Home Inspections in Kansas City, MO
Kansas City, Missouri home inspections from a team led by a Certified Master Inspector®, with photo-filled reports usually delivered the same day.
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We’ve completed more than 1,000 inspections at Kansas City, Missouri addresses since 2020, from Northland subdivisions to Brookside bungalows and Midtown fourplexes. A home inspection starts at $329. About 6 in 10 Kansas City buyers we’ve worked with this past year chose Bundle & Save, starting at $716, which adds a termite inspection, a radon test, a sewer camera inspection and a floor plan. Every home inspection includes a 30-day home warranty.
One city, a century of houses
No city we work in has a wider mix of homes than Kansas City. We inspect everything from bungalows built before World War I to 1950s ranches in South KC to Northland two-stories that are only a few years old. About 4 in 10 of the Kansas City homes and buildings we’ve inspected were built before 1960, and about 1 in 5 before 1940.
The age split runs north and south of the river. In our recent inspections inside the city limits, Northland homes were typically built in the early 1990s, while homes south of the river were typically built around 1960. About half are ranches, and nearly every home has a basement. About half of those are walk-outs, which is common on Kansas City’s hills.
That’s why we don’t run one checklist across the whole city. A Northland home and a Waldo bungalow fail in different ways, and we inspect each house for the weak spots of its own era.
What we find most often in Kansas City homes
These patterns come from our recent inspections of homes inside Kansas City, Missouri city limits:
- Exterior concrete cracking or settling: more than 8 in 10 homes. Driveways, walks, steps and patios. Most of it is cosmetic. We point out the slabs that tip water back toward the house.
- Grading that slopes toward the house: about 2 in 3 homes, and in more than a third of all the homes we inspected it was bad enough to rate a Major Concern. Only Grandview and Independence had a higher share of Major Concern grading among the 12 cities we track.
- Missing or non-working GFCI protection: about 2 in 3 homes. Usually an inexpensive fix, and an important one in kitchens, baths, garages and outdoors. Here’s why GFCIs matter.
- Roof shingle wear or damage: about 6 in 10 homes, from granule loss to exposed nails and missing shingles.
- Garage fire separation problems: more than half of homes. That’s an attached-garage door that isn’t fire-rated or self-closing, or a gap in the wall between the garage and the house. That’s the highest rate of any city we track (the other 11 range from about 1 in 10 to 1 in 3).
Water, hail and the weather Kansas City gets
Hills and older lots make drainage a big deal here. Along with the grading problems above, about 6 in 10 homes had downspouts emptying right next to the foundation, and about 4 in 10 showed basement moisture or signs of past water entry. Some basements already have interior drain systems and wall liners, like the one pictured above. That’s useful to know, because a system that’s already installed tells you the basement has had water before. Ask the seller for the paperwork and any transferable warranty. Our guide to gutters and grading covers the easy fixes.
Hail is the other big one. About 1 in 3 Kansas City homes we inspect show hail evidence on the roof or roof metals, the second-highest rate of the 12 cities we track. In our summer inspections, hail evidence turned up more often than in the fall, right after storm season. We look at shingles, ridge caps, vents and gutters, and when the damage looks significant we recommend a roofer’s evaluation before your inspection period ends.
Older Kansas City homes: what we look for
Kansas City’s pre-war houses are a big reason people love living here, and they come with their own checklist:
- Older wiring. About 1 in 5 homes we inspect in the city limits have cloth-sheathed or single-strand aluminum branch wiring. Both are worth a licensed electrician’s evaluation, and some insurers ask about them.
- Fieldstone and older foundations. Some of the oldest homes we inspect sit on fieldstone foundation walls. We look for loose stones, mortar loss, moisture and movement, and we tell you when a structural engineer should take a closer look.
- Chimneys. Nearly half of the Kansas City homes we inspect get at least one chimney note, such as a cracked crown, firebox wear or a sweep recommendation. Read about a cracked chimney crown we found on a 1920s Kansas City home, and what it costs to fix.
- Settling. Minor foundation cracks and settlement cracks in walls or ceilings each show up in more than half of homes, along with doors that rub or don’t latch. Most of it is normal for the house’s age. We call out what isn’t.
See typical service lives for roofs, water heaters and HVAC in our life expectancy chart.
Your sewer line is your responsibility in Kansas City
KC Water’s rules put the sewer service line on the homeowner. KC Water maintains the public mains, and the property owner maintains the service line from the main to the building, including the part under the street or in an easement (KC Water Rules and Regulations for Sewer Service Lines). On a house that’s 60 or 100 years old, that line may be clay or cast iron, and tree roots love it.
That’s why about 8 in 10 Kansas City buyers we’ve worked with this past year added a sewer camera inspection. It’s $200 with your home inspection, and it’s included in Bundle & Save.
Radon in Kansas City
Radon is present in every county in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and about 1 in 3 homes tested in its residential program came back above the EPA’s 4.0 pCi/L action level (Missouri DHSS). That’s a statewide figure. Missouri doesn’t require radon testing in a home sale, so it’s up to you to ask for one. Our radon test starts at $150 with an inspection.
Kansas City Inspection Services & Pricing
| Service | With inspection | Standalone |
|---|---|---|
| Home inspection | Starting at $329 | — |
| Bundle & Save (inspection, termite, radon, sewer camera, floor plan) | Starting at $716 | |
| Sewer camera inspection | Starting at $200 | Starting at $250 |
| Radon test | Starting at $150 | Starting at $159 |
| Termite inspection | Starting at $80 | Starting at $119 |
| Level 2 masonry chimney inspection (first flue) | Starting at $189 | Starting at $239 |
| Mold inspection (up to 2,500 sq ft) | Starting at $338 | Starting at $488 |
| 5 Point Inspection (investors and remodelers) | Starting at $275 | — |
| Multi-family inspection | Starting at $199 per building + $75 per unit | |
Your price depends on the home’s size and age and the services you choose. You’ll see your exact price in our online scheduler. See all pricing.
Kansas City is our busiest multi-family market
We’ve inspected more than 150 multi-family properties in Kansas City, Missouri, covering nearly 1,500 units, from duplexes and Midtown fourplexes to buildings with more than 70 units. Most of our Kansas City multi-family clients add a sewer scope, and on older buildings we recommend it. See our multi-family inspection pricing, or our investor 5 Point Inspection for single-family rentals and flips.
Who will inspect your Kansas City home
- Bryan Standley, owner, Certified Master Inspector® and InterNACHI certified, leads our team of inspectors.
- Tylor Standley and Aiden Finlan, InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspectors. Meet the team.
- We follow the InterNACHI Standards of Practice. See what gets inspected.
- Attend-or-refund satisfaction guarantee, and we don’t sell repairs, so our only job is to tell you the truth about the house.
Recent inspections in Kansas City
Notes from our recent Kansas City inspections will be posted here.
Related services
Buying a rental or a fourplex? See our investor inspections and multi-family inspections. For an older home, pair your inspection with a sewer camera inspection and a radon test, or read what’s included in a standard home inspection.
Nearby areas we serve
Nearby, we also inspect homes in Independence, Lee’s Summit, Belton and, across the state line, Overland Park and Lenexa. See all the areas we serve.
Findings are based on Inspect KC’s own recent inspections of homes inside Kansas City, Missouri city limits (Northland, South KC, Brookside/Waldo, Midtown, the East side and Downtown), not national averages. Comparisons are to the 12 Kansas City-area cities we track most closely. Housing-age and multi-family figures cover all of our inspections at Kansas City, Missouri addresses since 2020.
Kansas City Home Inspection FAQ
How much does a home inspection cost in Kansas City, MO?
Home inspections start at $329. Bundle & Save, which adds termite, radon, a sewer camera inspection and a floor plan, starts at $716. Your price depends on the home’s size and age and the services you choose, and you’ll see your exact price in our online scheduler.
Who is responsible for the sewer line in Kansas City?
The property owner. Under KC Water’s rules, KC Water maintains the public sewer mains and the owner maintains the service line from the main to the house, including the part in the street or an easement. A sewer camera inspection before you buy shows you what you’re taking on.
Do you inspect older homes and bungalows?
Yes, all the time. About 4 in 10 of the Kansas City homes and buildings we’ve inspected were built before 1960. We look closely at older wiring, fieldstone and block foundations, chimneys, galvanized and cast-iron plumbing, and the sewer line.
Do you inspect in the Northland?
Yes. We inspect across Kansas City, Missouri, north and south of the river. Northland homes are usually newer, so we focus more on roofs, grading, siding and mechanical systems there.
Do you inspect duplexes, fourplexes and apartment buildings in Kansas City?
Yes. Kansas City is our busiest multi-family market. A 5 Point Multi-Family Inspection starts at $199 per building plus $75 per unit, and a Complete Multi-Family Inspection starts at $299 per building plus $125 per unit.
Can you inspect the chimney?
Every home inspection includes a look at the chimney crown, walls, flashing, damper and firebox. For a closer look inside the flue, add a Level 2 masonry chimney inspection, starting at $189 for the first flue with a home inspection.
When will I get my report?
Usually the same day, by email link, with photos and plain-English recommendations you can use for your repair request.
Ready to Schedule Your Kansas City Home Inspection?
Book online in minutes or call our office. We’ll help you buy with confidence.