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Home inspection
Home Inspection in Towson, MD
From a Stoneleigh colonial to a managed building downtown, a Maryland licensed inspector's photo report says what needs attention before you close on the house.
Read client reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving Towson and all of Baltimore County
What we check in a Towson 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.
Towson, house to high-rise
Towson mixes detached houses in Stoneleigh and Anneslie, brick rowhouses in nearby Rodgers Forge, and managed condominium buildings close to the county seat, often within a few miles of each other. A house's construction and an association's paperwork tell an inspector different things, so the visit is scoped to the building type at the address rather than to the neighborhood's reputation.
Detached houses, later wings
A detached house in this area has often gained an enclosed porch, a rear addition, or a finished lower level since it was first built, and each of those additions has its own roofline and foundation edge. The inspection checks the roof covering and flashing from the eaves, reads the foundation walls and any accessible crawlspace or basement for signs of water penetration, and follows framing to where an addition ties into the original structure. Attic insulation and ventilation are checked wherever the access allows, and the heating and cooling system is run on its normal controls.
The Maryland Historical Trust's own inventory documents the residential character of Anneslie and the neighboring historic districts, established as detached-house suburbs in the early twentieth century.
Rowhouses with rear extensions
A Rodgers Forge rowhouse shares a party wall with its neighbor on at least one side, so the inspection reads that shared structure alongside the unit itself: the foundation and any finished basement, the rear extension where one exists, and where the roofline changes at that junction. Electrical panels are checked for breakers and grounding, plumbing supply and drain lines are tested by running fixtures and flushing toilets, and windows and doors are opened and closed as part of the same visit.
Maryland Geological Survey mapping places Towson in the Piedmont physiographic province, on rockier ground than the flatter Coastal Plain that begins farther southeast, closer to tidal water.
Home inspections around Towson
Towson sits in Baltimore County, and the same inspectors cover the whole county. Every place below has its own page.
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Towson home buyers, real questions
What Towson buyers ask about rowhouses, condos, and shared walls.
Does Towson have its own permit office, separate from Baltimore County?
No. Towson is not an incorporated town, so Baltimore County handles all building permits and inspection records here, whether the house is a detached colonial, a Rodgers Forge rowhouse, or a downtown condominium. The county's Permits, Approvals and Inspections division keeps those records, and some are also searchable through the county's open data site before you ever call.
What does the inspection cover in a downtown Towson condominium?
The readily accessible systems and components within your agreed unit inspection: the electrical panel or subpanel, plumbing fixtures, the heating and cooling system on its normal controls, windows, doors, and interior finishes, plus whatever the unit shares directly with the hallway, such as a chase or a balcony structure. The building's roof, elevators, and lobby belong to the association, so those sit outside a single-unit inspection's scope.
How is a Rodgers Forge rowhouse different to inspect than a detached house?
The checklist is identical: roof, exterior, foundation, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, attic, and interior. What changes is the shared party wall, which the inspector reads alongside the unit itself for any sign that a stain or a repair on one side connects to the other. A rear extension gets checked at the seam where it meets the original rowhouse, since that junction is where two different construction dates meet.
Is my Stoneleigh house's addition inspected separately from the original house?
The inspector notes where the addition begins and describes both sections, since materials and framing often differ by decade even when the exterior looks continuous. A stain or a settlement crack near that junction gets called out specifically rather than attributed to the house as a whole. The same full checklist applies to both the original structure and the addition during the same visit.
Should I attend, or can I rely on the written report alone?
Either approach works. Some Towson buyers walk the whole visit with the inspector, especially for an older Stoneleigh house where questions come up room by room. Others join only for the walkthrough near the end, where the inspector covers the main findings before the full report follows online with photos, priorities, and recommendations. Your agent is always welcome to attend in your place or alongside you.
What should I prepare for a home inspection in Towson?
If buying in Anneslie or another established neighborhood, bring renovation records rather than assuming age establishes condition. Arrange access to utility and lower spaces.
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- Grading Scale
- Repair, Safety & Maintenance