What do home inspections and add-⁠on tests cost in Georgia?

Home inspection

A standard home inspection is a visual check of the home's structure and major systems, written up in a report.

A home inspector walks the house and the lot and looks at what can be seen and reached: the roof, the structure, the attic, the crawl space or basement, the plumbing, the electrical panel, the heating and cooling equipment, the windows and the doors. You get a written report, usually with photos, of what the inspector found and what may need a closer look from a specialist.

The inspector does not open walls or take equipment apart, beyond steps such as removing the electrical panel cover.

A home inspection is not an appraisal. An appraisal estimates what the home is worth, and an inspection reports on the condition it is in.

The range for this job is in the short answer above.

What moves the price

Size of the home

Many Georgia price lists step up in bands by the home's square footage, so a house just over a band line can cost more than one just under it. Ask which band your home falls in and whether a finished basement counts toward it.

Age of the home

Some inspectors add a fee for an older home, since older wiring, plumbing and framing take longer to look over and write up.

Crawl space or basement

Getting under the house or through an unfinished basement takes time, and some price lists add a charge for a crawl space. One too tight or wet to enter safely may only be noted in the report as not inspected.

Garages and outbuildings

A detached garage, a guest house or a workshop is another structure to check, and it can raise the price.

Add-on tests

Radon, mold, sewer scope and pool checks are usually priced on top of the inspection. Booking them at the same visit can lower what each one costs, since the inspector is already at the house.

Timing and the report

Ask how soon the report arrives, and whether a weekend visit or a rush report costs extra.

Buyer, seller or new build

A seller's inspection before listing, or a check of a newly built home before the final walkthrough, may be priced differently from a standard buyer's inspection, so say which one you need.

Mold inspection and testing

A mold inspection is a visual check for moisture and visible growth. Mold testing sends air or surface samples to a lab, and inspectors price it either as a visit with samples or per sample. The visit price for mold testing is in the short answer above.

What moves the price

Number of samples

Every sample sent to the lab adds a lab fee, so more rooms tested means a higher price.

A look or lab results

An inspection without samples usually costs less than testing. Ask whether the quote covers the visual check, the lab work or both.

Size of the home

More rooms and more floor space mean more ground to cover, and they can mean more samples.

Lab turnaround

Faster results from the lab usually cost more than the standard wait.

Removal is separate

Inspection and testing find mold and measure it. Removing it is separate work with its own price, often done by a different company.

Radon testing

Radon testing measures radon gas in the air of the home over a test period, usually with a monitor or a test kit placed on the lowest lived-in level. Radon mitigation, installing a system that vents the gas outside, has no Georgia range here yet.

The range for this job is in the short answer above.

What moves the price

Type of test

An electronic monitor and a test kit sent to a lab are priced differently. Ask which one the inspector uses.

With or without an inspection

Many inspectors sell radon testing as an add-on, and it can cost less ordered with a home inspection than booked on its own.

Picking up the device

The monitor or kit has to be collected after the test period, and a trip just for that can add to the price.

Keeping the house closed

The test is usually run with the windows and outside doors kept shut. If that cannot be done, ask whether the test would need to be run again and what that costs.

Sewer scope inspection

A sewer scope inspection sends a camera through the main sewer line from the house toward the street or the septic tank, and the inspector reviews the video for breaks, roots and low spots.

The range for this job is in the short answer above.

What moves the price

Access to the line

The camera usually goes in through a cleanout. With no cleanout to use, going in another way takes more work and can cost more.

Length of the line

A house set far back from the street or the tank has more pipe to scope, which takes longer.

Video and notes

Ask whether you get the recorded video along with the written findings, or only the notes.

Septic or city line

A scope that runs to a septic tank and one that runs to the city connection can be priced differently, so say which one the home has.

Pool inspection

A pool inspection is a check of the pool or spa and the equipment that runs it, usually ordered alongside the home inspection when the home has a pool.

What moves the price

Pool, spa or both

A spa attached to the pool, or a separate hot tub, adds equipment to check and raises the price.

Equipment on site

Heaters, salt systems, automatic cleaners and lighting each add time to the inspection.

Type of pool

An in-ground pool with its own plumbing and equipment usually takes more work than an above-ground pool.

Age of the equipment

Older pumps, filters and heaters can take longer to check and write up, and some inspectors price an older setup higher.

What a good home inspection quote should list

Two inspection quotes can look far apart until you see what each one covers. Ask each inspector to put these in writing:

1. Exactly which inspection or test the price covers, and which add-ons are extra
2. The home size the price is based on, and what changes if the home is larger or older than that
3. Whether the crawl space, the attic, a detached garage and other outbuildings are included
4. For radon testing, the type of monitor or kit and whether picking it up is in the price
5. For mold testing, how many samples are included and what each extra sample costs
6. For a sewer scope, whether you receive the video as well as the written findings
7. When the report will arrive and whether it includes photos
8. Whether the inspector will go over the findings with you, and what a return visit after repairs costs

Where these numbers come from

We collect these prices with our own crawler, which reads the public websites of Georgia home inspectors and follows each site's robots.txt rules. It has read 186 of their websites so far. Each range is the middle half of the prices and cost guides those businesses publish, collected November 2026. A price list is what a business says it charges; a cost guide is a business's own estimate of what the job usually runs in Georgia. We check every figure against the page it came from, leave out national averages and prices from other states, and count a business only once, even if it has several websites. We never name the businesses behind a range. This page is written and published by Georgia SEO Company.

Home inspection guides

Answers to the questions Georgia home buyers and owners ask about home inspections.

• Which add-⁠on inspections should you order with a home inspection?Read the guide