Home Age Checklist: What to Inspect, by Year Built
Quick answer
Enter the year a house was built and this tool assembles an inspection checklist from 22 documented era issues — aluminum wiring (1965–1973), polybutylene pipes (1978–1995), lead paint (pre-1978) and more. Each item shows how to identify it, commonly cited repair costs, and the exact questions to ask a licensed inspector. Add a state to include regional issues.
Pick a year above to build the checklist. Every result renders without JavaScript — this is a plain link you can share, like ?year=1972.
How the checklist is built
Every item comes from a documented usage period — CPSC investigations, EPA guidance, InterNACHI reference material and public settlement records. A year matches an item when it falls inside that period. Years within two years of a period boundary get a Phase-in/Phase-out flag, because material stock and local practice never switched overnight.
Items are ordered by consequence: insurance-critical materials first (the ones carriers ask about by name), then electrical, plumbing, environmental, structural, exterior, and code-era items. Regional issues — like corrosive drywall in Gulf states — appear with a region badge unless you filter by state.
What the tool will not do
It will not tell you that a specific house has a problem. Homes of the same year differ by builder, region and remodel history. The output is a set of questions worth asking and checks worth paying for — take it to a licensed inspector, not to a conclusion.