About the Author
Jeff Kinton is the owner of SafeHarbor Inspection Group and has completed more than 5,000 home inspections throughout the Atlanta area. His approach is simple: explain what matters, put defects in proper context, and provide perspective instead of panic.
Atlanta Home Inspector Since 2015
For Buyers, For Clarity
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What Are the Most Common Problems Found During Atlanta Home Inspections?
By Jeff Kinton
SafeHarbor Inspection Group
Quick Answer
There isn't one universal list of problems found during Atlanta home inspections because every house is different. Common findings tend to fall into familiar categories: roofing, structural components, electrical systems, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drainage, moisture, windows, and general maintenance. The age of the home, the property it sits on, previous renovations, and how well it has been maintained all influence what an inspection reveals.
But after thousands of inspections, I've learned that the number of problems usually matters less than the nature of those problems.
A home inspection might uncover dozens of individual findings. Some may affect safety or require significant expense. Others may simply be the normal maintenance items that come with owning a house.
The real value of the inspection is understanding the difference.
Every House Gets a Fair Shot
I try to begin every inspection with a blank slate. I've inspected houses that looked immaculate when I pulled into the driveway and turned out to have significant problems. I've also inspected older homes that looked a little rough around the edges but had been thoughtfully maintained where it mattered.
That's because every house is different. It sits on a different piece of land. It has experienced different weather and drainage conditions. Different owners have maintained, repaired, renovated, neglected, improved, and occasionally done some fairly creative things to it over the years.
So I don't walk into an inspection with a predetermined list of things I'm expecting to find. The house gets a fair shot. As the inspection progresses, a story begins to develop.
Almost Everything Can Be Fixed — For a Price
One thing I've learned after thousands of inspections is that almost everything in a house can be fixed. Usually, the question is how much money it will take.
An aging roof can be replaced. An old HVAC system can be replaced. Electrical systems can be upgraded. Plumbing can be repaired. Windows can be replaced. Structural problems can often be corrected with the appropriate engineering and repair work.
That doesn't make those findings unimportant. Quite the opposite.
If a roof is approaching the end of its expected service life, or several major systems are aging at the same time, a buyer should understand that before purchasing the home.
And there may be no better time to discover those things than when you're buying the house and money is about to change hands.
The purpose isn't necessarily to find a reason not to buy the house.
It's to understand what you're buying.
Some Things Are Much Harder to Change
There are exceptions to the idea that everything can simply be repaired. Sometimes the concern isn't the house itself. It's the property underneath and around it.
Every now and then I'll arrive at a house and realize that it sits at a natural low point relative to the surrounding properties. Sometimes I'll get on the roof, look around the neighborhood, and realize that several surrounding lots are effectively draining toward the property I'm inspecting. That's different from replacing an old water heater.
There are many ways to manage water: grading improvements, gutters and downspouts, drainage systems, waterproofing, sump pumps, and other measures can all be effective. But you can't economically move the house to the top of the hill.
The same can be true of conditions involving neighboring retaining walls or drainage originating on surrounding properties.
These situations aren't automatically reasons to walk away from a home, but they deserve a different kind of consideration because they may be characteristics you'll continue managing throughout ownership rather than problems you simply repair once and forget.
What Are the Big-Ticket Findings?
When buyers ask what I'm most concerned about during an inspection, I usually think first about the components that could have a significant effect on safety, functionality, and future expense. The roof is an obvious example. If the shingles are approaching the end of their useful life, replacement can represent a substantial near-term expense. The same applies to aging HVAC equipment.
Electrical concerns can range from relatively straightforward repairs to older panels, wiring, or service equipment that may warrant significant upgrades. Plumbing problems can range from a dripping fixture to aging supply or drain systems that could eventually require much more extensive work.
And then there are structural concerns. I'm a home inspector, not a structural engineer, so when conditions warrant engineering analysis, I'll recommend it. But after inspecting thousands of homes, I've also seen plenty of uneven floors, foundation cracks and evidence of settlement.
The important part is recognizing when something appears consistent with normal aging and movement and when the evidence suggests that further evaluation is appropriate. Those distinctions matter.
Some Problems Sound Scarier Than They Are
There are certain words that can make a buyer's eyes get very wide during an inspection walkthrough.
Foundation is one of them. Tell someone there's a crack in a foundation wall and it's understandable that their mind immediately jumps to major structural failure. But a minor mortar crack consistent with age and ordinary movement is not the same thing as significant structural displacement. Context matters.
Another one is what I usually call 'critters'. We're in Georgia. We have trees, woods, squirrels, mice and plenty of other creatures that would apparently also like to participate in the housing market. Evidence of past or current pest activity is extremely common and usually very manageable. More important than simply putting out traps is identifying and sealing the openings that are allowing them into the house in the first place.
Environmental concerns can produce the same reaction. Words like mold or asbestos understandably sound serious. They deserve appropriate attention, but their presence doesn't automatically mean a house is unsafe or should be abandoned. Fungal growth is generally a moisture-management problem that needs to be understood and addressed.
Older homes may also contain materials that are suspected of containing asbestos. The appropriate response depends on the material, its condition, and whether it is likely to be disturbed. Sometimes professional evaluation or remediation is appropriate; in other circumstances, intact material may be safely managed in place.
The important thing is to understand the actual condition before making a decision based solely on a frightening word. That's one reason I believe a home inspector should be informative without being alarmist.
A House Built in 1920 Isn't a House Built in 2020
Age matters. A home built in 1920 represents roughly a century of evolution in construction methods, building materials, technology, and expectations. It would be unreasonable to inspect a hundred-year-old house and expect every component to resemble modern construction.
Older Atlanta homes commonly have some character. Floors may not be perfectly level. Framing may have been modified or reinforced over the decades. Electrical and plumbing systems may contain a combination of original, updated, and renovated components.
That doesn't mean an older house gets an automatic pass. Many older homes have undergone substantial renovations, and unsafe or significantly deteriorated conditions still deserve attention regardless of when the house was built.
But context matters here too. An uneven floor in a century-old house that has been appropriately reinforced and appears stable is a very different finding from evidence suggesting significant ongoing structural movement.
The goal isn't to ask, “Is this house perfect?” It almost certainly isn't.
The better question is, “Is what we're seeing reasonable for this house, or is there something here that deserves further attention?”
The Number of Findings Isn't the Most Important Number
A thorough home inspection report can be long. Sometimes very long. That's partly because an exhaustive inspection includes everything from significant structural or safety concerns to a loose doorknob, a window that doesn't operate properly, or a floor that squeaks.
All of those observations may belong in the report. They do not belong in the same mental category. That's an important distinction for buyers, particularly first-time buyers who may open a 60- or 70-page inspection report and understandably wonder whether they've accidentally purchased a condemned building.
A long report doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad house. It means the inspector documented what was observed. The more useful question is: Which findings actually matter most?
How I Decide What Matters Most
As I get toward the end of an inspection, I start thinking about the house from the buyer's perspective. If I were buying this home, what would I want to know? What affects safety? What could affect how the house functions? What might require significant money shortly after closing? What deserves additional evaluation before the end of the due diligence period? And what is simply something I'll need to maintain or repair over time as a homeowner?
By the time the buyer arrives for the walkthrough, I usually have a handful of findings in my head that I consider the priorities. Maybe it's five. Maybe it's six or seven.
There will almost certainly be plenty of additional observations in the full report, but I don't want a buyer to have to hunt through dozens of pages to figure out what I believe deserves the most attention. That's also why I highlight the most important findings near the beginning of my inspection reports.
A loose doorknob and a major structural concern may both belong in a thorough inspection report. They don't deserve equal billing.
So, Is This a Bad House?
That's ultimately the question behind a lot of inspection walkthroughs. And it's rarely something that can be answered by counting defects. Ten expensive or significant findings can tell a very different story from fifty minor maintenance items.
My job isn't to convince a buyer to purchase a house, and it isn't to scare them away from one. It's to help them understand its condition. That means identifying the problems, explaining their significance, putting them into the context of the home's age and overall condition, and helping the buyer understand which items deserve priority.
Every house has defects. Every house requires maintenance. And almost every house will eventually require money. The goal of a home inspection isn't to find a perfect house. It's to make sure you understand the one you're about to buy.
Need a Home Inspection in Atlanta?
SafeHarbor Inspection Group has completed more than 5,000 home inspections throughout the Atlanta area. If you're buying a home and would like a thorough, easy-to-understand evaluation of the property, we'd be happy to help.