, electrical, wet bars, laundry, bathroom mirrors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, ceiling fans, sliding glass doors, French doors, pantries, and security bars.

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Appliances

We inspect the door bells, dishwasher, range, oven, cooktop, microwave, refrigerator, trash compactor, kitchen exhaust fans, water dispensers, and soap dispensers

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Ancillary (Extra) Services

For an additional fee, we inspect, pools, sprinklers, sewer drains, mold, electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation, and guest houses

Residential and Commercial
​Standards of Practice 

All of our inspections are performed in accordance with the Residential (SOP) and Commercial (ComSOP) Standards of Practice. Following are links to these standards; click on "Residential" to view the Residential SOP; "Commercial", for ComSOP:

Residential

Commercial

Choose SoCal Home Inspects

Because We:

Are Experienced​

We have performed over 4,500 inspections, we come from a construction background, and we are committed to providing THE best inspection experience EVER!!!

Are Certified,
Trusted, and Insured.

We are Certified Professional Inspectors by InterNACHI, Certified Master Inspectors by the Master Inspector Certification Board, and insured by a property inspection-dedicated insurance provider

Provide Same-Day Reports​

​We deliver the inspection report the same day of the inspection, because we use the latest technology and highest quality tools.

Are On Time,
Every Time​

We love what we do, so we make sure we arrive early. To us, arriving on time is not on time. The way we see it is, if you arrive on time, you are late. We pride ourselves in arriving at least 30 minutes early.

Are
​Multi-linguistic

​We are trained communicators who listen to our clients, and we are fluent in English, Spanish, Inspection, and Construction

Work Hours Others Don't​

Our schedule begins at 6a. We have even performed inspections at 5a. We once received a request to begin this early, because the buyer was in a crunch for time, and only we could accommodate.

About Us

SoCal Home Inspects is a Southern California, family-owned company of certified master inspectors committed to providing thorough inspections. We are trained and experienced (well over 4,500 inspections) to perform inspections on residential and commercial structures, and we use the latest quality tools and technology to perform our inspections. Every inspection includes thermal imaging at no extra cost, and roofs that cannot be walked on are inspected with a drone, at no extra cost; other companies charge for this, we believe it's part of the inspection process. In addition to property inspections, we also offer sewer scopes (sewer drain inspection), Mold, pool and spa, yard irrigation, Electromagnetic Frequency Radiation (EMF), ongoing construction, pre-drywall, and new construction, to name a few.​
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Whether you are buying, selling, or are a real estate agent, you can rest assured that we will provide a thorough inspection at an unbeatable price with unparalleled service

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Home Inspection Glossary