Why the Same House Can Pass Inspection in One State and Fail in Another (Virginia vs New Mexico)

A house is a house, right? As long as it stands, there shouldn’t be problems with it. 

And yet, a house that passes the inspection with flying colors in one state can fail miserably in another; it’s not like the rules can change just like that.

But they can. 

There’s no fixed standard that applies to all homes everywhere because that would make no sense. Yes, you need a roof and walls, but the way homes are judged is by what can go wrong from state to state. 

In Virginia, for example, inspectors are focused on how homes deal with storms and humidity. In New Mexico, though, they’re more concerned with dry air and scorching sun. A feature that holds up great in New Mexico might fall apart in Virginia, and vice versa, which is why the exact same house can score differently depending on which state it’s in.

Same Rules on Paper, Different Rules in Real Life

There are international standards for building codes, and most states stick to the rules based on those. 

With that being said, that doesn’t mean that the same house can pass the inspections in all states. It simply doesn’t work like that. The thing is that states don’t adopt codes in the same way, so while one can jump on a new version of the code immediately, another can wait for a few years. Some even add their own changes to the code, some barely do any updates, etc.

Local inspectors are also a factor in all this.  So, one might call something minor, the other can say it’s extremely serious.

Another thing to think of is the state itself. 

As previously mentioned, New Mexico and Virginia are perfect examples of how rules can differ, and it’s obvious that the difference makes sense. The climates aren’t the same, so there would be no point in asking homeowners to have materials that can endure scorching sun in Virginia when moisture is a bigger issue.

When you add permits and all necessary documentation to this, it’s a bit of a mess. 

This is why workers who enter this field need so much preparation, and depending on whether they’re taking the New Mexico residential building inspector exam prep or if they’re taking it in Virginia, they need to learn different things – also a prerequisite to get a licence.

What Inspectors Flag and Why That Differs

Not all inspectors are looking for the same things, and inspections change a lot depending on where you live. Here’s what that means exactly.

Problems With Water and Drainage

If you’re an inspector in Virginia, water is always on your mind. It rains a lot there, so you’ll spend a lot of time looking at gutters, damp basements, grading, and crawl spaces. 

Is the ground sloped towards the house? Are the gutters clogged or not? 

These are huge concerns because water is tricky, and it ALWAYS finds its way inside.

Water isn’t really that big of a concern in New Mexico, though, but inspectors still check for drainage and any issues. Since the air is dry and hot, when it rains, the ground can’t soak it up fast, which can cause floods around the foundation.

Cracks and Movement in the Structure

If you’re in Virginia and have cracks in the house, it’s most likely from settling related to water. When the soil is wet, it expands, and when it’s dry, it shrinks back. That can make the foundation move, so when an inspector sees a crack, that’s where their mind goes.

The ground is totally different in New Mexico, and cracks mostly come from soil shrinkage and expansion related to the crazy heat they have there. 

An inspector isn’t that worried about the rain here, as they are about extreme dryness and changes in temperature.

Insulation and the Use of Energy

When you think of insulation, you probably think of keeping the heat in, but that’s not all there is to it.

If you live in Virginia, your house has to have balanced insulation that works for all seasons. Inspectors also worry about condensation, because if warm, moist air hits a cold surface inside the wall, you get mold and rot. This is why they’re so detailed with checking vapor barriers and airflow.

But in New Mexico, most of the focus is on cooling and resistance to heat, which makes perfect sense. Insulation needs to be able to block the heat from transferring through walls and ceilings, and they don’t care that much about problems with condensation in the winter.

Conclusion

And that’s why the same house can have different scores. 

It probably seems a little unfair if you don’t know the full story, but as you can clearly see now, it makes perfect sense. You can’t have a house in one climate that’s the same as in the other, because if you did, you’d never really know if your house is safe to live in. 

To be completely fair, whether a house passes an inspection or not also depends a little on what kind of mood the inspector is in that day, but hey, it’s not like that’s news.