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Home Inspections in Maryland, Part 1: What Each Inspection on the Contract Addendum Covers

ByCharles Chapman

You have found a home, your offer has been accepted, and now the contract puts a short list of inspections in front of you. On the Maryland REALTORS® Property Inspections addendum, that list is easy to skim past: seven types of inspection, each with a place for the buyer’s and seller’s initials, plus a blank line for anything else you want checked.

This is the first post in a series on how home inspections work and how to find a qualified home inspector. Here I will walk through each inspection on the form in plain English. Then I will spend more time on the first one, the structural and mechanical inspection, because it is the one that most often raises the question, “Do we need a structural engineer?”

Everything below is general information. Your contract and addendum control your rights and deadlines, so read them carefully and ask your agent or attorney if anything is unclear.

The seven inspections on the addendum

The form lists them in this order. Not every home needs every one, and your inspection period is short, so it helps to decide early which ones make sense for the house you are buying.

1. Structural and Mechanical

This is what most people mean by “a home inspection.” A licensed home inspector goes through the house, attic, basement or crawl space, roof and exterior, looking at the structure (foundation and framing) and the major systems: heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical and the water heater. It is a visual, non-invasive review of what the inspector can see and reach, written up in a report with photos. It is also the inspection most likely to produce a repair list, so I cover it in detail further down.

2. Mold

A mold inspection looks for visible growth and for the moisture that feeds it: leaks, poor ventilation, a damp basement, wet insulation. The specialist may use a moisture meter or a thermal camera, and may take air or surface samples that a laboratory analyzes, which usually takes a few days. There is no federal standard for an acceptable level of mold, so the results are interpreted by the specialist, often by comparing indoor samples with the air outside. A general home inspector will point out visible suspect growth or water damage, but a mold inspection is a separate and more focused look.

3. Environmental

“Environmental” is an umbrella for hazards in the house or on the lot that a general inspection is not set up to find. Depending on the age and history of the property, that can include asbestos in older insulation, flooring or pipe wrap, an abandoned underground heating-oil tank, or contaminated soil or drinking water. Because the category is broad, ask the inspector exactly what a particular environmental inspection covers and what it does not, and check what your addendum says it includes.

4. Radon

Radon is a radioactive gas that forms naturally in the ground and can collect in homes, especially in basements. The EPA’s action level is 4 picocuries per liter. A radon test usually runs for at least 48 hours with the house kept closed up, using a device that is then sent to a lab or read electronically. In Montgomery County this one is not just a good idea: the County Code (Sec. 40-13C) requires a radon test before most single-family homes, including townhomes, are sold. Condominiums are not covered, and neither are homes in Barnesville, Kensington and Poolesville. The test must use a County-approved device and be done within a year before settlement, and the buyer and seller both receive the results. The law does not require the seller to fix a high reading, so what happens next is a matter for negotiation. If the level is high, a radon mitigation system, essentially a vent pipe and fan, can bring it down.

5. Chimney

If the house has a fireplace, wood stove or gas appliance that vents through a chimney, a chimney inspection checks that the flue can safely carry smoke and gases out of the house. The industry describes three levels of inspection under the NFPA 211 standard. A Level 1 is a basic visual check, and a Level 3 is a destructive investigation reserved for a suspected serious hazard. When a home is sold, the level most often recommended is a Level 2, which adds a video camera scan of the inside of the flue. The inspector looks for cracked or missing liner sections, creosote buildup, a damaged crown or cap, and unsafe clearances to wood framing. A general inspector can only see part of this, which is why chimneys are a favorite item for a specialist.

6. Lead-Based Paint Hazard

Lead-based paint was banned from housing in 1978, so this one matters for older homes. Under federal rules, the seller of a pre-1978 home must disclose what they know about lead paint, give you an EPA pamphlet, and give you a 10-day opportunity to test, unless you and the seller agree in writing to a different period or you waive it. The buyer pays for the testing. There are two kinds. A lead paint inspection tells you where lead-based paint is. A lead risk assessment tells you whether it is a hazard right now, for example because the paint is chipping or the dust contains lead. Both must be done by certified professionals.

7. Wood Destroying Insect

This inspection looks for termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles and the damage they cause. In Maryland, wood-destroying insect inspections done for a sale or a loan are performed by licensed or certified pest control professionals, who sound or probe the accessible structural wood and mark any evidence on a diagram of the house. Lenders often require a clean report, so ask your lender early. The inspector can only see the accessible areas, so evidence inside finished walls can be missed. The report will tell you about active infestation, past treatment and visible damage, but treatment and repair are separate, and you should get quotes for them.

8. The blank line: additional inspections

The last line of the form is open for anything else you and your agent decide is worth checking. Common write-ins include a camera inspection of the sewer line from the house to the street, well water and septic system inspections for homes that are not on public water and sewer, an oil tank sweep, and a pool or spa inspection. You can also ask for a specialist, such as a roofer, an HVAC technician or an electrician, to take a closer look at something the general inspector flagged. As you will see below, a licensed structural engineer is one of those specialists.

A closer look: the structural and mechanical inspection

What the inspector actually does

Maryland home inspectors are licensed by the state, and the State’s standards of practice spell out what the structural part of an inspection involves. The inspector must visually inspect the structural system, including the foundation and the framing, and probe a representative number of structural components where deterioration is suspected or clearly indicated. The report has to describe the foundation, floor, wall, ceiling and roof structure, and how the crawl space, basement and attic were inspected.

The mechanical side follows the same visual approach. The inspector looks at heating and cooling equipment, the plumbing, the electrical panel and wiring, and the water heater, and notes what is working, what is worn out and what looks unsafe.

What the inspection does not do is just as important. It is limited to the readily accessible areas, so it will not see inside finished walls, under flooring, or behind stored belongings. And the standards say the inspector is not required to provide engineering services or give an opinion on whether a structural system or component is adequate. Keep that last point in mind, because it explains the next section. A typical inspection takes a few hours, and it is worth being there for the walk-through at the end, when the inspector can show you what they found.

When the inspector says, “You need a structural engineer”

In my experience with many home inspections, it is common for the inspector to recommend that a licensed structural engineer look at one or more items. It is often a crack in a foundation wall, a sagging floor or beam, a bowed basement wall, a notched or split support post, or a past repair that nobody can explain.

That recommendation can be alarming, but it is usually just the system working as designed. Greg Kemp, a licensed engineer who performs home inspections for Kemp Home Inspections, wrote about this in an article on the subject. The article calls the referral a “common occurrence in the home inspection industry,” and says a home inspector who finds a condition beyond their training and admits it is doing the right thing. It describes the inspector as “a generalist,” whose job is to recommend an expert when a question is beyond the inspector’s expertise.

The article’s point is that the referral is not a diagnosis. Cracks and other conditions often have little effect on how a house performs, but the inspector is not required or equipped to make that call, so they send you to someone who is. In the author’s words, when called in as the structural engineer, “all too often I find conditions completely normal.” The article gives the example of a basement slab described as having dozens of cracks and damage that turned out to be old hairline cracks and a few chips in the concrete.

That said, an engineer’s visit sometimes confirms a real problem, and that is the whole reason to have it done. Some things draw more concern than others: horizontal cracks in a foundation wall, stair-step cracks in block or brick, cracks that are wide or getting wider, walls that bow inward, floors that slope noticeably, doors and windows that suddenly stick, and any of these combined with water. A common rule of thumb is that thin, stable, vertical hairline cracks are usually just the concrete settling and curing, but that is a rule of thumb and not a substitute for an engineer’s opinion.

What a structural engineer does

A structural engineer is a licensed professional engineer (PE) who evaluates how the building carries its loads. For a house, that usually means a site visit, during which the engineer looks at the foundation, framing and any areas of concern, measures cracks and floor levels, and takes photos. You then receive a written report, often with the engineer’s seal, that says whether the condition is normal, should be monitored, or needs repair, and describes the recommended fix. Fees vary with the scope and the region, and published ranges run from a few hundred dollars to about a thousand dollars or more. The written report can take several days to arrive, sometimes longer, so ask when you book.

How to handle it during your contract

  • Do not panic until you have heard from the engineer. The article’s advice is to “don’t panic until you get word from the engineer,” and I agree with the sentiment. At the same time, do not ignore the recommendation.
  • Call your agent right away. Your inspection period has a deadline. If the engineer cannot visit and report before it ends, you may need to ask the seller in writing for more time.
  • Ask the inspector exactly what they saw and why they are recommending an engineer. Get the photos and the page numbers in the report, and ask for the names of engineers they trust.
  • Hire a licensed Maryland professional engineer with residential experience. Ask for the license number and look it up with the state, and send the engineer the full inspection report.
  • Use the engineer’s report to decide what to do. Depending on the findings, you might proceed, ask for repairs or a credit, renegotiate the price, or end the contract under the options in your addendum. Your agent can walk you through those options.
  • If you are the seller, and you already know about a crack or a settled corner, consider having an engineer look before you list. A report in hand can calm buyers who would otherwise assume the worst.

Coming next in this series

In Part 2, I will cover how to find a qualified home inspector in Maryland: what the state license means, what questions to ask, and how to read an inspection report once you have it. If you have a question you would like answered in this series, send it to me.

Questions about buying a home? The inspection period is one of the most important parts of the process, and it moves quickly. Whether you are a first-time buyer, moving up, or downsizing, we can walk you through the process, and our Homefinder programs can help you find the right home, including homes that never hit the open market. Join the Special Homefinder Program →

Charlie Chapman, Associate Broker
The Encore Team • RE/MAX Realty Services
Cell: 240-351-8214 | Office: 240-403-0400 x319
Charlie@TheEncoreTeam.net

This article is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules and requirements change, so confirm the current details with your contract, your agent and the relevant agency before you rely on them.

Sources and further reading

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