Home inspection reference
What a home inspection is, and what it is not
Many buyers think a home inspection is a warranty on the house. It is not. It is a visual check, and the written standards say exactly what it covers and what it does not. This site explains that, in plain language.
It also preserves the original ALLSAFE Home Inspection Service website, a Massachusetts inspection practice whose pages are kept online here as an archive.
Guides
Written references on inspection scope and limits.
Inspection scopeWhat home inspectors miss most often
Water damage generates nearly half of all E&O claims. What the claims data says about what gets missed, plus the full list of things the standards do not require an inspector to check.
Licensing newsThree new states now regulate home inspectors
Iowa in July 2025, Montana and Utah in January 2026. What each new law requires, why none of them built a state exam, and what the 50-state map looks like now.
Scope and limitsWhat a home inspection actually covers, and what it does not
The ten systems the standards require an inspector to examine, the exclusions almost every buyer is surprised by, and why "visual and non-invasive" is the single most important phrase in the document.
CostsHow much a home inspection costs, by state
The national typical range, what actually drives the price, the cost of ancillary inspections, and a state-by-state table of typical fee ranges.
Using the reportHow to read a home inspection report
How the report is structured, what the severity words mean, why 'not inspected' and 'further evaluation' appear, and what to do with each kind of finding.
HiringHow to choose a home inspector
What ASHI and InterNACHI credentials mean, state licensing, what to ask before hiring, and the red flags that should make you keep looking.
New buildsNew construction and the 11-month warranty inspection
Why a brand-new home still needs an independent look, the phase inspections, and why the 11-month check matters before the builder warranty expires.
For sellersThe pre-listing (seller's) inspection: when it is worth it
The case for and against inspecting before you list, how it interacts with disclosure duties, and what it changes in the buyer's inspection.
By eraWhat an inspection tends to find, by the age of the house
The specific issues an inspection commonly surfaces in pre-1950, 1950 to 1978, 1980s-90s, and 2000s-and-newer homes, and why each one matters.
Buying processHow the home inspection contingency actually works
The inspection period, the buyer's options after the report, how it differs from the financing and appraisal contingencies, and what waiving it really means.
Specialized inspectionsInspections beyond the standard: radon, mold, sewer scope, and WDO
The specialized inspections a standard home inspection explicitly excludes, why the ASHI and InterNACHI standards leave them out, when to order each, and typical cost.
The ALLSAFE archive
ALLSAFE Home Inspection Service, Inc. was a Massachusetts home inspection practice run by Bob Mulloy, an ASHI member based in Bellingham. Its website is preserved here as captured between 2006 and 2016. Those pages describe a business that is no longer operating: their phone numbers, prices, service areas and offers are historical, not current, and nothing on this site is an offer of inspection services. They are kept online because the reference material on them, particularly the Massachusetts standards and the inspection outlines, is still worth reading.
Original pages
- Original ALLSAFE homepage (2015 capture, preserved as-is)
- Original ALLSAFE homepage (2006 capture)
- Outline of an inspection what the practice covered on site
- Services available
- The final report
- General questions
- Health issues radon, water, lead
- Hiring a general contractor
- Areas serviced
- Fees historical
- Articles
- Seminars and workshops
- For inspectors
- Massachusetts trainee program
- Testimonials
- Website legal notice
About this site
This domain now runs as a home inspection education resource. It publishes plain-language explanations of inspection scope, standards, and limits, and it keeps the original ALLSAFE Home Inspection Service website online as an archive.
It is not an inspection company. No one here is a licensed or certified home inspector, no inspections are performed or sold, and nothing published here is a substitute for hiring one. To find an inspector, start with the member directories at the American Society of Home Inspectors and InterNACHI, and check your state's licensing requirements: in Massachusetts, home inspectors are licensed by the Board of Registration of Home Inspectors.