Length: 30 minutes. The Walk-Through Consultation takes place with the real estate agent and client present during a showing, which is usually scheduled for 15 to 30 minutes. That’s the maximum amount of time for me to walk through the property, so I’ll be moving quickly.

Report: No report. the clients take notes, as I will not be producing any type of report.

Tools: A flashlight. Because this is not a home inspection, I will not be bringing a ladder into the home to inspect the attic, removing the electrical panel cover, using a combustion analyzer on the furnace, or any of the other jazz that I do during a home inspection. This would have the potential to make for some upset home sellers. We’re drawing a clear line in the sand between a walk-through and an inspection.

Timing: I receive requests for these on very short notice, and I do my best to accommodate these requests.

What’s covered: I cover as much of the home as I possibly can during this short window of time. To get a better understanding of what is covered, check out my Interior Room-by-Room Inspection and Exterior Inspection descriptions on the Pricing page for details. These are the areas I will focus on, but the amount of stuff that I cover is limited by my time there, the size of the home, and the condition of the home. I also cover specific client concerns, within reason and time-permitting.

Price: $295 for the first home, $150 for each subsequent home, provided these showings are scheduled back-to-back and the distance from one house to the next is less than 5 miles.

Coordinated by: Myself and the buyer’s agent. I accompany the real estate agent and the home buyer on the showing, but I do not set up the showing myself. I ask the buyer’s agent to notify the seller’s agent that a home inspector will be accompanying them during the showing, but will only be there to walk and talk. As noted, I will not be performing a home inspection.

What about InterNACHI’s home inspection standards of practice?

At GSD Property Inspections, I follow InterNACHI’s Standard of Practice, which I follow with every home inspection. It’s important to make sure your home inspector follows standards such as these when performing a home inspection. However, a Walk-Through Consultation is not a home inspection. It doesn’t look, smell, or taste like a home inspection, which is why it’s not covered by any organization’s home inspection standards of practice. As its name implies, it is simply an on-site consultation by a professional, designed to help answer some of the known unknowns and to shine a light on some of the unknown unknowns.