Home inspections are the point in an Orange County home purchase where you finally get to look under the hood. You wrote the offer, the seller accepted, and now you have a short window to learn what you are actually buying before your money is committed.
Most buyers come to us with the same two questions. Which inspections do I really need, and what do I do if something comes back bad?
Here is how the process works in Orange County, which inspections our team recommends on nearly every deal, and how to handle the reports once they land in your inbox.
Our agents Trent and Tarah walked through this in a short video too: 4 home inspections we ALWAYS recommend
Home inspections are visits from licensed professionals who look at the house and write up what they find. A general inspector spends two to three hours on a typical home checking the roof surface, attic, foundation, plumbing, electrical panel, water heater, HVAC, windows, drainage, and appliances. You get a report with photos, usually within a day or two.
An inspection is not a pass or fail test. Every house has findings, including new construction in Irvine and freshly remodeled homes in Newport Beach. The report is there to tell you what you are taking on.
When inspections happen: after your offer is accepted, during what the California purchase contract calls your buyer investigation contingency. The standard California Residential Purchase Agreement gives you 17 days after acceptance to complete inspections and decide how to proceed, though that number gets negotiated constantly. In a competitive stretch, buyers often shorten it to 10 days or 7 to make an offer more appealing.
Two things follow from that short window:
You pay for these inspections yourself, out of pocket, and the cost does not come back to you if you cancel. That stings, and it is still far cheaper than buying a home with a failing sewer lateral.
Related: House vs Condo vs Townhome in Orange County, Which Property Type Is Right for You
We start with four on almost every purchase. These are the ones that catch the expensive problems.
Beyond those four, the general report tells you what else to order. Depending on the property, that might include:
Some escrows need none of these. Tarah recently had one that reached nine inspections. Both outcomes are normal, and the number depends entirely on the house.
Property type shapes the list too. If you are buying a condo in Irvine or Aliso Viejo, the HOA maintains the roof and exterior, so your attention shifts to the HOA documents, reserve study, and any special assessments coming down the line. A custom home on a Laguna Beach bluff calls for a different set of specialists altogether. You can get a feel for how these markets differ on our Orange County neighborhoods pages.
You will get a long report. First reports look alarming to everyone. Sit down with your agent and sort the findings into three piles: safety and structural issues, deferred maintenance you can plan for, and small stuff that comes with owning a house.
One California specific note on the termite report. Findings are separated into Section 1 items, which are active infestation or existing damage, and Section 2 items, which are conditions that could lead to problems later, like wood touching soil or a sprinkler hitting the siding. Section 1 work often has to be completed before a lender funds the loan. Section 2 items are yours to negotiate or to handle over time.
From there you have real options:
Credits are often cleaner than repairs. When a seller hires the repair work, they are choosing the contractor and the budget. When you take a credit, you control both.
How hard you push depends on your leverage, and that changes street by street across Orange County. On a home with four offers, a long repair list can cost you the deal. On a property that has been sitting since spring, sellers listen. Reading that correctly is a good part of what you hire an agent for, and it is the same judgment we bring to the homes we have listed and sold across Orange County.
Whatever you decide, contingency removal happens in writing and by the deadline. Let that date pass without action and you can put your deposit at risk.
The inspection period is short, information heavy, and expensive to get wrong. Our job during those two weeks is to line up inspectors quickly, be at the property with you, read the reports honestly instead of talking you past the bad parts, and help you decide what is worth asking for.
That is the standard we hold ourselves to on every purchase, and you can read more about how we work and what our clients say on our about page.
If you are buying and selling at the same time, it helps to know your current numbers before you start writing offers. You can start with a free home valuation and we can talk through the timing from there.
Have a question about inspections, or want experienced Orange County Realtors in your corner before you write your next offer? Get in touch with the Brad Feldman Group. We are happy to walk you through it, and you can learn more about our team of top Orange County real estate agents any time.
