Home Re-Inspection Services in Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA

Time Frame and Cost

We typically recommend scheduling a re-inspection two to four weeks after the initial inspection, to allow ample time for repairs to be completed. Once we have reviewed your documents we will tell you the time and cost required. Where feasible, we recommend obtaining documentation from the seller or contractors — receipts and photos showing the work was performed by a professional and carries a warranty.

We always advocate for our customers to save the time and money involved in a re-inspection where possible. There is usually a minimum fee of $250. Some re-inspections require the inspector to be in multiple critical areas of the home — on the roof, in the attic, and in the crawlspace, looking for multiple specific instances of an issue — and can take as much time and cost as much as the original inspection. We evaluate every re-inspection to determine the time necessary and the cost.

What Happens During a Re-Inspection

Sometimes we are asked to inspect items that were not part of our original inspection report. We cannot report on whether a contractor’s work appears to have been completed unless our original inspection included those items.

• Examine the repaired areas: we assess the areas identified in the sales addendum to determine whether the repairs appear to have been made
• Document findings: we provide clear, detailed documentation including photos, which helps prevent misunderstandings and disputes between buyer and seller
• Report on repair status: we note whether the repairs appear to have addressed the original issue. We do not evaluate the quality or craftsmanship of the repairs, though we will make a note if there are still glaring issues after a repair
• We strongly recommend homeowners hire licensed contractors for any significant repairs and obtain invoices, receipts, or summaries of the work completed — that documentation is helpful during the re-inspection

Benefits for the Buyer

Knowing that the agreed-upon repairs have been completed reduces anxiety and stress during the moving process. Verifying that the home is in good condition protects your investment and helps ensure you are moving into a safe, healthy home. In some cases a re-inspection report can be used as evidence if issues arise after the sale.

Surprisingly, we often perform re-inspections and find that repairs have not been made, even though the seller or contractor states that they have.

Benefits for the Seller

While a re-inspection is primarily beneficial for the buyer, it can also help the seller. Demonstrating that repairs have been completed helps expedite closing, and the report can provide evidence if the homeowner needs to take further action against a contractor for work that was not completed as agreed or was subpar.

A seller who paid good money for repairs needs to be either reimbursed or made whole for any repairs not actually made. This happens more often than we would like to think of as a normal misunderstanding between sellers and contractors.

Licensed Contractors Recommended

We always recommend in our home inspection reports that repairs be performed by licensed contractors. That is in the best interest of both buyer and seller, because it means paperwork in hand along with any applicable warranty information. We like to receive receipts from licensed contractors in advance so we can review them before the re-inspection and know what the contractor states was performed.

In the case of new construction, the builder performs the repairs and we understand there will be no receipts or sales addendum. 45th Parallel does not accept liability for the quality or effectiveness of stated repairs.

Our Philosophy on Re-Inspections

A re-inspection is a service we provide, but we need to be completely clear about what it is:

• Re-inspections are a courtesy service. We are not obligated to perform them.
• We perform them on a time-permitting basis when we can feasibly work them into the existing schedule. Customers sometimes reach the very end of a contingency period and expect a re-inspection the same or next day, and that is not always possible. We will always do our best, but plan ahead and schedule as far from the end of your contingency period as you can.
• We are not licensed tradesmen in specific areas like plumbing or electrical. Evaluating the work of a contractor is beyond the scope of a home inspector, since we are not specialists in any particular trade. We will provide a yes or no answer to one question: does it appear the agreed-upon repair has been made?

How to Request a Re-Inspection

Once you have a sales addendum signed by both parties — except in the case of new construction — you can schedule an appointment. We strongly suggest sending us any receipts from licensed contractors that you or your real estate agent can provide, and scheduling as far in advance of the end of the contingency period as possible, because we cannot always perform re-inspections on short notice.

Quite often we find items stated as repaired where it is clear the repairs were not performed, or were performed poorly. We view re-inspections as a valuable resource for our clients to assess whether they are getting what was agreed upon — and it protects the seller too, since sometimes they were charged for repairs that were never done.