A LodeStar is a star that is used to guide the course, a guiding light, North Star, an inspiration or guide. A light that guides you home. That is what we created LodeStar Inspection Services to be – a guide that helps you have peace of mind and confidence in your homeownership decisions.

The home inspection is not a Pass/Fail test of the house. It’s actually simply an identification of areas of the home that are not operating like they were intended to. You get to decide, with the information from the report, how you move forward with the house.

Most folks usually spend between $400 and $600 on their home inspections. The exact amount is determined by the size and complexity of the home. Because it takes less time and there are fewer things to inspect in a condo, it costs less to inspect a 1 bedroom/1 bath condo than a 4 bedroom/3.5 bath home. You can pay online or in person at the time of the inspection; and can pay with cash, check, money order, and MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.

A home inspection is an objective, visual examination of the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems of a home. We use the house like you will; and if we find items that are not operating as they were intended to, we document them with photos and words, in your report.

A home inspection usually takes about 3 hours – depending on the size of the home.

Yes, we’d love to meet you! Our clients have told us that they get the most benefit from attending the last hour of the inspection.

No, you don’t have to be there. We are working for you, and we want to make sure that we give you everything you need to make an educated decision. It’s ideal if you can attend for the last hour, but, if you can’t be at the inspection we will have a video chat or phone call with you to go over our findings. We do lots of inspections for people relocating to our area who have never seen the home in person. Our goal is to give you the info you need and want so that you feel like you were here with us and know the house.

We inspect the major, visible components of the home: the porch, exterior, siding, window wells, hose bibbs (spigots), deck, patio, driveway, garage, roof, soffits, fascia, gutters, downspouts, flashing, attic, attic access stairs or hatch, insulation in attic and covering opening to attic, attic ventilation, structure, sheathing, and electrical components, basement, foundation walls, subfloors, beams, joists, posts, ventilation throughout the home, remove the cover from each electrical panel sub-panel, identify and mark the water main, and water shut-offs for the hose bibbs (spigots), inspect and operate accessible windows and electrical outlets, lights and fans, plumbing components – including flushing all the toilets, running water in the sinks, showers, and bathtubs, laundry tubs, and dishwasher and washing machine, the heating and cooling systems (HVAC), clothes dryer, refrigerator, garbage disposal, exhaust fan over the stove, the stovetop and oven, the water heater, and more.

The inspection is a visual inspection only – which means we can’t tear out drywall to see what’s behind it or pull up carpeting to see what’s under it. If we can’t see it to inspect it, we’ll let you know and point you in the right direction to get it tested. We do not test built in vacuum systems, spas and hot-tubs, pools, lawn irrigation systems, and safety alarm systems.

The home inspection is not a code inspection, and the house is not required to meet current code in order to be sold. What we are looking for on the inspection is if the components of the home are operating as intended based on the time it was built (or renovated).

We offered warranties briefly and were disappointed because of their very limited ability to cover what our customers expected and needed, so stopped providing them. They have a bad reputation in the warranty industry. And, it makes sense that they don’t provide as much coverage as most folks need – they cost the inspectors around $30 altogether. Compare that to the full warranties that buyers and sellers purchase are between $450 and $650. How much protection can $30 really buy? We stand behind our inspections – call or email us if you feel like we missed something, so we can address it.

No, we can’t see through walls – although, it would have been helpful to have had x-ray vision when my two sons were little! Seriously, though, we use Infra-Red Cameras to identify temperature differences in drywall, which might be a clue that there is a leak behind the wall. And if there is water behind the wall, there might be mold, as well.

Great question! The home you are having built is being inspected regularly by different government officials. They are checking that the rules have been followed and that everything meets the code as it is supposed to. They are not hired by you and using the house like you will. They are not doing a home inspection – testing outlets and windows and making sure the dishwasher is fully connected (among other things). The first new-construction home I inspected was selling for around $500,000. During the inspection, I found that the drain in the bathtub in the primary bathroom was not connected! So as it emptied, it was pouring through the recessed lighting in the living room below, onto the lovely wooden mantle and fireplace, onto the hardwood floors, onto the electric panel in the basement! The roof was also missing shingles and the chimney didn’t have a liner. I think the buyer’s investment in the inspection was $600 – and it saved them over $25,000!

No, but we can give you peace of mind about its presence with mold testing and an Infrared camera inspection. Mold is everywhere and a natural part of life on earth, but it’s usually originating outside. Our air tests determine if mold is originating inside your home. An Infrared camera inspection identifies areas of moisture – from hidden leaks or floods – that create the perfect environment for mold to grow. For more detailed mold information, click here.

Nope. But once you know what your home’s radon level is, it is easily lowered to acceptable levels. Radon comes from deep within the earth and is everywhere – inside and outside. When it builds up in the lowest levels of the home is when it becomes a concern. In some cases the normal day-to-day activities in a home are enough to keep the levels low. However, in other cases a permanent solution that draws the radon from below the home to above the roof is the best way to keep it consistently low. For more detailed radon information, click here.

85% of our home inspection clients get radon testing at the same time.

If you are buying a new construction home, wait to test it for radon until it has been “under roof” for at least 6-9 months so that the ground has had time to settle. If you are buying a condo that is on the third floor or higher (but, not the penthouse), you probably don’t need to test for radon.

Call the office at 410.878.3039, email us at LodeStar@LodeStarInspections.com, or check pricing immediately here. Just give us the address of the property you need to have inspected and we’ll give you a quote and let you know of upcoming appointments that match your availability.

Yup! We perform inspections 7 days a week so that more folks can attend their inspections.

Yes! We provide photos of most of the defects we discover. We’ll even include photos of your new appliances so you can remember exactly what they look like.

Yes they are welcome to attend! And you, as the home inspection client, will need to make sure that the kids are well-supervised throughout the time they are there. We have to be very careful with the home, since it’s not yours, yet – so need to be respectful of the seller’s home and possessions.

We will get on the roof if it is safely accessible using a 15-foot ladder. Whether we get on the roof or not, a thorough roof inspection is performed from the ground using binoculars and through evaluation of the underside of the roof from inside the attic.

Yes! The services that we provide are discounted when they are bundled with the home inspection. The quote that we email you or give you over the phone already has the discount built into it. If you call and ask for a stand-alone radon test, for example, it will cost more than if you ask for a home inspection AND a radon test.