A home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of the accessible areas of the home designed to gain a general understanding of the home and identify areas of concern within specific systems and components defined by the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, that are both observed and deemed material by the inspector on the date and time of the inspection. Home inspections are not comprehensive nor completely exhaustive and will never identify every issue or the extent of every issue that’s present in a home.
A 4-point inspection in South Carolina is a focused evaluation of a home’s four primary systems: roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC. The inspection helps identify potential risks associated with aging systems, ensuring that the property meets the insurer’s standards. If issues are found, homeowners may need to make necessary repairs to qualify for or maintain insurance coverage. These should never be used in leiu of a full, comprehensive home inspection during a real estate transaction.
A CL-100 inspection, also known as a Wood Infestation Report or “termite letter,” is a specialized inspection required in South Carolina during real estate transactions. It assesses a property’s structural integrity concerning wood-destroying organisms and moisture-related issues.
A wind mitigation inspection in South Carolina is a specialized assessment that evaluates how well your home can withstand high winds, particularly from hurricanes and severe storms. While not legally required, this inspection can help homeowners save on insurance premiums by identifying wind-resistant features that reduce the risk of storm damage.
We perform a whole-house infrared scan on every home inspection that we perform at no additional cost to you. This utilizes a powerful high-resolution infrared camera to scan the interior surfaces of the home which can help identify possibly hidden issues that may otherwise not be observed with simply the naked eye. Issues that can be uncovered can include hot spots and areas of missing or inadequate insulation, overloaded and hot electrical circuitry, and moisture issues such as roof leaks, plumbing leaks, and moisture intrusion. This helps add an extra layer of protection on every home inspection that we perform, and is a must-have in the modern world of home inspections.
After the inspection has been scheduled via our easy online scheduler, we will confirm the details and send out a confirmation email to all parties involved. The client will receive an email with a blue button titled “Inspection Details” where electronic payment can be made. Although we ask that payment be made prior to your inspection, you can pay at any time before, during, or after the inspection. You just won’t be able to view any reports until the inspection agreement is signed and payment is made.
Yes! Simply call or text our office at (843) 284-3656 or email us at admin@housescanchs.com to add services, reschedule your inspection, or cancel your inspection. We ask that you please do these at least 24 hour ahead of time, if at all possible. Failing to do so may result in additional fees which are outlined in your inspection agreement.
You’ll receive your inspection report within 24 hours—often the same day. If your service includes a third-party inspection, it may take a little longer, but we’ll keep you updated every step of the way. Mold (IAQ) Inspections are turned around from the lab typically within 2-3 business days.
The short answer is “Yes.” You can forgo a full home inspection and solely get a standalone 4-point inspection which will help your insurance company determine the insurability of the property and in many cases will allow you to obtain insurance on the property. However, we would highly urge against this practice. A 4-point inspection is not an in-depth inspection of the home’s 4 major systems, and is more of a high level documentation of basic information and photos of those systems, which the insurance carrier uses to determine risk and insurability of the property. The full home inspection, on the other hand, is far more detailed and comprehensive and the benefits of the service usually far outweigh the costs. If you’re purchasing you’re home without a full home inspection, you are taking on substantial risk.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. The condo inspection will exclude the roof and exterior of the unit, meaning it is an interior-only inspection and is really only intended for condo buildings in which the units “stack” on top of each other. While townhome community associations maintain the “common areas,” such as the roof and exterior, this comes with limitations. One, the association will only repair what they know to be an issue. If there are missing shingles, for example, the association won’t know to repair those unless someone alerts them to the problem. Also, townhome associations and their ability to make repairs are only as good as the board and whoever is running it. Many townhome associations are run by community members who are not well-versed in these matters. This can mean that there is not enough money in the reserves to cover big-ticket items such as roof replacements. Leaving you stuck with a special assessment of thousands of dollars to cover these repairs if you don’t negotiate to have the seller cover these costs beforehand. For these reasons, we are always going to recommend a full home inspection for a townhome, regardless of whether the common areas are an association’s responsibility or not.
Identifying mold is outside the scope of a standard home inspection, but we now offer indoor air quality testing as an add-on service, designed to determine if unusually high or concerning levels of molds are present in the home. These air samples are collected and are sent off to an independent laboratory for testing with results within 2-3 business days. Indoor air quality tests start with one control sample on the exterior and one indoor sample, but more samples can be added, if necessary.
Testing for Asbestos, Lead-based Paint, and other environmental hazards are specifically excluded and are outside the scope of a standard home inspection. Although we will do our best to identify and inform you of the risks of potential environmental hazards, each hazard requires detailed laboratory testing to confirm the presence of and specific risks. These services are often performed by a 3rd party environmental company or specialty inspector at an additional cost. If you have any specific concerns, feel free to reach out and we’ll connect you with a vetted local contractor or company that can assist.
A standard home inspection inspects components that are visible and readily accessible. We are limited to running water for several minutes and looking for backups or leaks, but many times issues in the drain piping may not be uncovered through these means. Sewage drain lines are typically hidden and located below ground, and so issues are typically outside the scope of a home inspection. We do offer a Sewer Lateral Pipe Scope Inspection though which can be purchased as an add-on service. This service places a camera inside the sewer lateral which helps to uncover hidden issues such as crushed or cracked pipes, blockages, problematic piping, pipe offsets, low-spots, etc. These issues can be very expensive to correct. This inspection only inspects the larger sewer lateral pipes extending from the home to the private septic system or public sewer line, not any waste arms, and is highly encouraged prior to any home purchase.
We don’t inspect private septic systems as part of a standard home inspection, since these systems are underground, often require pumping beforehand, and fall outside the scope of what we are licensed to inspect.
When we inspect a home that we have previously inspected, we do not disclose that it was inspected by us before unless specifically asked. An inspection is a snapshot of a moment in time and each inspection is conducted as a fresh, independent evaluation, focusing on the current, visible condition of the home at the time of the inspection.
We can not share or provide any information about findings from prior inspections, as those reports and findings belong exclusively to the client who purchased the original or previous inspection. Additionally, any deficiencies noted during previous inspections may have been repaired or addressed since then, making it important to base our evaluation solely on the present condition of the property.
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