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Home inspection
Home Inspection in Sterling, VA
From Sterling Park's original 1960s houses to a Potomac Falls remodel, the inspection reads the building in front of the inspector, not the neighborhood.
Read client reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving Sterling and all of Loudoun County
What we check in a Sterling 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.
Sterling Park to Potomac Falls
Sterling grew up beside Washington Dulles International Airport, starting with Sterling Park, one of eastern Loudoun County's first planned communities in the early 1960s, and later sections such as Cascades and Potomac Falls filled in through the 1980s and 1990s toward the Potomac. That range means a house's age here can shift from one block to the next more than its zip code suggests.
Original construction, updated since
A house from Sterling Park's original construction may have an upgraded electrical panel, replacement windows or a finished basement, so the inspection evaluates each system on its current condition rather than the neighborhood's age. Crawlspace access and its ground cover get checked directly, along with framing, insulation and ventilation in the attic. Readily accessible fixtures, installed appliances within the agreed scope, doors and a representative number of windows are checked with normal controls when conditions permit.
Loudoun County's own geology pages place one of the county's two diabase clay belts near Washington Dulles International Airport, ground that can crack a foundation as the clay shrinks and swells with the seasons.
Finished lower levels, later additions
For a Cascades or Potomac Falls house with a finished lower level, the inspection checks the accessible living space: outlets and GFCI protection tested, windows and doors opened and closed, and a sump pump run if its float is accessible. Grading and downspout discharge around the foundation get traced regardless of how far the house sits from the Potomac, since a lot's own slope usually matters more than its distance from the river.
Loudoun County's LandMARC system lets a buyer search permit and land development records for any county address online, from a Sterling Park remodel to a newer Potomac Falls addition.
Home inspections around Sterling
Sterling sits in Loudoun County, and the same inspectors cover the whole county. Every place below has its own page.
Sterling home inspection, covered plainly
The questions Sterling buyers ask before an inspection near Dulles and the Potomac.
Does ground near Dulles Airport affect Sterling foundations differently than other parts of Loudoun County?
Loudoun County's own geology pages place a belt of diabase, a clay-rich rock, near Washington Dulles International Airport, and that ground can shrink and swell enough with the seasons to crack a foundation over time. The inspection reads the foundation for cracking, bowing or other signs of movement regardless of what is under the lot, and reports what it actually finds rather than assuming a problem from the address alone.
Our Cascades house has a finished basement. Does the inspection treat it differently from the rest of the house?
No, it gets the same walkthrough as any other room: outlets and GFCI protection tested, windows and doors opened and closed, and the electrical circuits serving it checked from the panel. If a sump pump is present and its float is accessible, the inspector runs it. What the inspection cannot do is see behind finished walls, so it reports what is visible rather than what might be underneath the drywall.
What does the inspection cover in a Sterling townhouse with an HOA?
The house itself: roof, foundation, electrical panel, plumbing, heating and cooling on normal controls, and accessible doors and a representative number of windows. A shared wall, roof section or exterior wall maintained by the association gets noted as shared where visible, but the association's own common elements, such as a clubhouse or pool, fall outside a single-unit inspection.
Is it worth attending the whole visit, or just the walkthrough, for a Sterling Park house?
Either works. Attending the whole visit lets you ask questions as the inspector moves through the house, while the walkthrough alone still covers every finding room by room at the end. Sterling Park houses have often had enough work done over the decades that questions come up naturally, so plenty of buyers find the full visit worthwhile if their schedule allows it.
Our Sterling Park house still has its original crawlspace. Does the inspector go inside?
Yes, where it is safely accessible. The inspector checks the crawlspace for framing condition, ground cover, insulation and any sign of past water at the sill. Where access is blocked, unsafe or too low to enter, the inspector examines what can be seen from the access point and reports the limitation directly rather than guessing at what could not be reached.
What should I prepare for a home inspection in Sterling?
Tell the office about additions, converted garages or separate living spaces. Arrange access to utility closets, attic openings and any included detached structure.
Explore Our Inspection Reports
- HD Photography
- Commentary & Recommendations
- Grading Scale
- Repair, Safety & Maintenance