The home inspection is a standard part of most Oregon real estate transactions.  The buyer has the right to waive the contingency but it is highly recommended that the home inspection takes place as soon as practical so that other inspections can be scheduled if there are areas of concern.  The Oregon Real Estate Agency publishes the Oregon Property Buyer Advisory which describes the inspections a buyer might want to have during the inspection period.

The results of a few of our recent inspections:

• An oil tank found under a driveway
• An oil tank found on the opposite side of the house from the existing furnace
• What was believed to be a public sewer actually connected to a septic system (cracks and party sewers are also common discoveries)
• Radon at 7.1pCi/l- “acceptable” is below 4.0pCi/l (radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking)

The Professional Inspection Addendum describes what inspections the buyer wants to have and who will pay for them (typically the buyer pays).  The form gives the buyer permission to conduct test where samples may have to be taken that could be considered invasive (such as stucco &  soil sampling).