For Homeowners

What is a maintenance inspection and when should you get one?

December 20, 2021

When you were buying your new home, you probably had a home inspection done by a professional before closing. With such an important (and expensive) purchase, it’s important to make sure that the home is in good condition.

The last thing you want is to be caught by with expensive repairs. In fact, a survey found that 36% of homebuyers site unexpected repairs to be their biggest regret of buying a home.

In order to prevent yourself the heartache and hassle, we recommend getting regular maintenance inspections every 1-2 years. But, you might ask, what is a maintenance inspection?

That’s why you take your car to a mechanic for regular maintenance checkups to keep things running smoothly. It’s a good idea to do the same thing for your home with a maintenance inspection, too. If you’re not sure about what benefits a maintenance inspection can bring you, we’re going to take a look at what they are, when they should be carried out, and why you should get them done.

What is a maintenance inspection?

A home maintenance inspection (also called a routine or annual inspection) is a regular checkup for your home. It involved hiring a licensed inspector to check the condition of your home to ensure no defects have developed.

A typical maintenance inspection includes:

  • Roof
  • The exterior of the house
  • Basement
  • Foundation
  • Crawlspace
  • Structure
  • Heating
  • Cooling
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical
  • Attic and insulation
  • Doors and windows
  • Walls, floors, and ceilings

You can think of it just like a maintenance check of your car, or even a check-up with your doctor or dentist. The best thing you can do to preserve your house (car or heath) and ensure it lasts a long time is to have a regular check-in with a professional.

Maintenance inspections are just like the inspection you get before purchasing a home. A licensed inspector will walk you through the house and assess its structures and systems. The only difference is that you aren’t preparing to buy (or sell) your home, but the information you get will all be the same.

Why do I need a maintenance inspection?

So we might seem kind of biased. After all, we are a company that helps you find home inspectors. However, keeping up with routine maintenance is essential to maintaining your home’s condition.

The truth is, most of the time your inspector isn’t going to find anything major wrong with your home - that's a good thing! You can expect to see a few smaller issues that you might want to repair, and they usually won’t cost that much.

Maintenance inspections are preventative, meaning they protect your home from developing larger issues. $10,000 foundation issues don’t just develop overnight (in normal circumstances). The key is to find the issues before they become big, expensive headaches.

It’s not just the financial aspect, though. There’s safety to consider, especially if there’s something wrong with the electrics, plumbing, or your fireplace. While you can put off some minor home maintenance projects, there are some repairs that you just shouldn’t ignore.

When do I need one?

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding when to get a maintenance (or annual) inspection.

First, you’ll want to get an inspection if you suspect there is an issue or if a natural disaster has occurred. Here, an inspector will help give you peace of mind or understand the issue at hand.

In lieu of these occurrences, you should get a maintenance inspection every 1-2 years (depending on the age of your home). This is a short enough time that most defects won’t grow into larger issues - but long enough that you aren’t breaking the bank.

How much do they cost?

Just like your run-of-the-mill inspection, you can expect to pay around $350 per inspection. This of course depends on the size of your home, location, and quality of the inspector.

However, the risk (of not getting an inspection) is rarely worth the reward. Spending a few hundred dollars every year or two is much better than ending up with a $10,000 repair.

How can I schedule one?

The good news is that you can schedule an inspection with Inspectify in just a few minutes. We have thousands of highly qualified inspectors all across the country, and with our online booking service, you can arrange a time and day to suit your needs.

Once the inspection is done, we will provide you with a digital report that also includes a free repair cost estimate so you have a ballpark figure to budget towards. You can also look at an online dashboard to see how your home has changed from inspection to inspection.

Conclusion

Buying and owning your home is probably the biggest financial commitment you will make in your life. A house is a great asset to have, and one that many of us strive towards. So, it makes sense to keep it in top condition with regular maintenance inspections.

You will also be saving money (and perhaps your family’s health and safety) in the long run by getting your home inspected every year or so to ensure small problems don’t become big ones.

We hope this guide was helpful! Is there anything you still have questions about? Let us know below or shoot us an email and we’ll happily help!