Nobody sleeps great the night before an inspection. I get it. You've already fallen for the house, and now a stranger with a flashlight is about to spend three hours looking for reasons it's not perfect. Twenty years on the mortgage side taught me to think about it differently. An inspection isn't a pass or fail test. It's information, and information is leverage, whichever way the numbers land.

Here's what actually happens, in order, so the whole process stops feeling like a mystery.

What the Inspector Actually Covers

A standard home inspection runs two to four hours depending on the size of the house, and I want you there for it, walking the property alongside the inspector rather than waiting for a PDF later. The scope is broad: structure, roof, exterior, electrical panel and wiring, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, interior finishes, insulation and ventilation, and any built-in appliances. The inspector isn't there to tell you whether to buy the house. That part's still yours. They're there to tell you exactly what condition it's in.

What's Not Included, and Why It Matters More Here

The standard inspection does not cover radon, wood-destroying insects, sewer line condition, or mold testing. Those are separate add-ons, usually scheduled for the same visit so you're not paying two separate trip fees. In most of the country those are optional upgrades. In Delaware County, I'd treat radon testing as close to mandatory on any house with a basement. The whole county sits in the EPA's highest radon potential zone, and the reason is what's under our feet. There's a significant amount of granite in the bedrock throughout the county, and granite naturally gives off radon gas as the uranium in it decays. That gas seeps up through the soil and collects in basements and other spaces that sit low and closed off from outside air. Upper floors and homes without a basement ventilate that gas out far more easily, so the risk drops off a lot once there's no basement in the picture, though it's still worth a cheap test rather than an assumption. A sewer scope is worth the extra couple hundred dollars too, especially on anything built before the 1960s, since a lot of our older housing stock still runs on clay lateral pipe that cracks and roots into over decades. That said, some townships already require the seller to certify the sewer lateral as part of resale, so check whether that's already been handled before you pay for a scope the municipality is requiring anyway.

What Older Delco Homes Tend to Flag

A huge share of the county's housing stock predates 1950, and that comes with its own short list of things worth asking your inspector about by name rather than waiting to see if they mention it. Knob-and-tube wiring and undersized electrical panels show up constantly in homes that never got a full rewire. So does asbestos-wrapped pipe insulation around old boilers and ductwork, which isn't automatically a crisis but is something you want identified and priced out, not discovered later. If the home ever ran on oil heat, ask directly whether there's a buried oil tank on the property and whether it was properly decommissioned, since an old underground tank with no paperwork can turn into a real liability down the line. Stone foundations on older farmhouses further out in the county are usually structurally fine but often come with basement moisture that a sump pump was added to manage at some point, worth understanding rather than assuming.

What Happens After the Report Lands

Your Agreement of Sale includes an inspection contingency, typically giving you ten to fifteen days from signing to complete your inspections and respond in writing. Once you've read the report, you generally have three paths: accept the property as it is, submit a written request for repairs or a credit and negotiate from there, or terminate the agreement within the contingency period and get your deposit back. What you can't do is sit on the report past your deadline and expect the same options to still be open. I walk every client through exactly which inspections they elected and which they waived in that paragraph before we ever get to this point, because that distinction determines what leverage you actually have when the report comes back with surprises.

How to Get the Most Out of Inspection Day

Wear clothes you don't mind getting dusty, since you may end up in an attic or crawlspace. Bring a flashlight of your own. Ask questions as they come up instead of saving them for the end, and take your own notes or photos rather than relying entirely on the summary page, since the real detail usually lives in the body of the report. If something confuses you, ask the inspector to explain it in plain language before you leave. That's what they're there for.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a home inspection cost?
In this market, plan on roughly $400 to $600 for a standard inspection depending on the size and age of the home, with radon, termite, and sewer scope add-ons running another $75 to $300 apiece. Older or larger homes tend to land at the higher end.

Do I have to be there in person?
No, but I strongly recommend it. Reading a report is nothing like watching the inspector point at the actual crack in the foundation and explain what it does and doesn't mean.

What if the inspection turns up something major?
It's not automatically a dealbreaker. Most issues get resolved through a repair request or a credit at closing. Whether it's worth walking away over depends on the specific issue, the cost to fix it, and what else is going on with the deal, which is exactly the conversation to have with your agent before your response deadline.

Should I waive the inspection to make my offer more competitive?
Some buyers do this in a multiple offer situation to strengthen their bid, and it can work. Just understand the trade-off going in: waiving the contingency means you lose the ability to negotiate or walk away over whatever the inspection would have found. Have that conversation with your agent before you decide, not after you're already under contract.

Work With a Delaware County Realtor Who Knows This Market

I've sat through more of these than I can count, on both the mortgage side and the real estate side, and I'd rather walk you through what to expect now than have you find out cold on inspection day. If you're getting ready to make an offer, let's talk through the process before you're staring down a ten day clock.

Contact me or read more about buying a home in Delaware County. You can also get a sense of your own home's value on the home valuation page.

Licensed Real Estate Agent in Pennsylvania and Delaware | Premier Property Sales and Rentals | 192 Saxer Avenue, Springfield, PA 19064 | 484-442-0295