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Home inspection
From a dock-side house on the Severn to an inland street under mature trees, a Maryland licensed inspector's report says what needs attention before you close.
4.9 rating, over 4,000 reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving Arnold and all of Anne Arundel County
Every inspection covers the same 12 areas, from the roof down to the grounds, and the report is organized the same way. It is visual and non-invasive: nothing is opened up, and nothing you own is moved. Tap any area to see what is checked.
Every inspection follows a written standard of practice. Radon, termite, mold and water testing can be added to the same visit.
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.
The perfect starting point
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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.
No jargon, no surprises. Here is the whole visit, start to finish, so you know what you are booking before you book it.
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.
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.
Panel cover off. Water heater, furnace and air conditioning run with their normal controls. Every fixture, every room, the attic, and the basement or crawlspace.
You see the main findings in the house itself. The written report follows online with photos, priorities and what to do about each item.
Arnold sits on the Broadneck Peninsula between the Severn and Magothy rivers, with a dozen marinas along its shoreline and quieter streets set back from the water. A house near a dock or bulkhead faces different questions than one on an inland lot under mature trees, so the inspection is scoped to where the specific address sits on the peninsula rather than to Arnold as a whole.
A waterfront house here has often gained a sunroom or family room facing the water, built at a different time than the original structure, so the inspection follows the roofline and foundation to where that addition meets the older house. The crawlspace clearance and any staining on framing above it are checked for signs of past water, gutters and downspouts are traced to where they discharge, and the electrical panel is checked for breakers and grounding throughout the house.
The Arnold Preservation Council's own history counts a dozen marinas along the peninsula's shoreline, supporting one of the area's more active sailing communities on the Severn and Magothy.
Farther from the water, larger inland lots often carry mature trees close to the roofline and gutters, so the inspection checks for overhanging limbs and debris affecting drainage as part of the roof and exterior walkthrough. Crawlspace access and ground cover are checked where a lower level exists, framing is followed to where any addition ties into the original house, and the heating and cooling system is run on its normal controls.
Anne Arundel County's Land Use Navigator lets a buyer search permit and licensing records for a specific address without creating an account, useful on an older inland Arnold house.
Arnold sits in Anne Arundel County, and the same inspectors cover the whole county. Every place below has its own page.
What Arnold buyers ask about docks, additions, and inland lots.
No. A home inspection covers the house itself, not a dock, pier, or bulkhead, so those structures are outside the visit's standard scope even on a waterfront Arnold property. The inspector can still note their general condition if you point them out, but a title search or a separate marine contractor is the right resource for questions about a dock's own structure and any permits tied to it.
No. Arnold is unincorporated, and Annapolis is the only incorporated city in Anne Arundel County, so the county issues all building permits here, whether the house sits on the water or well inland. The county's Land Use Navigator searches permit and licensing records by address at no cost, which is worth checking before you close on an older waterfront addition.
The checklist stays the same either way: roof, exterior, foundation, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, attic, and interior. What differs is what the inspector expects to find. A waterfront house often has an addition facing the water built at a different time than the original structure, while an inland house under mature trees gets closer attention on gutters, roof debris, and shaded drainage.
It can still help, since a dock or bulkhead is outside the inspection's scope, but seeing the house's own systems in person, especially where an addition meets the original structure, makes the written report easier to follow later. Coming for just the walkthrough near the end works well too, where the inspector covers the main findings before the full report follows online with photos.
Your unit is inspected fully: roof covering, foundation, electrical panel, plumbing fixtures, heating and cooling on normal controls, and interior finishes. A shared wall with a neighboring unit is noted as shared, and irrigation or drainage from the adjacent course is described if it is visibly affecting grading near the foundation, though maintaining that shared feature is typically the community association's responsibility.
