The direct answer: a full home inspection starts at $649 for a single-family house, or $549 for a condo. Larger or older properties get quoted before you book, not after — so the number you hear up front is the number that matters.
That's a more specific answer than you'll get from most inspection companies in this market. When we looked at how other Bay Area inspectors publish pricing, more than half didn't list a number anywhere — not a range, not a rate sheet, nothing beyond "call for a quote." Here's what actually drives the cost, and what you should expect for it.
The starting price, and what's actually included
Our full home inspection starts at $649 for a typical single-family home, and $549 for a condo or attached unit. That's not a teaser rate that grows once you're on the phone — it covers the entire visit: a full walkthrough of every major system, infrared thermal imaging, calibrated moisture readings, and a same-day, photo-rich report.
Some firms in this market charge extra for a fast turnaround on the report, or treat thermal imaging as an add-on rather than a standard part of the inspection. Neither is a line item here. If a quote you're comparing treats thermal imaging as an upsell rather than a default, you're not pricing the same service.
Why so many Bay Area inspectors won't give you a number
Ask five different inspection companies what a standard inspection costs, and you'll likely get one real answer and four requests for your phone number. That's not unique to this industry, but it's especially common here — franchise offices in particular tend to route every inquiry through a call rather than publish a rate.
There's a reasonable version of that approach: pricing genuinely depends on square footage, age, and access, so a number given without seeing the property is necessarily approximate. But "it depends" and "call me and I'll tell you" are different levels of transparency. A published starting price plus an honest list of what moves it gives you enough to budget with before you've spent twenty minutes on the phone.
What actually changes the price
Four things move a quote above the starting price, and none of them are a surprise sprung on you after the inspection is already done.
- Square footage — the starting price covers a typical single-family home; larger properties take longer to document properly.
- Age of the property — pre-war housing, knob-and-tube remnants, and additions built across several code eras all take longer to assess than a home built in one pass.
- Crawl space and attic access — a full-height basement is quick to inspect; a crawl space with a jammed hatch and eighteen inches of clearance is not.
- How many services you combine — booking a mold assessment alongside the home inspection costs less than two separate visits, because it's one trip and one report.
Why a condo costs less than a house
The $100 gap between the house price and the condo price isn't arbitrary. An attached unit has no roof or foundation of its own to assess, and the building envelope is smaller — so the inspection focuses on what actually falls inside your unit: the systems, the envelope penetrations, balcony and deck waterproofing, and any moisture arriving from a shared wall or the unit above.
That's a genuinely shorter visit than a three-story Victorian with a full basement and an attic, so the price reflects that rather than charging condo buyers for time nobody's spending on their property.
What you get for the price, no matter which one you book
- A same-day, photo-rich written report
- Infrared thermal imaging where it's relevant to a finding
- Calibrated moisture meter readings, not guesses
- A walkthrough at the end so you can ask questions in person
- No pressure to book remediation or repairs — we don't sell either
If a quote comes in lower, ask these questions before you book
A lower quote isn't automatically a worse inspection — some of the most competitively priced inspectors in this region genuinely run a tight, efficient operation. But price alone doesn't tell you what you're comparing. Before you book the cheaper option, ask a few specific questions: Is thermal imaging included, or is it a paid add-on? Do you get the report the same day, or does that cost extra? Does the inspector walk the property with you, or do you just receive a PDF by email?
Those three questions expose most of the real difference between a budget inspection and a full one. Sometimes the cheaper option genuinely includes all of it. Often it doesn't, and the gap shows up as a surcharge you didn't know to ask about until you're already on the phone.
Beyond the home inspection
If moisture, mold, or a possible gas leak is part of what's worrying you, those are priced separately and just as transparently: mold inspection starts at $279, moisture and water damage assessment starts at $119, and gas leak detection starts at $99. On an older home or anything with a history of water damage, the Home + Mold Bundle combines the full inspection with a mold assessment at a discounted combined rate. See the full pricing breakdown for every figure, or get in touch for a firm quote on your specific property.
