Close to half of all home inspector business cards include a graphic of a magnifying glass hovering over a miniature house—and half of those have a Sherlock Holmes lookalike holding the magnifying glass. It’s meant to convince a prospective customer that the inspector observes each house in micro-detail. But do home inspectors really use them? Not too much. House defects are usually right there in plain sight if you know what to look for. Most us have to root around in the bottom of our tool bag, or go out to the truck, to find a magnifier.

     But they are definitely helpful when looking for termite fecal pellets in bits of debris at the base of a wall, or to read the excruciatingly fine print on the face of a circuit breaker for the specs. And our preference is actually a small multi-lens loupe, which is not as impressive as a big, old-fashioned magnifying glass. Or at least it was until today, when an electrician friend showed us that it’s easier to pull the cellphone out of your pocket, snap a close-up pic, and then zoom-in on the detail you’re looking for. 

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Here’s links to some of our other blog posts about "DOES A HOME INSPECTOR…?":

• Does a home inspector lift up the carpet to look for cracks in the floor? 

• What is a home inspector not allowed to do?

• Does a home inspector inspect in the rain? 

• Does a home inspector remove the electric panel cover plate and examine the inside of the panel? 

• Can a home inspector do repairs to a house after doing the inspection? 

• What are the questions a home inspector won't (or shouldn't) answer?

• Does a home inspector make sure the house is up to code? 

• How thorough is a home inspector required to be when inspecting a house?

• Does a home inspector check for permits? 

     Visit our HOME INSPECTION page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.