San Francisco · City and County of San Francisco
Home Inspection in San Francisco, CA
7 findings that come up most often in San Francisco homes — assessed by a former builder who knows what this housing stock hides.
San Francisco has requirements no other city I serve does: a Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program for qualifying multi-unit buildings, a 3R Report documenting a property's permitted use and unit count, and sewer lateral compliance obligations that can arise at transfer. I flag where these apply so you can confirm status with the city before removing contingencies.
That shapes what a home inspection in San Francisco actually needs to look for. Soft-story ground floors is the finding that comes up most often here, followed closely by dry rot at light wells, bays and west walls. Both are specific to how San Francisco was built and where it sits — not items from a generic checklist.
A small stock of pre-1906 Victorians that survived the fire, a very large post-1906 Edwardian rebuild, 1920s–40s Mediterranean and Marina-style rowhouses across the western neighbourhoods, post-war infill, and modern condo and loft construction east of downtown.
Local Findings
What comes up most in San Francisco
These are the findings this inspection is actually looking for here — drawn from how San Francisco was built and where it sits, not a generic list.
Soft-story ground floors
A garage opening beneath living space leaves little lateral resistance in an earthquake. San Francisco runs a Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit Program for older multi-unit wood-frame buildings, and single-family homes with the same configuration are not covered by it at all. I identify the condition and tell you whether retrofit work appears to have been done.
Dry rot at light wells, bays and west walls
Fog and wind-driven rain attack west and north-facing elevations year-round. Light wells, bay window sills and the junctions where stucco meets wood trim are where it starts, and it is usually well advanced before anything is visible from inside.
Unpermitted in-law and ground-floor units
Extremely common in San Francisco. I check ceiling height, egress, ventilation, heating and electrical, and flag work that looks like it was done outside the permit process. Whether a unit is legal affects value, financing and insurance, not just safety.
Liquefaction-zone building performance
The Marina, SOMA, Mission Bay and parts of the Financial District sit on fill — some of it 1906 rubble. In mapped liquefaction zones I pay particular attention to foundation type, differential settlement, floor level variation and any pattern suggesting ongoing movement.
Brick and unreinforced foundations
Pre-1906 buildings frequently sit on brick or unreinforced rubble foundations with no anchor bolting. Combined with unbraced cripple walls this is among the most consequential findings in the city, and the retrofit is well understood.
Original clay sewer laterals
The city's older laterals are clay, root-intruded and often shared or running under neighbouring property. A lateral inspection is worth doing separately — it does not appear in a standard visual inspection and it is a recurring four- and five-figure repair here.
Party walls and attached construction
Most San Francisco buildings share walls. Moisture, pest activity and structural movement all cross those boundaries, and problems originating next door regularly show up on your side first.
San Francisco housing stock that matters here
Age and construction era change what this inspection prioritises.
Pre-1906 Victorians
Italianate, Stick and Queen Anne homes concentrated in areas the fire missed — Alamo Square, the Haight, parts of Noe Valley, the Mission and Pacific Heights. Expect brick or unreinforced rubble foundations, unbraced cripple walls, knob-and-tube remnants, original clay sewer laterals, and decades of layered alteration.
1906–1920s Edwardian rebuild
The largest share of the city's housing, built fast during reconstruction. Common findings are ground-floor garage openings creating soft-story conditions, original single-pane wood windows, dry rot at light wells and bay windows, and shared party walls with the neighbouring building.
1920s–40s Mediterranean & Marina-style
Dominant through the Sunset, Richmond and Marina. Stucco over wood framing with limited drainage plane behind it, tunnel entrances, and ground-floor garages beneath living space are the recurring pattern.
Post-war & mid-century infill
Scattered through the outer neighbourhoods and along the southern edge. Galvanised supply piping, cast-iron waste, undersized electrical services and original windows are typical.
1990s–present condos & lofts
SOMA, Mission Bay, Dogpatch and Hayes Valley. Priorities shift to balcony and deck waterproofing, window-wall assemblies, unit-boundary systems, and moisture crossing from shared construction.
How the inspection works
- 1
Schedule
Book online or by phone — same-day and next-day appointments are often available.
- 2
On-Site Inspection
A thorough 2–4 hour walkthrough of the entire property, inside and out.
- 3
Walk & Talk
You're welcome to join at the end so we can show you findings in person.
- 4
Same-Day Report
A detailed, photo-rich report delivered the same day so you never lose momentum.
What you get
- Know the home's true condition before you buy
- Builder's-eye perspective catches what others miss
- Same-day reports keep your contingency window on track
- Confident, data-backed negotiating leverage
Starting at $649 for a typical single-family home, interior and exterior, or $549 for a condo or attached unit. Larger or older properties are quoted on square footage, age and features — call or request a quote and we'll respond fast, usually within the hour.
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