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
Buyers are often surprised by how much time an inspection spends talking about water. Not just plumbing leaks—but grading, gutters, soil, crawl spaces, flashing, ventilation, humidity, and drainage patterns that don’t seem urgent at first glance. A common reaction is:“But there’s no water in the house.” That’s true in the
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
One of the most misunderstood parts of home inspections is timing. Buyers often assume that if a problem exists, it should be obvious on inspection day. If it’s not visible, it must not be real. In the regions we serve—Memphis and Jackson in West Tennessee, Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Little
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
Office buildings are often evaluated first by size. Buyers look at square footage, number of suites, occupancy, parking, location, and lease potential. Those factors matter, but they do not tell the whole story. In an office property, square footage may define the opportunity, but building systems define the cost, reliability,
One of the biggest mistakes buyers make is assuming that a home’s age tells the whole story. “How old is the house?”“What year was it built?” Those questions come up constantly—but they’re rarely the most important ones. A forty-year-old home in one region can behave better than a ten-year-old home
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
Inspector tested checklist for Mid South homeowners: 4 DIY checks, the plastic test thresholds, and when to call an inspector or contractor.
