Plumbing Inspection in Towson, MD
21% of owner-occupied homes in Towson have changed hands since 2018. That is an ordinary rate, which makes the ordinary mistake more likely: assuming the inspection covered the plumbing.
The one-paragraph answer
21% of owners in Towson bought in 2018 or later, an ordinary rate. Ordinary is where the usual mistake happens, which is assuming the inspection covered the plumbing: the buried lateral is excluded by both published standards.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25038.
When Towson moved in
At an ordinary rate of turnover, the housing here divides fairly evenly between homes inspected in the last few years and homes that have not been looked at since the previous sale, whenever that was.
| Owner households in Towson | Share of all owners |
|---|---|
| Moved in 2021 or later | 6% |
| Moved in 2018–2020 | 14% |
| Moved in 2010–2017 | 27% |
| Moved in before 2010 | 53% |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25038 (tenure by year householder moved into unit), 2023 release. Universe: 18,094 occupied housing units, of which 9,908 are owner-occupied. This counts when the CURRENT occupant moved in, so it measures recent moves as a share of the housing stock — not a rate of sales per year.
What the inspection will not cover
Both standards exclude septic and other sewage disposal or wastewater treatment systems. The inspector confirms that the fixtures drain; the run leaving the building is not part of the job, and it is the most expensive thing on a property to be wrong about.
Source: InterNACHI Home Inspection Standards of Practice; ASHI Standard of Practice.
What it is required to cover
Knowing what is required is what lets you read the report properly. A finding against something the standard covers is a finding; silence about something it excludes is not reassurance. Most people read the document without that distinction and it is the difference between two very different pieces of paper.
Worth ten minutes before you read your own report: everything the two standards require, in the order an inspector does it.
What to do about it
Read the exclusions in your own report before the findings. The findings say what was looked at; the exclusions say what you still do not know, and only one of those two lists gets attention.
Before you accept a report, read what it did not have to cover against what it did. Then decide whether the drains outside need their own visit.
Other Maryland towns we route in
- Centreville 21% of owners moved in since 2018
- Union Bridge 14% of owners moved in since 2018
- Sandy Spring 20% of owners moved in since 2018
- Reisterstown 16% of owners moved in since 2018
- Elkton 17% of owners moved in since 2018
Checking a plumber in Maryland
Checking a credential in Maryland
Maryland licenses are issued by the Maryland State Board of Plumbing, Department of Labor, which publishes a public search you can use before work begins.
Inspection report in front of you?Read us the plumbing lines and nothing else — we do not want the document. We will route you to a contractor covering your area who can quote the items on it, and you are never charged by us. Not only inspection items: Towson gets routed whatever is needed.
Call (888) 764-3501