How Much Does a Home Inspection Cost?

If you've ever bought or sold a home, or are working towards that as a first-time home buyer (congratulations!), you're probably familiar with or at least have heard of the home inspection portion of the process. In a nutshell, your home inspector will take a close look at the major systems and components of your home, from the foundation to the roof, and everything in between. For a more in-depth article on that, check out my blog post here. Like most services, home inspections cost money upfront - usually paid for by the buyer at the time of the inspection. Your inspector will likely spend 3-6 hours on site depending on the size and complexity of the property, will bring a myriad of specialized tools, and spend additional time both finalizing and publishing your report as well as offering follow-on discussions to review the findings in detail. So how much does that cost?! This can vary. Some inspectors charge by square footage, age of the house, configuration (crawlspace, slab on grade, etc), garages and outbuildings, or a combination of those factors and others. The data I am providing comes directly from my report software, Spectora, a platform that many inspectors today use and these numbers are specific to my area of service (Ravalli and Missoula counties). This data was compiled in 2022 so it's as up-to-date as it can be!

You can see that average inspection prices vary greatly across the U.S. Local real estate markets, demand, and the quantity of home inspectors in any given area are big factors for this. As a whole, the average cost across the States for a home inspection was $459 in 2022. But let's dive a little deeper into Montana - specifically Ravalli and Missoula counties. Some counties are omitted due to insufficient data, but these numbers (or other zip codes available nationwide) can be found here:

Ravalli

• 59828 (Corvallis) - $578

• 59829 (Darby) - $1,061

• 59833 (Florence) - $571

• 59840 (Hamilton) - $585

• 59870 (Stevensville) - $566

• 59875 (Victor) - $535

Missoula

• 59801 (Missoula) - $541

• 59802 (Missoula) - $545

• 59803 (Missoula) - $595

• 59804 (Missoula) - $701

• 59808 (Missoula) - $556

• 59825 (Clinton) - $532

• 59826 (Condon) - $674

• 59834 (Frenchtown) - $482

• 59846 (Huson) - $695

• 59847 (Lolo) - $735

• 59868 (Seeley Lake) - $694

A key point to keep in mind: These average prices are for the home inspection only, and do not include popular add-on services like radon measurement, sewer scope, mold/indoor air quality, water quality, and other commonly requested ancillary services.

When undertaking what may be the largest investment of your life, it's important to find a qualified inspector who has the knowledge, experience, and communication skills to fulfill this crucial part of your real estate transaction. A good home inspection should play a pivotal role in your follow on negotiations while bringing you peace of mind in your home ownership journey. Don't want to miss future blog posts? Click here and subscribe at the top of the page (no spam, I promise)!

-Jonathan

info@cameronhomeinspections.com   406-306-1331

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*The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.