Home inspections typically include both the in person inspection of the home as well as sewer scopes and various environmental testing. Knowing the time frames in which to expect the results will help you plan accordingly for your contract deadlines.

Home Inspections: The on-site inspection will typically range from 3-5 hours depending upon the size and scope of the property. Allow for 24 hours to get the report back from the end of their report time.

Radon Testing: Radon is set either before the inspection or at the time of inspection. Most often, a radon test is set two days beforehand so the test can run for 48 hours and be ready for pickup at the time of inspection. If the radon machine is set during the home inspection, the test will be ready for pick up two days later. Once the test is completed the expanded radon report can be emailed the same day.

One common delay that can occur in the process that would require the test to need to be started over is open home conditions. If a technician arrives on site and the home’s windows are open, the windows would need to be closed--so that the air being sampled has not been diluted, therefore inaccurately skewing results. In this scenario, putting the test on a 12-hour delay before it restarts would allow the home to return back to it’s “natural” conditions and give you an accurate reading of the radon levels within the home.

Sewer Scope: Sewer scope can often be done at the same time as the inspections, and reports are available within 24 hours. The sewer scope technician can give you a rundown on-site if you’re present during their inspection.

Mold Tests: Mold tests are fairly straight forward, a combination of air and surface samples are taken inside and out collected while the home inspector is on-site. The samples are sent to a lab and reports are sent out 24 to 48 hours after the samples are taken.