Minnesota Home Inspections: What Janet Watches For

Minnesota does not license home inspectors, so the inspection you get depends on who you hire (ASHI, Home Inspection Requirements for Minnesota). A good one takes two to three hours, and because more than two in five Minnesota homes test above the radon action level, I add a radon test to nearly every purchase (Minnesota Department of Health).

I'm Janet Matchinsky, a full-time broker in Alexandria since 2014. For a home in town or on a lake outside Osakis, start by agreeing on the scope of the inspection and the decisions you need to make afterward. Here is how to organize the report, property records and follow-up questions before the purchase agreement's deadlines.

What the seller has to tell you before the inspection

The inspection is your second layer of protection. The first is the seller's written disclosure, which Minnesota requires before you sign a purchase agreement. The seller must disclose "all material facts of which the seller is aware that could adversely and significantly affect" your ordinary use of the property, in good faith and to the best of their knowledge (Minn. Stat. 513.55).

Three Minnesota-specific disclosures ride along with it:

• Radon. Since January 1, 2014, the Minnesota Radon Awareness Act requires the seller to disclose any radon testing and mitigation history, give you a radon warning statement, and hand you the Department of Health publication "Radon in Real Estate Transactions" (Minn. Stat. 144.496).
• Wells. The seller must state whether they know of any wells on the property, with a map and the status of each, and a well disclosure certificate is filed with the county recorder at closing for a $54 fee (Minn. Stat. 103I.235).
• Septic. The seller must disclose whether sewage goes to a permitted facility or a private system, map the system, and attach any prior inspection report (Minn. Stat. 115.55, subd. 6).

One wrinkle worth knowing: a seller can substitute a qualified third-party inspection report for parts of the disclosure, but they still must disclose any known material fact that contradicts that report (Minn. Stat. 513.56, subd. 3). If a seller hands you a pre-listing inspection, read it, then get your own.

Picking an inspector when the state does not

Because Minnesota has no license, "home inspector" is whatever the person says it is. What I look for when I refer one:

• Membership in ASHI or InterNACHI, with their standards of practice in the contract.
• Errors-and-omissions insurance.
• A sample report with photos, not a checklist.
• Willingness to have you and me on site for the whole inspection.
• Experience with rural homes, because a city inspector who has never opened a septic lid or looked at a well pit is the wrong hire for a Todd County farmhouse.

Expect the general inspection to cover roof, exterior, structure, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, interior, insulation and ventilation, attic, basement or crawl space, and attached garage. Radon, well water, septic, sewer camera, chimney and mold are add-ons with separate fees, and the ones I recommend depend on the house.

Radon: the test I order almost every time

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers, and Minnesota's average indoor level is more than three times the national average, with more than two in five homes above the 4.0 picocuries-per-liter action level (MDH radon). Testing is not required in a sale, but the Department of Health strongly recommends it (MDH, Radon in Real Estate).

For a real estate transaction MDH's protocol is a test of at least 48 hours by a licensed measurement professional, using a continuous radon monitor or two simultaneous short-term kits, under closed-house conditions, in the lowest level that could be occupied. Practically, that means the test runs during the inspection window and the seller agrees in writing to keep windows and doors shut.

If the result comes back at 4.0 or above, mitigation is a negotiation, not an automatic seller obligation. In our area I usually ask the seller to install a mitigation system before closing, with a post-mitigation test as proof. If the home has a basement bedroom or finished living space below grade, that is all the more reason to run the test.

Well and septic: the two inspections that stop rural deals

Outside city limits, the well and septic are the two systems that can cost more than a roof, and the general home inspector does not certify either one.

Septic. In Douglas County, a septic compliance inspection is required upon transfer of property ownership. When the sale closes in winter and the ground is frozen, the county requires a winter agreement with escrowed funds and the inspection by the following June 1 (Douglas County Zoning Ordinance, PDF). The inspection is done by a licensed septic professional, and the county publishes a list (Douglas County Land and Resource Management). A failed inspection means a new drainfield or a mound system, and I want to know that before your contingency expires, not after.

Well. I ask for a water test at minimum. MDH recommends private wells be tested for coliform bacteria every year, nitrate every other year, and arsenic and lead at least once (MDH well water quality). A well inspection by a licensed contractor also checks the pressure tank, pump and casing. Older homes sometimes have an abandoned well under a porch or in a pit, and Minnesota requires unused wells to be sealed by a licensed contractor, so I look for old casing every time.

I cover the setbacks, permits and costs on both systems in Buying land in Osakis: septic, wells and lot rules.

What I watch for while the inspector works

The inspector writes the report. I recommend using it to organize questions about the building and any specialist work still needed. Ask which findings affect safety, repair planning or your purchase decision, and which areas could not be inspected.

1. Ice dam evidence. Stained drywall at exterior walls on the top floor, rusty nail heads in the attic and matted insulation near the eaves tell me the roof has been icing up. In Minnesota that is an insulation and air-sealing problem before it is a roof problem.
2. Basement water. Efflorescence on block walls, a fresh coat of paint on the lower two feet of the wall, rust on the furnace legs and a sump pump that runs during the inspection all get a question. On the lake side of Alexandria the water table is close, and a finished lower level hides a lot.
3. Furnace and water heater age. I read the data plates. A furnace past 20 years in a house with a finished basement is a negotiation item, and I want the inspector to run it through a full cycle even in July.
4. Electrical panels. Older panels in farmhouses and cabins, double-tapped breakers and aluminum branch wiring in 1960s and 1970s homes are items an insurer may flag, so we deal with them before closing.
5. Lake home extras. Docks, lifts, retaining walls and shoreline stairs are often not in the inspector's scope. I check who owns them, whether they were permitted, and whether the seller intends to take the lift. My guide to buying a lake home in Minnesota covers the shoreland side.
6. Seasonal cabins. Heat tape on water lines, a crawl space with no vapor barrier and plumbing that was never designed for January are the difference between a cabin and a year-round home.
7. Permits. A finished basement, an added bath or a bunkhouse with no permit history goes on my list of questions for the seller and, when needed, the county.

How the inspection contingency works

In a typical Minnesota purchase agreement the inspection contingency gives you a set number of days to complete inspections and either accept the property, cancel, or ask the seller for repairs or a price change. I write ten days when I can, seven when the seller pushes, and I schedule the general inspection, radon test and any septic or well inspection so they all finish inside that window. Ask me for the days on market and price history on the house before you write the request: buyers usually have more room to ask for repairs on a home that has sat, and less room on a fresh listing with multiple offers.

Three things I do not recommend: waiving the inspection to win a bidding war, letting the seller's inspector be your only inspector, and skipping the septic inspection because the seller says it was "just pumped." Pumping is not compliance.

If you are the seller

Everything above is a reason to get ahead of it. A pre-listing radon test, a current septic compliance certificate on a rural home, and receipts for the furnace and roof turn inspection week from a renegotiation into a formality. My seller page covers how I prepare a home for inspection before it hits the market, and the closing costs guide shows where inspection-related credits land on the settlement statement.

Talk to Janet

If you are buying in Douglas, Todd, Pope or Kandiyohi County and want an inspector who has seen a lot of wells, septics and lake basements, call or text me at (320) 219-2488 and I will send you my short list. Start with the buyer page to see how I handle the whole process from offer to closing.