In the state of California there are some generally agreed upon standards for property inspections. One is from the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA). Another is from, ASTM – The American Society of Testing and Materials. ASTM is considered the yardstick in the industry for commercial and industrial real estate inspections.
ASTM’s guideline includes a description of the acceptable standard for a commercial or industrial real estate inspection. It outlines many levels of what can be done. It can encompass everything from review of documents by qualified professionals such as an architect at the local Department of Building and Safety to having professionals examine every system and do detailed reports for these if that is what the client needs. It also lists out the minimum level – Base Line – for a site visit and review of a building and the associated parking structure. The base line inspection is generally the agreed upon inspection. This is what is done almost 100% of the time.
When you hire
Commercial Real Estate Inspectors we look at the site while paying particular attention to the Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and AC, the Structure and Roofing. We also comment on immediate drainage issues. We look for material (meaning of significant importance or great consequence to the property) defects and safety issues. We also comment on the expected useful life of systems per industry standards. We do these from a general visual stand point. You get a written report that can be well over 50 pages of information and pictures that show what we have found.
