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Home inspection
From a wartime cottage in Aero Acres to a house near tidal water, the inspector's photo report tells you what needs attention and what can wait.
4.9 rating, over 4,000 reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving Essex and all of Baltimore 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
Most popular for homebuyers
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.
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.
Essex sits on tidal water, and one of its neighborhoods still carries that history in its street names. Aero Acres was built almost overnight during the Second World War, while Back River Highlands and Fox Ridge Manor grew up on very different ground. What a house sits on, and when it was built, shapes what the inspection needs to look for.
Aero Acres was built in 1941 for aircraft workers, on a small original footprint that later owners have added onto again and again. The inspection walks each addition back to where it meets the original framing, checking whether the roofline, the siding, and the foundation type actually match. Electrical panels get opened and a sample of outlets tested, plumbing fixtures are run for drainage, and the attic gets checked for insulation depth and ventilation wherever the roof structure allows safe access. A compact house like this rewards a careful room-by-room reading more than a quick walk past.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation records that Aero Acres was built in 1941 for the Glenn L. Martin aircraft company under the U.S. Housing Act, laid out by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with streets named for airplane parts.
Back River Highlands and Middleborough sit closer to tidal water than most of the county, so a crawlspace here often sits nearer the water table than one a few miles inland. The inspection checks crawlspace clearance and any staining on the framing above it, reads the foundation for cracking or active water penetration, and traces gutters and downspouts to see whether they carry rain toward the water or back at the house. A bulkhead or dock at the property line falls outside the inspection's scope, but what the crawlspace and foundation show is recorded either way.
Maryland Geological Survey mapping places Baltimore County's tidal, low-lying ground on the Coastal Plain side of the Fall Line, the boundary that divides it from the bedrock hills to the county's northwest.
Essex sits in Baltimore County, and the same inspectors cover the whole county. Every place below has its own page.
What Essex buyers ask about Aero Acres, the water, and county records.
No. Essex is an unincorporated community, so Baltimore County issues building permits and keeps the property record for any address here, the same as it does for the rest of the county. Give the full street address when you book, and county or state property records can confirm what was permitted on a specific house before the visit.
The scope stays the same, but the reading changes. These small wartime houses have almost always gained a room, a garage, or an enclosed porch since 1941, so the inspection pays close attention to where that later work meets the original framing and roofline. Mention any addition you know about when you book, since that history helps frame what the visit will find.
Not automatically. Being close to tidal water means the crawlspace deserves a careful look at clearance and any past water history, but the inspection reports what is actually observed on the day of the visit rather than assuming a defect from the address alone. A bulkhead or dock is a separate, non-inspection matter worth asking your agent about before you close.
It is a reasonable add-on anywhere in Baltimore County, which sits in the EPA's highest radon potential category. A standard home inspection does not test for radon on its own, since that falls outside its scope, but radon testing can be booked alongside the same visit and reports its own result directly to you.
You can, though most buyers find the walkthrough worth attending. It happens near the end of the visit, when the inspector covers the roof, the attic, the crawlspace, and every major system in person before the full written report follows online. Your agent can stand in for you, or join you, whichever fits your schedule.
