How to use it. Print it. Take it to your inspection. Order all four on day one of the inspection period, not day seven — a finding that arrives on the last afternoon is a deadline, not leverage.
Order all four on day one
Roughly $600–$1,200 total against a seven-figure purchase. A clean result is not a wasted test; it is a purchased certainty.
- Sewer scope — $150–$300
- Camera run from cleanout to main. Cast iron and clay laterals in pre-1980 Phoenix homes fail at the joints and at root intrusions. A collapsed lateral under a slab is a five-figure repair that no visual inspection finds.
- Moisture survey — $200–$400
- Meter and thermal imaging across the envelope. Monsoon intrusion, condensate pans that never fully drain, and irrigation run against a stem wall create exactly the warm, damp, undisturbed conditions that grow things. Mapped before an offer, not discovered after.
- HVAC load verification — $100–$250
- Confirm capacity against the actual conditioned square footage. Undersized systems are common after additions and get sold as 'runs a little long in summer.' In Phoenix that is not a quirk, it is a replacement on a clock.
- Panel identification — No added cost
- Identify the manufacturer and model of the service panel — ask your inspector to photograph the label and the interior. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels carry documented breaker failure modes. Many insurers will not write a policy on them, which makes it a financing problem as well as a safety one.
The order of operations
- 1. Corridor selection before house selection
- We identify which corridors actually fit how you live — commute, walkability, lot type, HOA tolerance, school needs — before we look at a single listing. Falling in love with a house in the wrong corridor is the most expensive mistake in this market.
- 2. Financing verified, not pre-qualified
- Pre-qualification is a conversation. Underwritten pre-approval is a document. In a competitive corridor the difference decides the contract.
- 3. Showings with a checklist, not a vibe
- Every showing gets the same read: envelope, mechanicals, panel, supply lines, drainage. Finishes last. You get the notes.
- 4. Offer built on screened comparables
- You see the comparable set, including the ones I excluded and the stated reason for each exclusion.
- 5. The four tests inside the inspection period
- Sewer scope, moisture survey, HVAC load, panel ID — ordered immediately on acceptance so results arrive with time to act on them.
- 6. Findings priced, then negotiated or walked
- Every finding becomes a contractor-sourced number. Then we decide: credit, repair, re-trade, or walk. Walking is a real option and I will say so plainly when it is the right one.
Sharon Smith · REALTOR® · Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living · AZ Lic. SA722108000 · (262) 903-0876 · sharonsmithaz.com
General information, not legal, tax, or engineering advice. Inspection costs are typical ranges, not quotes.
Want these run on a specific house?
Send me the address. I will tell you which of the four matter most for that build year and that corridor, and roughly what they will cost — whether or not you end up working with me.