Home Inspection Checklist for Dunwoody Buyers

Buying a home in Dunwoody is a big move — in more ways than one. Between the 1960s ranchers off Chamblee Dunwoody Road, the split-levels in the Village, and the newer construction near Perimeter, Dunwoody's housing stock has real variety — and variety means different homes hide different problems.

A good home inspection tells you what you're actually buying, what it'll cost you in the first five years, and what to ask the seller to fix before you sign. Here's the checklist a thorough inspector works through on every Dunwoody home — and what each item is really telling you.

Shopping for a home in Dunwoody or anywhere in Metro Atlanta? Call Kobalt Inspections at 770-800-1032 to schedule your inspection — report in 24 hours.

1. The exterior: roof, siding, and drainage

The inspection starts outside, and in Dunwoody, drainage is the headline. Our red clay soil doesn't absorb water — it sheds it. So grading, gutters, and downspouts decide whether rainwater flows away from the foundation or straight into the crawlspace.

- Roof covering and flashing. Shingle age, curling, missing tabs, and flashing around chimneys, vents, and valleys. An inspector estimates remaining roof life — which matters for your insurance and your budget.

- Gutters and downspouts. Clogged, sagging, or missing gutters dump water at the foundation. Downspouts should discharge several feet from the house.

- Grading. Soil should slope away from the foundation in every direction. Negative grading is one of the most common findings in our market — and one of the cheapest to fix.

- Siding and trim. Wood rot at trim, failed caulk — and the big Metro Atlanta one, stucco/EIFS exteriors. Poorly flashed synthetic stucco traps water with no visible warning; thermal imaging can confirm it.

2. Structure and foundation

Dunwoody sits on Georgia clay, which swells when wet and shrinks when dry. That seasonal movement is the number-one cause of foundation cracking here — and most cracks are cosmetic, but some aren't.

- Foundation walls. Hairline cracks are usually shrinkage. Horizontal cracks, stair-step cracks with displacement, or cracks wide enough to fit a pencil get a closer look — often with a structural engineer recommendation.

- Floor framing. Joists, beams, and subflooring get checked for moisture damage, rot, and improper notching from past plumbing or electrical work.

- Signs of settlement. Doors that won't latch, sloping floors, cracked drywall above door frames. One clue is nothing; a pattern is a finding.

3. HVAC: heating and cooling

Georgia's cooling season runs roughly April through October, so the air conditioner is the hardest-working appliance in a Dunwoody home. An inspector runs both systems in their normal modes and checks what matters.

- Age and condition of the equipment. A 15-year-old condenser with a rusted cabinet is living on borrowed time. The data plate tells the age; the inspector tells you what that means for your budget.

- Temperature split. The difference between supply and return air should be in a healthy range — too small a split means the system is struggling, and Georgia summers don't forgive a struggling AC.

- Ductwork. Disconnected or leaking ducts in a 140-degree attic waste a shocking amount of cooled air.

- Condensate drains and filters. A clogged condensate drain floods ceilings. It's a five-dollar part that causes five-thousand-dollar damage.

4. Plumbing and water heater

- Water pressure and flow. Low pressure at every fixture can mean old galvanized supply lines corroding from the inside — common in Dunwoody's older ranches and a full re-pipe job when it fails.

- Drainage. Every sink, tub, and toilet gets run. Slow drains, gurgling, or backups point to venting issues or problems in the main sewer line — which is why so many Atlanta buyers add a sewer scope: a camera through the main line finds root intrusion, bellies, and breaks before they become a $10,000 excavation.

- Water heater. Age (check the data plate), rust, proper venting, and a working temperature-pressure relief valve. A 12-year-old water heater in a Dunwoody attic is a flood waiting for a date.

- Visible leaks and stains. Under sinks, around toilets, at washing machine hookups. Active drips are obvious; stains suggesting a leak was "fixed" get noted too.

5. Electrical

- Service panel. Proper labeling, no double-tapped breakers, no scorching. Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels — found in some older Dunwoody homes — get flagged for known safety issues.

- Wiring type. Aluminum branch wiring (common in late-60s/70s builds) needs special connections at every device.

- GFCI and AFCI protection. Kitchens, baths, garages, and exteriors need GFCI; bedrooms need AFCI. Missing protection is a quick, cheap fix.

- Outlets and switches. A representative sample gets tested — dead outlets, reversed polarity, and ungrounded three-prong outlets are all common findings.

6. Interior: moisture, windows, and the attic

- Moisture intrusion. Water stains on ceilings and walls get traced to a likely source: roof, plumbing, window, or HVAC condensate.

- Windows and doors. Failed seals (foggy double-pane glass), broken balances, rotted sills. In Georgia's humidity, a failed window seal is an energy and moisture problem at once.

- Attic. Insulation depth (thin or displaced insulation is an energy bill in disguise), ventilation, roof sheathing from the underside, and signs of past or active leaks.

7. Crawlspaces and basements

A huge share of Dunwoody homes sit on crawlspaces, and Georgia humidity turns a damp crawlspace into a moisture engine for the entire house.

- Moisture and standing water. Vapor barrier condition, drainage, and any sign the crawlspace floods in heavy rain.

- Wood rot and fungal growth. Floor joists and subflooring take the hit first — suspect wood gets probed and the extent noted.

- Insulation and ventilation. Fallen crawlspace insulation is practically a Dunwoody tradition. Proper ventilation — or a sealed, conditioned crawlspace — keeps moisture in check.

8. The add-ons worth considering

A standard inspection covers a lot, but a few specialized tests catch what it can't.

- Radon testing. Radon seeps from Georgia soil — odorless, invisible, and only detectable with a 48-hour test. At 4.0 pCi/L or above, the EPA recommends mitigation.

- Mold testing. Musty smells, past water damage, or a damp crawlspace are reasons to test, not just look.

- Sewer scope. A camera through the main sewer line. With Dunwoody's mature oaks, root intrusion is a when-not-if question.

- Infrared thermal scanning. Spots hidden moisture, missing insulation, and electrical hot spots that look perfectly normal to the naked eye.

9. What to do with the report

Your inspection report isn't a pass/fail grade — it's a negotiation tool and a maintenance roadmap.

- Safety issues first. Electrical hazards, structural concerns, gas leaks — these top your repair request.

- Big-ticket items second. Roof at end of life, aging HVAC, sewer line problems. Get contractor quotes during due diligence so you negotiate with real numbers.

- Maintenance items last. Caulk, filters, minor grading — first-year DIY. A good report tells you what to watch, not just what's broken today.

- Don't skip the re-inspection. If the seller agrees to repairs, verify the work was actually done — and done right — before closing.

Buying in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Brookhaven, or anywhere in Metro Atlanta? Call Kobalt Inspections at 770-800-1032. We'll walk the checklist with you, explain every finding in plain English, and get your report back within 24 hours — so you can negotiate with confidence.