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Home inspection
Home Inspection in Olney, MD
An Olney farmhouse near the old crossroads and a new build off Georgia Avenue both get the full roof-to-basement visit, then a photo report sorted by what needs attention.
Read client reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving Olney and all of Montgomery County
What we check in an Olney 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.
Olney, crossroads to cul-de-sac
Olney grew up at a crossroads: an 1800 house called Olney gave the community its name, and a post office, a Quaker school and a turnpike toll gate once clustered at the same intersection. Montgomery Planning's own master plan protects that low-density character today, wrapping newer subdivisions like Fair Hill Farm around the historic center rather than replacing it outright.
Where the toll gate once stood
A house near Olney's original crossroads has usually gone through more than one addition since its earliest years, so the inspector reads the framing at each seam between old and new construction. The foundation and any crawlspace or cellar get checked for cracking and staining, the electrical panel and a sample of outlets are tested for age-related issues, and the roof covering and gutters are read from the eaves along with any chimney still in use.
The community's own historical society records an 1800 house named Olney, after Olney, England, and documents toll gates on the Brookeville-Washington Turnpike at the same crossroads by 1849.
New construction on protected land
Fair Hill Farm and The Reserve at Fair Hill were built on land inside the historic Fair Hill area, while houses backing up to Lake Hallowell sit at a range of elevations relative to the shoreline. Either way, the inspection covers the same ground: grading and surface drainage at the foundation, the crawlspace or basement for any sign of water, the attic for insulation depth and ventilation, and the heating and cooling systems run on their normal controls.
Montgomery Planning's 2005 master plan commits to protecting the low-density character of Olney's Southeast Quadrant, along with the Patuxent watershed at the community's edge, rather than opening the area to denser rezoning.
Home inspections around Olney
Olney sits in Montgomery County, and the same inspectors cover the whole county. Every place below has its own page.
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Olney home inspection, the short version
What Olney buyers ask about wells, new construction, and the lake.
Olney isn't its own town. Does that change how permits work?
Olney has never incorporated, so Montgomery County issues the permits and keeps the inspection records for an address here, the same as most of the county outside a handful of incorporated cities. The county's DPS eServices system lets you search that history online by address, and nothing about booking or pricing the inspection changes based on any of this.
Is a rural-edge Olney property likely to be on well and septic?
Often, yes, especially toward the agricultural land the county protects at Olney's edges. A home inspection does not test a well or a septic field; the inspector notes what is visible near a wellhead or a septic cleanout and photographs it for the report. Ask the seller for well and septic service records, and confirm the county health department's requirements for the sale before you close.
Fair Hill Farm and The Reserve at Fair Hill look newer. Does the inspection differ from an older Olney house?
The full walkthrough is the same, but what the inspector expects to find shifts. A newer section gets extra attention on workmanship: grading around a lot that may not have fully settled, and whether recent window, roof or plumbing work was done correctly. Bring the home's completion date and any repair history when you book, since that tells the inspector what to expect before arriving.
My house backs up to Lake Hallowell. Does the water affect the inspection?
It can affect what gets extra attention rather than what gets checked. The inspector looks at how far the yard slopes toward the shoreline, whether the crawlspace or a finished lower level sits close to that grade, and any sign of past water near the foundation. The inspection does not evaluate the lake itself or test water quality; it stays focused on your specific house.
Should I be there in person for the Olney inspection?
You can attend the whole visit or just the walkthrough at the end, whichever fits better. Most buyers find the walkthrough alone covers what they actually wanted to know, since the inspector can point at a finding directly instead of describing it after the fact. The full written report follows online either way, with photos of everything covered.
Explore Our Inspection Reports
- HD Photography
- Commentary & Recommendations
- Grading Scale
- Repair, Safety & Maintenance