What is a Home Inspector?

A Guide to Inspections for Tennessee Home Buyers & Sellers

Home Inspection: A non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, most often conducted in connection with the sale of that home.

What is a Home Inspector?

A home inspector is a professional that has been trained and/or certified to conduct a visual inspection of all of the accessible features of a home to determine the condition of that home’s major systems.

Home inspectors check the roof, basement, heating system, water heater, air-conditioning system, structure, plumbing, electrical, and many other aspects of the quality and safety of a home. They look for system and major component defects and deficiencies, improper building practices, those items that require extensive repairs, items that are general maintenance issues, and even some fire and safety issues.

Areas Home Inspectors Examine:

  • Heating and Cooling Systems
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical Systems
  • Roofing
  • Exterior and Interior Home Elements
  • Structural Components
  • Foundation, Basements and Crawl Spaces

Areas They Don’t Examine:

  • Cosmetics
  • Outbuildings
  • Swimming Pools and Spas
  • Specialty Systems including Telephone, Cable TV, Alarm Systems, and Lawn Sprinklers
  • Environmental Issues and Energy Applications

A general home inspection is not designed to identify building code violations, although some deficiencies identified may also be code violations. A home inspection is not exhaustive and does not imply that every defect will be discovered. The home inspector provides his/her professional opinion of the performance of the readily-accessible installed systems in a home. Their focus is on the performance of the home, rather than cosmetic, code or design issues. They identify components that are significantly deficient, unsafe or near the end of their life that affect the overall quality of the home and functional systems.

A Home Inspector does not offer:

  • Appraisals
  • Insurance Policies 
  • Guarantees
  • Life Expectancies
  • Warranties 

Most often home inspectors conduct in-field evaluations and visual examinations of homes that are being listed for sale, or being considered for purchase. Home inspectors work for both home buyers and home sellers

For Home Buyers:

Home inspectors provide buyers with the assurance that the house they want to purchase is functional and safe. They also help buyers identify any needed repairs and educate them on proper maintenance and care of their future home. 

For Home Sellers:

Home inspectors provide sellers with the ability to market their house more efficiently so they can make more money and sell it faster. They do this by helping sellers identify any needed repairs and educating them on any issues that may hinder the sales process.   

They deliver a findings report that becomes part of the real estate transaction, to help both buyers and sellers ensure their interests are best served.

Types of Home Inspections They Perform:

  • Pre-listing
  • Residential
    • Condo
    • Townhouse
    • Mobile Home
    • Manufactured Home
    • New Construction
    • Duplex
  • Re-inspection
  • Radon Testing

Training & Certifications:

Reputable home inspectors follow “standards of practice” that serve as minimum guidelines, describing what is and is not required to be inspected by various associations.

U.S. Standards of Practice for Home Inspectors are set by:

This agency is no longer active, since 10/2017.

J & J Home Inspectors:

The home inspectors of J & J Home Inspections have been trained and certified as Certification Inspection Experts. We participate in continuing education to keep up with the industry standards in general construction. We have also been screened and approved by Home Advisor.

As natives of Sumner County, home inspectors of J & J Home Inspections are locals who live and work in our middle Tennessee community. Our focus is to provide services to make you feel comfortable buying or selling a home in our area. We also want to ensure our area homes get the maintenance and care they need to stay healthy for many generations to come. 

Whether you are buying or selling a home, need a re-inspection to ensure repairs were completed, or require radon testing or a specialty service, select a home inspector to represent your interests that is invested in our community. 

At J & J Home Inspections in Middle Tennessee, TN, We Love Where We Work.  And, We Work Where We Live.

Call Us: 615-915-8480