Home Inspections on Older Bowie Homes: What Usually Comes Up

A big share of Bowie’s homes were built in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Levitt sections of Belair. Older does not mean worse. It means the inspection report tends to focus on the same handful of systems. Knowing them ahead of time helps buyers budget and helps sellers prepare.

What inspectors often look at closely

• Roof age and condition. Ask for the roof’s age and any receipts.
• Heating and AC. Age, service records and remaining life.
• Electrical. Panel age and capacity, older wiring, missing ground-fault outlets in kitchens and baths.
• Plumbing. Older supply and drain lines, water heater age.
• Windows and insulation. Original windows and attic insulation affect comfort and bills.
• Grading and water. Gutters, downspouts and how the yard slopes. Basements and crawl spaces get extra attention.
• Additions. How an addition ties into the original house, and whether it was permitted.
• Radon. Many Maryland buyers add a radon test.

For buyers

Read the summary, then sort items into safety, big-ticket and maintenance. Ask for repairs or a credit on the first two. Most maintenance items are normal in any older home.

For sellers

A pre-listing inspection or a walk-through with Bruno can surface the big items before a buyer does, so you can fix, credit or price them in on your terms. Our pre-sale updates guide covers what is worth doing.

Learn the houses

Our Levitt homes guide explains the original models, and all Bowie neighborhoods shows where they are.

Questions about a specific home? Call or text Bruno at (240) 418-3809, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Maryland rules that shape the inspection

• Licensed inspectors only. Maryland recognizes a home inspection under a sales contract only when a Maryland licensed home inspector does it. The inspector has to follow the state’s minimum standards of practice and give you a written report. If the inspection is limited in scope, the report has to say what wasn’t inspected.
• Lead paint. Most of Bowie’s 1960s and 1970s homes were built before 1978. Federal law requires the seller to disclose any known lead-based paint and gives you up to 10 days to have the home tested, unless you waive it in writing.
• Radon. EPA’s guidance is to test every home, whatever the area’s radon zone. A short-term test during the inspection period is a common add-on in Prince George’s County.
• The seller’s form. Maryland sellers fill out the Residential Property Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement and pick one path. A disclosure answers questions about the roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and more. A disclaimer sells the home as is, but the seller still has to disclose known hidden defects that pose a direct threat to health or safety. Read it before your inspection so you know what to ask the inspector to look at.

For sellers: inspect before you list?

On a 50 or 60-year-old house, a pre-listing inspection usually turns up the same items a buyer’s inspector will find. Knowing them first lets you fix the cheap ones, price around the expensive ones and avoid a renegotiation two weeks into the contract. Our pre-listing checklist covers what to do first.

Sources: Maryland Department of Labor, home inspectors; EPA, lead-based paint real estate disclosure; EPA, radon; Maryland Residential Property Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement.