"What does a Home Inspector Look for Anyway?"

In the thirty six years I have been in this business, I have heard the question "We had a home inspection on our house before we bought it, but now the ice maker does not work. What does a home inspector look for on an inspection anyway?"
Professional Home Inspectors follow a Standard of Practice and a Code of Ethics that have been established by National organizations such as The HomeTeam Inspection Service Inc., ASHI, NAHI, and many others. But to boil it down the practice is:
A visual inspection of the condition of the house at the time of the inspection and to inspect for visual major defects, safety issues, and maintenance issues. A major visual defect is described as a single issue that has to be resolved to allow the normal safe function of the house, that will cost a thousand dollars or more to correct. Safety issues generally cost under a thousand dollars to correct. A large amount of safety issues found, involve the home's electrical system and usually not costly to repair. The last thing is maintenance issues. Not all maintenance issues are required to be on the report. However maintenance issue that will cause a major defect or a safety issue if not corrected in a timely manner, shall be written in the report.

Ask questions when you are hiring a home inspector, so you will know what to expect from your home inspection.

I will post some pictures tomorrow of some reported issues.