While you will get various statements from State governing bodies and independent inspection associations, as a general rule of thumb a home inspection is a "visual, non-invasive inspection of the readily accessible areas of the property as they exist on the day of the inspection."
Visual: what can't be seen can not be inspected.
Non-Invasive: the inspector is a guest in a home that is still someone else's (or, in the case of a bank owned property, it is the property of some entity). As such, the inspector is not expected to dismantle things (dead front of the electrical panel being an obvious exception, etc.) in the process of a home inspection. The inspector can not open up wall cavities, etc.
Readily Accessible: if things are blocked by personal belongings on the day of the inspection, whether it be a wall in the living room, or the electrical panel, it is not included in the home inspection. The home inspector is not supposed to move personal belongings during the inspection process. This presents the obvious: you get a better inspection when the home is vacant.
As They Exist on the Day Of the Inspection: the inspector is not a prophet--he or she can not see into the future or into the past in any magical way. If the water heater, for instance, is only a few years old and shows no signs of problems on the day of the inspection, this is no guaranteed that the water heater will last through your first year.
When inspection companies offer things like "warranties", one has to wonder whether or not these inspectors are recreating the wheel: if a home inspection comments on things as they exist on the day of the inspection, why would there be a warranty on items for "90" or "120" days? This doesn't make any sense. While your inspector "should" be able to offer you a guarantee regarding his/her work, it isn't a prophetic guarantee. Rather, it is the guarantee that they will not miss anything that they are required to report on, on the "day of the inspection".
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