The standard California home inspection takes two to four hours, costs $400 to $800, and produces a 40 to 80 page report with photos. Buyers read it, skim past the boilerplate, focus on the bold-red 'major concerns' section, and either move forward or renegotiate. That workflow misses some of the costliest issues a home can have — because the general inspector is not actually qualified, equipped, or contractually responsible for finding them.
What a general home inspection covers
A standard inspection is a visual, non-invasive look at the home's accessible systems: roof (from the ground or eaves), structure, electrical panel, plumbing fixtures, HVAC, water heater, appliances, and visible drainage. The inspector doesn't open walls, doesn't pull permits, doesn't camera the sewer line, doesn't pull the electrical panel cover beyond a visual, and doesn't run any system at full load. The report usually says so explicitly in the limitations section — which most buyers skip.
What it doesn't tell you, but matters most
Sewer lateral condition
On any home over 30 years old in California — and any home with mature trees in the yard — a sewer lateral camera inspection is mandatory due diligence. Cracked, root-invaded, or collapsed laterals are $8,000 to $25,000 to replace, and many cities (East Bay, parts of LA County) require compliance certificates at sale. A standard inspection will not catch this. Order it separately for $250 to $400.
Roof age and remaining life
An inspector will note 'roof appears in serviceable condition.' That tells you nothing about whether you have two years or twenty. Ask for the manufacturer, install date, and any roof certifications. A 22-year-old composite roof with three years of life left is a $15,000 to $30,000 expense lurking in your closing year — and crucially, many home insurers in California now refuse to write policies on roofs over 20 years old. The inspection won't tell you that. Get a separate roof inspection from a licensed roofer if there's any doubt.
Insurance-blocking electrical and plumbing
Insurers are increasingly refusing to write policies on homes with knob-and-tube wiring, ungrounded aluminum wiring, Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, polybutylene plumbing, or galvanized supply lines. The inspector may flag these. They will not tell you your insurance application is going to be denied. In California's hardening insurance market, that turns a 'buyable' home into an unbuyable one — and you find out three weeks before closing.
Foundation movement
Hairline cracks are normal. Stair-step cracks in masonry, doors that don't latch, sloped floors, and separation between drywall and ceiling are not. A general inspector will note them; only a structural engineer ($500 to $1,500) can tell you whether they're cosmetic, monitoring, or active. On any home built before 1980 in California's seismic zones, an engineer's letter is cheap insurance against a six-figure surprise.
Drainage, grading, and water intrusion history
Inspectors look for water stains. They don't watch the house in a storm. Ask the seller for the CLUE report (insurance claim history). Look for prior water claims, mold remediation, or roof replacements. A house that has flooded once is a house that will flood again unless the underlying drainage was fixed — and most aren't.
Permits — or the lack of them
That converted garage, finished basement, or 'bonus room' may not be permitted. The inspector won't pull permit history; they'll just describe what they see. Unpermitted work means the square footage isn't legal, the appraisal may not credit it, future buyers will discount it, and your insurance may not cover it. Pull permit history from the city or county building department before you remove your inspection contingency.
How to read your report like an underwriter
- Skip the cosmetic section entirely. Loose handrails and missing GFCIs are not the report's job.
- Find the limitations section first. Anything the inspector explicitly didn't inspect is your homework.
- List every system over 15 years old. Roof, water heater, HVAC, electrical panel, sewer lateral. Each is a clock.
- Cross-reference with the seller's TDS, NHD, and SPQ disclosures. If the inspection found something the seller didn't disclose, that's leverage and possibly liability.
- Order specialty inspections for anything ambiguous: sewer scope, roof, structural, chimney, pool, pest. The math almost always works in your favor.
How to use the inspection in negotiation
Most buyers either over-react to the inspection (asking for $40,000 in credits on a $1.4M home and souring the deal) or under-react (signing off because nothing is on fire). The right move is to bucket findings into three categories: safety and habitability (non-negotiable), deferred maintenance with insurance or financing implications (negotiable hard), and cosmetic (don't ask). A clean ask on the first two — backed by contractor bids, not vague numbers — gets credits. A scattershot ask on all three gets a 'take it or leave it.'
The bottom line
The general home inspection is necessary. It is not sufficient. Plan on $1,000 to $2,500 in specialty inspections on any California home over 30 years old, and treat the general inspector's report as a triage document, not a verdict. The buyers who get hurt are the ones who treat 'no major issues' as the same as 'no issues.'
Run a free Zeego property report before your inspection. You'll see the home's permit history, age, and prior listing details — context that helps you decide which specialty inspections actually matter for that property.