Here we answer questions about getting a home or commercial inspection, give tips on home maintenance, and share our knowledge about common home and commercial property issues. We are here to help you. If you can’t find an answer to your questions here, you can always contact us via our contact page.
During inspections, there’s a moment that comes up again and again. We’re standing in a mechanical room, crawl space, or attic, and a client asks something like: “So is this broken… or just old?” That question matters more than most people realize, because deferred maintenance and active failure are not
Every inspector has had this moment: the walkthrough is wrapping up, and a buyer asks, “So… everything looks good, right?” What they usually mean is that nothing obvious jumped out—no leaks pouring from ceilings, no sparking wires, no collapsing floors. And often, that’s true. The house looks fine. It’s standing.
During an inspection, buyers sometimes notice the inspector lingering over things that seem insignificant. A slight slope in the floor. A hairline crack near a window. Rust beginning to form on a fastener. A door that doesn’t quite close the way it should. It’s common to hear, “Is that really
One of the most common assumptions buyers make is that newer homes are somehow exempt from inspection concerns. If the house was built recently—especially within the last five to ten years—it’s easy to believe the big risks are behind you. After all, everything looks clean. Systems feel modern. Materials haven’t
Some buyers expect a home inspection to feel intense. Serious tone. Urgent language. A long list of warnings. When that doesn’t happen, they sometimes wonder whether the inspection was thorough enough. In reality, the calmest inspections are often the most experienced ones. At Upchurch Inspection, our goal isn’t to impress
One loose outlet cover doesn’t mean much.One small crack doesn’t tell a story.One stained board could be nothing. But when those things start repeating—when they show up in related places, under similar conditions, or alongside other subtle clues—that’s when experienced inspectors start paying close attention. At Upchurch Inspection, we don’t
When people think about basement problems, they usually think about cracks, water stains, sump pumps, grading, or foundation movement. Those things matter, but in the Kansas City metro, basement conditions often trace back to something deeper: the ground itself. When I review reports from our Centerview, Missouri inspector working throughout
One of the most common follow-up questions buyers ask during an inspection is some version of: “About how much do you think this will cost to fix?” It’s a reasonable question. Buying a home is a financial decision, and people want to understand what they’re stepping into. But experienced inspectors
Buyers often focus on a home’s age when trying to gauge risk. “How old is the roof?”“How old is the HVAC?”“How old is the house?” Age matters—but it’s rarely the most important factor. What experienced inspectors really pay attention to is how the house has been maintained, because maintenance history
Subdivision Growth Comes With Patterns When I review reports from our Centerview, Missouri inspector in the eastern Kansas City suburbs, the homes in Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs tend to share a predictable inspection profile. These communities saw heavy subdivision growth from the 1990s through the 2010s, and many homes
Some buyers are surprised when an inspector asks a personal-sounding question during or after an inspection: “How long do you think you’ll be in the house?” It can feel irrelevant. The house is the house, regardless of how long you live there—right? In reality, that single question shapes how inspection
When I review reports from our Centerview, Missouri inspector, homes in Marshall tend to have a different feel than homes in faster-growing suburban markets. These properties often reflect the town’s agricultural roots, long-term ownership patterns, and practical approach to maintenance. Many were not built for rapid turnover or constant resale.
