Great question about home inspections.
Individuals who feel that a home inspection was not conducted comprehensively could raise it to inspectors. Let’s dive in!
The answer to this question is, of course – It depends. A few inspectors say that they estimate 1 hour per thousand square feet. This might be a good rule of 
thumb, but it does not account for the age and condition of the house, both of which can add considerable time to the inspection. Other factors include the type of foundation and accessibility to mechanical equipment.
Older homes typically have more deficiencies due to deferred maintenance and aging equipment. Mechanical equipment is typically replaced within 15 to 20 years. A 25-year-old house will typically have all or some of the appliances and mechanical equipment replaced, which can lengthen the inspection time.
Another thing I see is that it takes inexperienced inspectors more time to complete an inspection. This is because their eyes are not trained to recognize deficiencies as quickly as those of a seasoned inspector. Additionally, they will take longer to compose comments, and their inspection routine is not dialed in, which can increase the report turnaround time.
Additional services ordered by the client also influence inspection time. Additional inspection services such as septic systems, pools, private water wells, sewer camera inspections, and outbuildings will lengthen the inspection time. Some inspection companies include additional services like foundation elevation surveys, thermal imaging, and wood-destroying insect reports. These services take time, and those companies will have longer inspection times.
Our company, Super Inspector, reserves a 4-hour window for each inspection, and longer if the house is more than 4,000 square feet. This gives the inspector 3 hours to complete the inspection and an hour to meet with the client to review the findings. The longest I have ever spent on an inspection was 3 days. This was an 18,000-square-foot house with a boat house, swimming pool, and lazy river running through the bottom floor. I inspected the house by myself and spent two days on the inspection and one day on the report.
Our reports are emailed to the client by 9:00 a.m. the next morning and often emailed the same day. Smaller houses may only require 2 hours to inspect, and the inspector will use the additional time to prepare the report. In these cases, reports may be emailed immediately after the client meeting.
Clients should recognize that they are not paying for the inspector’s time; they are paying for their knowledge and expertise. A short inspection does not necessarily equal a bad inspection, and a more extended inspection does not equal a more thorough and detailed inspection. Experienced inspectors can move through a house and recognize deficiencies quickly.
In summary, many factors contribute to the length of an inspection. Three hours is a good rule of thumb for most houses, with additional time added to review the findings with the client. It is particularly important that the client reviews the findings with the inspector either at the subject house or at a web conference. Most problems arise when the client never reviews findings with the inspector.
