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Home inspection
Home Inspection in Herndon, VA
Herndon runs its own building permits from a historic downtown, and the inspector's report still walks every house the same way, old or new.
Read client reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving Herndon and all of Fairfax County
What we check in a Herndon home
The inspection follows the same 12 areas, from the roof down to the grounds, within the agreed scope and safe access available. It is visual and non-invasive: finishes are not removed, and personal belongings are not moved. Select an area to see what is checked.
- Range, oven and wall oven run normally
- Dishwasher, disposer and microwave run
- Kitchen exhaust fan and the dryer vent exit
- Service entrance, meter and main disconnect
- Panels, breakers, grounding and bonding
- Sampled outlets and switches; GFCI, AFCI, smoke and CO detectors
- Siding, flashing, trim, eaves, soffits and fascia
- Every exterior door and a sample of windows
- Walkways, driveway, stoops, porches, decks and railings
- Foundation walls, slabs and the basement
- Any accessible crawlspace
- Signs of movement, water penetration and wood touching soil
- Vehicle door and opener on their normal controls
- Auto reverse and photo eye safety sensors
- Walls, ceiling, floor and the fire door into the house
- Grading and drainage at the foundation
- Retaining walls and vegetation against the house
- Downspout discharge, walkways, driveway and steps
- Heating and cooling run on their normal controls
- Energy source, method and thermostat location noted
- Visible ducts, filter, condensate drainage and equipment condition
- Floors, walls, ceilings, stairs and railings
- A sample of doors and windows opened and closed
- Accessible attic: insulation depth, ventilation and framing; fireplace and damper
- Sink, faucet, drain and disposer run
- Dishwasher connection checked for leaks
- Cabinets, drawers, counters, floors, walls, ceiling and exhaust fan
- Main water and fuel shut-offs located
- Water heater, its venting and TPR valve; pipe materials
- Every toilet flushed; every sink, tub and shower run
- Coverings, flashing, vents, skylights and chimney
- Gutters, downspouts, eaves and rake
- Roof structure from inside the attic where accessible
- Visible framing, beams, posts and joists
- Masonry walls and the chimney structure
- Settlement signs: cracks, out of square openings, unlevel floors
Every inspection follows a written standard of practice. Need additional testing? Explore radon testing, termite inspection, mold testing and water testing, then confirm your selected services and timing when booking.
Add a package to the inspection
Three packages built around the home inspection. Package prices are for the add-on services only and are added to the inspection price. The savings are against booking the same services one by one.
Home Essentials
The perfect starting point
Home Advantage
Most popular for homebuyers
Home Enhanced
The ultimate peace of mind
Warranties must be requested when you book, not after the inspection. Radon and thermal imaging can also be added on their own. Read more about each package.
What a home inspection actually involves
No jargon, no surprises. Here is the whole visit, start to finish, so you know what you are booking before you book it.
You book, we confirm
Online or by phone, in a few minutes. Your agent can book for you. Add radon, termite or a package at the same time, and we confirm the appointment with you before the visit.
The walk-around
Roof, siding, grading, decks, the garage and the grounds first. The inspector photographs what they find as they go, so the report shows you exactly where each item is.
Systems and accessible spaces
The inspector checks accessible electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling components and operates equipment with normal controls when conditions allow. The report identifies areas that could not be inspected and any recommended follow-up.
The walkthrough and the report
You see the main findings in the house itself. The written report follows online with photos, priorities and what to do about each item.
Herndon, downtown to Franklin Farm
Herndon's own historic district sits at the center of town, chartered long before Franklin Farm, Herndon Chase and the newer neighborhoods around it were built. An inspection near downtown often means reading a house through more than one renovation, while a Franklin Farm or Herndon Chase property usually carries a single, later construction era, so the visit starts by placing the specific address on that timeline.
A historic district, house by house
Herndon's historic district covers houses built mostly between 1890 and 1920, many of them altered more than once since. The inspection reads each system on its own timeline: which wiring and plumbing look original, where a later renovation added insulation or closed in a porch, and how the roof and its flashing have been repaired over the years. Windows and exterior doors get opened and closed as part of the same visit, and the inspector notes any finish that limits a closer look at what is behind it.
Virginia's Department of Historic Resources lists the Herndon Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register since February 1990 and the National Register of Historic Places since January 1991, covering the downtown core and the residential streets around it.
One era, later additions
Franklin Farm and Herndon Chase were built later and mostly in one stretch of years, so a house here is more likely to share its original framing and foundation with its neighbors. The inspection still checks the roof, gutters and flashing, reads the foundation and any crawlspace for cracking or water penetration, tests the electrical panel and GFCI protection, and runs the heating and cooling system on its normal controls. If windows or siding have been replaced, share that history so the inspector can assess accessible transitions between the original and newer materials.
Herndon's own Town Code sets out permits and inspections in its Article III, and the Town's Department of Public Works, not Fairfax County, issues building permits for an address inside town limits.
Home inspections around Herndon
Herndon sits in Fairfax County, and the same inspectors cover the whole county. Every place below has its own page.
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Herndon home inspection, the town's own answers
What Herndon buyers ask about the historic district, permits and newer neighborhoods.
Building permits in Herndon: does the town handle them, or Fairfax County?
The town does. The Town of Herndon's own building inspections division issues permits and performs inspections inside town limits under its own town code, separate from Fairfax County's process used in Burke, Reston or Great Falls. The visit itself does not change based on that distinction, but a permit history search for a Herndon address should start with the town rather than the county.
Our house sits inside Herndon's historic district. Will the inspection disturb the old trim or plaster?
No. A home inspection is visual and non-invasive: panel covers and access hatches come off, fixtures and equipment get run, and a moisture meter or thermal camera may be used where it helps, but nothing gets cut, drilled or pried apart to look behind it. Point out any delicate plaster, original trim or old glazing before the visit so the inspector can note where a closer look would require going beyond that scope.
Franklin Farm and Herndon Chase houses look nearly identical from the street. Does the inspection treat every house the same?
The scope is identical: roof, exterior, foundation, electrical panel, plumbing, heating and cooling, attic insulation and interior, whatever the model. What differs house to house is what has been done to it since: a finished basement, replacement windows, or a resided exterior all change what the inspector expects to find, even on a street where every house started from the same plan.
Our bathroom fan vents straight into the attic. Does the inspector flag that?
The inspector checks the mechanical exhaust systems in kitchens, bathrooms and the laundry area, and looks at attic insulation and ventilation as part of the same visit, so a fan discharging into the attic rather than outside is the kind of thing that gets noted. The report describes what was observed; deciding how to correct it, and whether it meets a specific code, is a question for a contractor rather than the inspection itself.
Should we plan to be there for the whole Herndon inspection?
It helps, but it is not required. Seeing the crawlspace, the attic or a specific finding in person can answer follow up questions faster than reading them later in the report. If your schedule only allows for the end of the visit, arrive for the final run through, when the inspector covers the main points room by room before the written report follows online.
What should I prepare for a home inspection in Herndon?
If the address is in the town's historic district, keep alteration records with the inspection documents. Confirm access to the attic, lower spaces and service equipment.
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