A Shorter Inspection Deadline Can Cost You Critical Data

A three-day inspection contingency can make your offer look irresistible, but it can also erase the very due diligence you thought you had. We’re Laura and James, and we’re pulling back the curtain on what actually happens after you schedule a home inspection, especially when you add mold testing, VOC air testing, radon testing, and well water testing to the mix. 

We walk through real turnaround times and why “we sent it to the lab” does not mean “you’ll have results tomorrow.” Mold results can hinge on shipping cutoffs and weekend closures, VOC tests can take days to weeks depending on the method, and well water tests often require culture growth plus follow-up confirmation. We also explain what VOC testing can help uncover, including whether something chemical is off-gassing or whether mold may be actively growing, which surprises a lot of buyers. 

Then we get specific about radon: the state-mandated 48 hours of continuous data, and the hidden ways the clock can get pushed back, like arriving to a home with windows open and needing a closed-house period before you can even start. Finally, we talk candidly about how contract language gets set, why some agents may not fully understand these constraints, and why you should always read what you’re signing, especially if your family has asthma, immune suppression, chemo, or transplant-related risks where indoor air quality is non-negotiable. 

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Transcript

Why Inspection Time Frames Matter

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hey everybody. Alright, Laura. James.

From Ten Days To Three

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Time frames. I think traditionally when people were buying a house, they had seven to de seven to ten days.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

I even remember 14 when we first started.

SPEAKER_02 0:17

I do remember, yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I remember 14.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

Sometimes they give you 14 days, but typically seven to ten days to get your inspections done.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Right.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

We are seeing now, and it's been like this for a while. Yes. We are seeing where the time frames are minuscule. Man, like five, three days, five days.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

I'm seeing a lot of three days.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

And we've seen them shorter than this, also in the past. We've seen a one-day before where the agent called up, called us up, and said, hey.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Can you save a time slot for me?

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Because I'm putting a one-day contingency and I want to make sure we can get you guys in. So and we were we were

The Hidden Cost Of Add-On Tests

SPEAKER_02 0:56

able to do that. But with short time frames, I don't think the real estate agents are explaining to the buyers what that means in terms of ancillaries. Yeah, and what they can do. So and we've had people irritated about this. I'm like, But it's not our fault. I'm like, all right, you had a three-day time period to get your your house inspected.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

You wanted VOC.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

And you wanted, yeah, you wanted, well, let's let's go through the let's go through the summer service we offer. We offer far more service than most people. So let's say

Mold And VOC Lab Realities

SPEAKER_02 1:33

you did uh a mold test. How long, how many, how long does it take to get the mold test back?

SPEAKER_01 1:40

The same day the lab gets it, we get the results.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

So if we did a test on Monday, send it out Monday.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

It depends on what time it got sent out Monday.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

If it was in let's say we sent it out before six o'clock on Monday.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Potential would be we could get it Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest. Because it all depends on FedEx. Once we drop that off, it's all on them.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Correct. So if we did a test, uh a mold test on Saturday, lamps closed on Sunday, so they'll get it Monday, Sunday.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

Well, so it's FedEx now.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

So, okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

So I would say probably Tuesday.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

So then Tuesday. So if you have a three-day time period to get things done, and you say you go and contract on Thursday, you got Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and I say skip Sunday, give you Monday, we'll just say they did that. You're not getting your test results back.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Nope.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

All right, so that's that's mold. You need to realize that it takes time for the lab to do the thing. So what if we did a VOC test, which evolved to organic compounds?

SPEAKER_01 2:44

It depends on the test. The um reveal is two weeks. So predict, which is the one we typically do, that one is three to five days, depending upon when they get it and when they start it. Because they have a list that comes in of people and they do them in order.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

So once again, I say you got three-day time period.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

You're not getting a VOC back.

SPEAKER_02 3:13

There's no there's no way. Because by the time the lab gets there's no physical way. Alright, so and then and the VOC, that is you're looking for chemicals that are in the air, outgas.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Well, and not just that, but that will also tell you if mold is actively growing in the house, which is something a lot of people don't know.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Yes, yeah. And sometimes we'll people, there's something in their air, they don't know what it is. They will make they'll often do the VOC test because that will help them narrow down is it chemical, is it something in materials, or is it mold? And it kind of helps them narrow down between those two things.

Who We Are And What We Do

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Habitation investigation is the way to go for a home inspection in Ohio. Trusted licensed home inspectors for your needs. From radon to mold to warranty. For a great home inspection, you really can't go. Visit home inspections in Ohio.com.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

All right,

Water Termite And Radon Timing

SPEAKER_02 4:14

so let's say we did a water test for like the what a well. How long does that take?

SPEAKER_01 4:20

And once again, that is once the lab gets it, three to five days. Because that one, there's actually a culture that they have to do. So that has a minimum amount of time. And once again, it depends on when they start it, because you know, the lab goes in order of what comes in, and if they're busy, it it gets started when they can, when they've got an open slide. So you've got to grow the culture, and then once it grows, if anything grows, then there's another test that they have to do on it. Sometimes the metals take uh longer because they have to be extracted.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

So yeah, they're doing a lead test.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

If they're yeah, so I mean it it depends on what it is, but I would say easily once the lab gets it, another three to five days.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Okay. If we did a termite test, that's the same day.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

That's just as part of the inspection.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Home inspection, we do that ourselves, is done typically that same day as the inspection. Usually even it gets sent out.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Radon? Yeah that's that is mandated by the state 48 hours. Period, end story, no question.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

48 hours of continuous radon data. You can't do 12 hours here in 12 hours another time. That's be 48 hours continuous. And then what screws what screws that time period?

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Because that sounds like if if we get to the house and the windows are open, we can't start that test for 12 hours. So that adds another 12 hours onto that, which means you're not getting that back in 48 hours now.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Because say someone has five days time period, get their stuff done. We go we go in day three. Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

I was gonna say it depends on when we go in, because usually they call us the last minute.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Day three, yeah, we could get it done. It it'll be close. We'll get it done by telling you five days, your five-day time period, but they left the windows open, so now it's it's delayed by 12 hours. And people will be mad at us. I'm like, listen, it's not our fault. It's a state. The listen agent should tell you to shut these things. The appointment was probably set up in your house like two days ago. You you were told that if there's gonna be radon tests, you should get the window shut.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Yeah, I think we we do have an email that goes out and says that to the to the agents.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Yes, we do. Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Even with the new system, I think I I put that in.

How Open Windows Delay Radon

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

So here this is the problem when you get in a short time period. Yeah, it may make your offer look a little bit more attractive, but if you if you value information about your house other than the basic home inspection, you're kind of screwing yourself over. And your agent may not be telling you this stuff because maybe they don't know. A lot of agents don't know. I had agent who buried an agent easily 15 years. She's been an agent, she didn't know the radon test was 48 hours. She's like, what is this 24 hours? Oh my god. No, it's 48. And it's always been 48 hours as far as I know.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

You've been doing it for 15, 18

Agents Buyers And Contract Surprises

SPEAKER_01 7:23

years at this point.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

So agents don't even know. So the shortened time period will screw you over if you're a buyer.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

I I had a buyer talking to me and we were talking about test results, and he did not know that his agent had put in a two-day contingency for inspections.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

See, and that's something why is the agent not doing that?

SPEAKER_01 7:49

I don't know. Why would he do that? But he was not happy because he he he told me, you know, how long his his time frame was and he wanted mold, and he and I'm like, because it was like on the weekend, and I'm like, dude, you're not getting it back in your time frame. I'm like, there's there's no way.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

So that age agent screwed him over completely because he wanted more. I didn't even ask, and hey, so can I do this?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

That agent did not even ask him about it, and and he literally had absolutely no clue that that was what she was putting into the contract. Which, you know, read what you're signing, guys.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Oh, yeah, definitely. So you always be you want to man, it all depends on on the client and what they want and need. And this this reminds me of a situation a couple years ago where the agent should not be telling the client what they want to know what they want to order.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

I wait, I mean that that that's the agent's fault. He didn't tell him what he needed. No, that is not what an agent's job

Health Risks And Smarter Decisions

SPEAKER_01 8:52

is. Because let's let's like how many times have we had parents that have called us and their kid has asthma or a family relative is undergoing some type of an organ transplant or whatever the case, chemo, and you need to be very, very specific that there's no mold in the house, that there's you know no contaminants, because it will kill somebody with those conditions.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

It definitely has happened in hospitals, it has happened happened in hospitals. It was somewhere it was somewhere in Pennsylvania, and it was it was due to the penicillum aspergillus, which is the most common mold that we find.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

I don't think we've ever done a mold test that's come back with mold and it hasn't had the penis penicillium aspergillus on it. I I don't think there's ever been one.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

If it has, it's been rare. It's been rare, but yeah, it was so common. But you need to not don't have a shortened time frame because you end up screwing yourself because you can't get all the data that you want.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Well, let's let's put it this way. If you don't care and you just want the house, you don't have anybody that's sick, you don't have any concerns about mold, you don't have any concerns about anything else, go ahead with a short time frame. That's not a problem. But if you're one of those that has one of those conditions or a family member that has that condition, you need to be careful about your time frames and make sure what you're signing.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Yep, and make sure you you got enough time frame to get everything you want done. And then you control what you want. Not the agent, not your relatives. Don't let the neighbor down the street what you really need to do, you decide what you can live with.

Final Advice And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_02 10:33

All right. That's I guess about it for this one. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

Bye y'all.