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Home inspection preparation and attendance checklist

A buyer inspection-day checklist for confirming access to utilities, panels, attic, crawlspace, roof and outbuildings, delivering disclosures and known concerns to the inspector, attending without obstructing the inspection, recording system locations and operating guidance, asking about significance and next steps rather than repair pricing alone, documenting inaccessible areas, identifying urgent safety or specialist follow-up and preserving enough contingency time for reports, estimates and written decisions.

6 items to check

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Utilities, keys and access to all agreed areas are confirmed before arrival

Critical item

The inspector should have reasonable access to the contracted scope.

Disclosures, prior reports, permits, repairs and buyer concerns are organized for the inspector

Critical item

Known information should guide but not limit independent observation.

The buyer attends at the agreed time and follows inspector safety and access instructions

Critical item

Attendance should support understanding without disrupting the inspection.

Normal system operation and shutoff locations are observed where safe and within scope

Critical item

The buyer should learn how major systems function and what could not be operated.

Every inaccessible, shut-down or excluded area is documented for follow-up

Critical item

A limitation should become a decision, not disappear into boilerplate.

Urgent safety items, major defects and specialist referrals are listed before leaving

Critical item

Early triage preserves time for additional evaluation.

Use before and during the independent inspection. CFPB encourages buyers to attend when possible because questions are easier to understand in context. Do not enter unsafe roofs, crawlspaces, attics, excavations or damaged structures; open energized equipment; operate unsafe combustion or pressurized systems; or treat a visual checklist as engineering, environmental clearance, appraisal, title review or legal advice. Contract deadlines and remedies require qualified local guidance.

Reference standards

  • The signed purchase contract and inspection contingency, applicable state and local real-estate and inspector rules, lender and insurer requirements, seller disclosures, permits and records, current CFPB and EPA consumer guidance, qualified specialist reports, property-specific conditions, and written agreements among buyer, seller, agents, attorneys, lenders and contractors
  • CFPB buyer inspection guidance and the signed inspection agreement

    • Tools

  • Purchase contract, disclosures, listing, inspection agreement, property records, permits, prior reports, repair receipts, warranties, insurance and utility information
  • Camera, flashlight, tape measure, notepad and owner-safe observation tools; specialist scopes, testing devices and laboratory services where appropriate
  • Independent home inspector plus qualified structural, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, sewer, electrical, pool, pest, environmental, septic and well professionals as the property requires

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