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
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
One of the more confusing moments for buyers happens when they read an inspection report and see notes about things that aren’t broken. No defect. No failure. Just commentary. It’s easy to wonder why those observations are there at all. If something is working, why mention it? The answer is
Buyers often want a simple verdict at the end of an inspection. “So… is it a good house?” It’s an understandable question. Buying a home is emotional, expensive, and stressful. A clear thumbs-up or thumbs-down would feel comforting. But experienced inspectors almost never answer that question directly—and it’s not because
Buyers often expect a home inspection to feel like a long list of individual items: roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, foundation. Each part checked, noted, and moved past. But experienced inspectors don’t actually think that way. We think in systems, because houses don’t fail one component at a time. They fail
he Walkthrough Is Where Experience Shows Anyone can read defects off a screen. Experience shows up when an inspector can explain why this defect matters here. During walkthroughs, we draw on patterns: That knowledge doesn’t always translate cleanly into bullet points. It translates best through conversation. Why Buyers Who Skip
