Our Home Inspection 101 course outlines what you should expect to be covered in your Arkansas Home Inspection.
The purpose of this course is to educate anyone considering the purchase of a home inspection in Arkansas as to the scope and intent of a Home Inspection. All real estate inspections of homes or multi-family domiciles of four or less units are governed and regulated by an agency of The State of Arkansas. The Arkansas Home Inspection Regristration Board is the agency that was created by the action of the 84th General Assembly in 2003 with the passage of Act 1328. This agency is charged to administer and enforce the laws that govern the activities of people performing fee-paid Home Inspections within The State of Arkansas. The Standards of Practice and the Code of Ethics of The American Society of Home Inspectors were adopted and are to be adhered to by anyone performing Home Inspections.
A visual, non-destructive assessment of the major systems and components of a home.
Attic
Bathrooms
Crawlspace & Basement
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Exterior
Electrical
Foundation
Garage
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Garage Cont.
Grounds
Heating & Cooling
Interior
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Interior Cont.
Kitchen & Laundry
Plumbing
Roof
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The PURPOSE of a Home Inspection is to help buyers and sellers make real estate transaction decisions based on accurate and objective information.
The INTENT of a written Inspection Report is to provide the client with objective information regarding the condition of the systems and components of the home as inspected at the time of the home inspection.
In order to provide such wide ranging and encompassing investigations, the inspectors of Mobley Home Inspections call upon their extensive course work and experience. Our professional inspectors have developed high skill levels and competency over a broad range of topics in order to accurately report the condition of the systems and components in your home.
Your home inspector can be thought of as a generalist rather than a specialist. This is similar to your family doctor or general practitioner. Your Family Practice Doctor has a very large and broad understanding of a great many subjects, but he or she is not an expert in all areas. Just as your family doctor will refer you to a specialist when conditions warrant, so too, will we recommend a building specialist when conditions warrant. Mobley Home Inspections is licensed to perform home inspections. We are proficient in all the areas included in your inspection; however, we are not an expert in all areas. We do not hold a plumbers’, electricians’, or an HVAC license, etcetera.
This leads to several conditions that limit a home inspection. A home inspection is limited to what is observable and to conclusions that are derived from observable data and the operation of the normal home’s operator controls. Home Inspectors do not dismantle equipment or determine adequacy of any system or component.
A Home inspection is a visual, non-destructive examination of the systems and components of a building using the normal home’s operating controls and opening readily openable access panels.
Inspect: The structural components including the foundation and framing. 2. by probing a representative number of structural components where deterioration is suspected or where clear indications of possible deterioration exist. Probing is NOT required when probing would damage any finished surface or where no deterioration is visible or presumed to exist.
Describe: The methods used to inspect under-floor crawl spaces and attics, the foundation, the floor structure, the wall structure, the ceiling structur. the roof structure.
Inspect: siding, flashing and trim, all exterior doors, attached or adjacent decks, balconies, stoops, steps, porches, and their associated railings, eaves, soffits, and fascias where accessible from the ground level, vegetation, grading, surface drainage, and retaining walls that are likely to adversely affect the building, adjacent or entryway walkways, patios, and driveways
Describe: siding
Inspect: roofing materials, roof drainage systems, flashing, skylights, chimneys, and roof penetrations
Describe: roofing materials, methods used to inspect the roofing
Inspect: interior water supply and distribution systems including all fixtures and faucets, drain, waste, and vent systems including all fixtures, water heating equipment and hot water supply system, vent systems, flues, chimneys, fuel storage, fuel distribution systems, drainage sumps, sump pumps, and related piping
Describe: water supply, drain, waste and vent piping materials, water heating equipment including energy source(s), location of main water and fuel shut-off valves
Inspect: service drop, service entrance conductors, cables and raceways, service equipment and main disconnects, service grounding, interior components of service panels and subpanels, conductors, overcurrent protection devices, a representative number of installed lighting fixtures, switches, receptacles, ground fault circuit interrupters
Describe: amperage and voltage rating of the service, location of main disconnect(s) and subpanels, presence of solid conductor aluminum branch circuit wiring, presence or absence of smoke detectors, wiring methods
Inspect: readily openable access panels, installed heating and cooling equipment, vent systems, flues and chimneys, central and through-wall equipment, distribution systems
Describe: energy source(s), heating systems, and cooling systems
Inspect: walls, ceilings, floors, steps, stairways, railings, countertops and a representative number of installed cabinets, a representative number of doors and windows, garage doors and garage door operators
Inspect: insulation and vapor retarders in unfinished spaces, ventilation of attics and foundation areas, mechanical ventilation systems
Describe: insulation and vapor retarders in unfinished spaces, absence of insulation in unfinished spaces at conditioned surfaces
Inspect: system components, chimney and vents
Describe: fireplaces and solid fuel burning appliances, chimneys and vents
A home inspection does not cover nonstructural, cosmetic, or decorative portions of the home. Nor is it to provide any engineering or architectural services or analysis. It is not intended to offer an opinion as to the adequacy of any structural system or component. Home inspections are not technically exhaustive. Home inspections do not identify any concealed conditions, latent defects, or consequential damage(s).
Commonly Excluded Items Include:
screening, shutters, awnings and similar seasonal accessories, fences, geological and/or soil conditions, recreational facilities, spas, saunas, steam baths, swimming pools, exercise, entertainment, athletic, playground or other similar equipment and associated accessories, outbuildings other than garages and carports, seawalls, break-walls, docks, erosion control and earth stabilization measures, antennae, interiors of flues or chimneys that are not readily accessible, installed accessories on roof, clothes washing machine connections, wells, well pumps, water storage related equipment, water conditioning systems, solar water heating systems, fire and lawn sprinkler systems, private waste disposal systems, heat exchangers, humidifiers or dehumidifiers, electronic air filters, remote control devices, alarm systems and components, low voltage wiring systems and components, ancillary wiring systems and components not a part of the primary electrical power distribution system, paint, wallpaper and other finish treatments, carpeting, window treatments, central vacuum systems, household appliances, window air conditioning units, underground items including, but not limited to, underground storage tanks or other underground equipment, indications of their presence, whether abandoned or active, items that are not installed, or installed decorative items
A Home Inspection Is Not Required To Determine:
whether water supply and waste disposal systems are public or private, water supply quantity or quality, amperage, voltage, impedance, heat or cooling supply adequacy or distribution balance, conditions of systems or components that are not readily accessible, remaining life expectancy of any system or component, strength, adequacy, effectiveness, or efficiency of any system or component, causes of any condition or deficiency, methods, materials, or costs of corrections, future conditions including, but not limited to, failure of systems and components, suitability of the property for any specialized use, presence of potentially hazardous plants or animals including, but not limited to, wood-destroying organisms or diseases harmful to humans including molds or mold-like substances, presence of any environmental hazards including, but not limited to, toxins, carcinogens, noise, and contaminants in soil, water, and air
A Home Inspection Does Not Require The Inspector To Operate:
Any system or component that is shut down or otherwise inoperable, any system or component that does not respond to normal operating controls, shut-off valves or manual stop valves, or automatic safety controls
A Home Inspector Is Not Required To:
This course is not intended to be all-encompassing. For additional information, please follow the links below to ASHI website for more information.
The laws governing the Home Inspection Industry in Arkansas are found at:
Arkansas Home Inspector Registration Board
Arkansas State Law Regulating Home Inspectors
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