FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We encourage our clients to attend any portion the inspection that they wish too. If a client attends the inspection, they are also welcomed to shadow the inspector when it is safe for them do so, or they can just hang back and wait to hear the inspector’s findings at the end of the inspection. Most of our clients choose to attend the end of the inspection and your inspector can give you an idea of when they will be wrapped up at the site. We at Circa know that you are busy, so we also offer remote video conferencing after the inspection if you cannot attend. 

There are many variables that can cause an inspection to take more or less time; age, size, access restrictions, crawlspace, however the general rule of thumb is 1 hour per 1,000 square feet. Most homes take between 2 – 4 hours while large homes can take 5 – 8 hours.

The home inspection industry is governed by the North Carolina Home Inspection Licensure Board. Below is a link to their Standards of Practice for home inspectors which details exactly what will and won’t be inspected. Common limitations to the home inspection include but are not limited to: security systems, irrigation systems, pools and hot tubs, backup generators, central vacuum systems, solar panels. 

NHLB Standards of Practice

Framing inspections should be scheduled just before insulation is installed in the home. This can be a short time frame so be sure that you let the builder know your intentions to have a framing inspection performed before the walls and ceilings are covered up. Weather can delay the builders initial time frame so it’s common for the framing inspections to be delayed. If this happens just let us know and we will move the inspection on our calendar. 

Due to the short time frame it may be difficult to schedule a re-inspection of the repairs. If a re-inspection cannot be scheduled in time, then we recommended that the client ask to the builder to provide verification of the completed repairs.

This is not a code inspection. While your Circa inspector is trained to identify defects to the construction home, they will not be citing specific code. Code inspections are performed by the local county inspectors and documentation of their findings are typically posted in the home or can be shared with you directly from the builder. 

Also known as 1 Year Anniversary inspections these are usually scheduled after about 10 – 11 months following the completion of the home. 

Absolutely! Our clients are encouraged to show us their list of concerns prior to the inspection. The home inspector will be performing a complete general inspection of the property, but we know that the client has been living in the home for nearly a year and we value and will document those specific concerns. A home inspection is designed to identify and report on components that do not function as intended, safety defects, or defects that warrant further evaluation by a specialist, therefore cosmetic concerns that the homeowner may have will have to be given directly to the builder and are considered outside of the scope of the home inspection. 

In addition to a list of concerns, it will be important for the homeowner to make sure that vital components of the home are easily accessible by the inspector (ex: electrical panels, attic accesses, water heaters, mechanical equipment, etc.). 

Yes, Letting the sellers know that your inspector will be re-visiting the home to inspect the negotiated repairs makes it more likely that the repairs will be completed in a professional manner. 

Your Circa inspector will use your list of negotiated repairs and the original inspection report. They will inspect every negotiated repair and document its condition by taking photos, and providing a written explanations of each item. They will then compile them in a new inspection report that lists the original defect, the conditions of the defect at the time of re-inspection, and before and after photos. If an item was not “fixed” then it will fall under a neatly compiled summary list that the client can send to the seller for completion. A re-inspection report is usually completed and emailed to our clients within 10 hours of the re-inspection.  

 A WDIR is an acronym that stands “Wood Destroying Insect Report”. Your Circa inspector will be inspecting the property for all types of wood destroying insects, termites, powder post beetles, old house borers, and carpenter bees. The report will document any evidence of wood destroying insects including type of insect, location of intrusion, and whether or not the infestation is “active” or not. A WDIR will also document areas in the home that were difficult to inspect or were obstructed, and will document any areas of the home which may have conditions conducive for wood destroying insects. 

Your radon test will take a minimum of 48 hours.

Accuracy counts. CIRCA Inspectors use state of the art AIRThings radon monitoring equipment that tracks the temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure during the test, resulting in comprehensive radon results. The technical information is collected and formatted into a detailed report that can be generated and delivered rapidly using remote uploading software.

From the time that the samples are collected to the time that the results are emailed can vary a bit depending on what contaminates the inspector is testing for. A bacterium test typically takes 2-3 days, while testing for lead, nitrates, and nitrites, may take up to 5-8 days. If a sample is collected on a Thursday the results may take slightly longer as laboratories are closed on the weekends. *Water samples must be delivered to our laboratory within 24 hours after collection. For this reason water quality testing can only performed Monday – Thursday.

Some samples will be taken from the home’s kitchen sink, while others will have to be collected directly from the sampling spigot at the well. Your inspector is specially trained to know the proper sampling techniques and locations for collection. * Due to the required timing of collected samples, water quality testing cannot be scheduled Friday – Sunday. 

Your report will list the contaminates and state whether they are “Present” or “Absent” in the homes potable water. The presence or absence is determined by measuring the contaminates in the water samples against the allowable limits established by the Environmental Protection Agency. If the measurement is over the allowable limits, then it is classified as “Present” if they are under the allowable limits then it is classified as “Absent”.

* Due to the required timing of collected samples, water quality testing cannot be scheduled Friday – Sunday. 

The process of removing bacteria from a well water system is called Chlorination and a detailed explanation can be found by clicking on the link below: 

Chlorination

Lead, nitrates, and nitrites can be removed by one of multiple methods of filtration. The Centers for Disease Control has an explanation of Lead in well water which can be found in the link below:

Lead, Nitrate & Nitrite Filtration

* Due to the required timing of collected samples, water quality testing cannot be scheduled Friday – Sunday. 

Call your Circa inspector to schedule a retest of the potable water following any remediation efforts. 

* Due to the required timing of collected samples, water quality testing cannot be scheduled Friday – Sunday.