Before you close on a home in the Puget Sound, run through this checklist for the systems that cost the most to repair and matter most for safety — heating and cooling, the electrical service, and any standby generator. A standard home inspection confirms these systems “turn on”; it rarely tells you whether they’re sized correctly, code-compliant, or about to cost you thousands. Use the list below to know what to look for, then have a licensed technician verify the items that matter while the price is still negotiable.
The pre-purchase systems checklist
Print this or keep it on your phone for the walkthrough. Anything you can’t confirm yourself is worth having a licensed HVAC and electrical professional verify before closing day.
Heating & Cooling (HVAC)
- Age of the furnace, AC, or heat pump — and the date of last service
- Whether the system is correctly sized for the home (over- and undersized both fail early)
- Ductwork condition and sizing — crushed runs, disconnected sections, or undersized ducts
- Adequate return air (too little starves the system and kills efficiency)
- Refrigerant type — older R-22 systems are increasingly expensive to service
- A clear, properly routed condensate drain line (a clog means water damage)
- Heat-pump defrost cycle and backup/auxiliary heat operation (common across the Puget Sound)
- Thermostat operation and any zoning
- Visible rust, corrosion, scorching, or signs of prior overheating
- Code compliance of any past installation or repair
Electrical & Panel
- Panel age and capacity — many older Puget Sound homes still run 100A and need 200A
- Hazardous panel brands — Federal Pacific (Stab-Lok), Zinsco, and Challenger panels are a known fire risk
- Aluminum branch wiring or knob-and-tube wiring in older homes
- Proper grounding and bonding of the service
- GFCI protection at kitchens, baths, garages, and exterior outlets
- AFCI protection on required circuits
- Double-tapped breakers, over-fused circuits, or a crowded/maxed-out panel
- Condition of the meter base and service entrance
- EV-charger and heat-pump readiness (is there capacity for future loads?)
- Signs of DIY or unpermitted electrical work
Standby Generator
- Standby (whole-home) vs. portable — and whether it's wired in safely
- A proper automatic transfer switch (never a back-fed 'suicide cord')
- Correct sizing for the home's actual load
- Fuel source (natural gas or propane) and a reliable supply
- Age, service records, and a recent load test
- Battery condition and automatic exercise/self-test history
- Placement, clearances, and exhaust/carbon-monoxide safety
- Code-compliant installation and permits
- Whether the manufacturer warranty transfers to you
Why your real estate agent may not request one
This isn’t about bad agents — plenty are excellent and will encourage a specialist inspection. It comes down to incentives. An agent is generally paid only when the sale closes, so anything that might give a buyer second thoughts or delay the deal works against that incentive. The standard home inspection is broad by design: it’s built to confirm that systems power on and broadly function, not to surface the kind of system-level detail that complicates a sale.
The result is that some of the most expensive and safety-critical items in a home — the HVAC system, the electrical panel, and a standby generator — are the very ones a generic inspection underweights. Once you close, that cost moves from “negotiable” to “yours.” A focused, pre-purchase audit of these systems is how you keep the leverage on your side of the table.
A systems inspection vs. a standard home inspection
Think of it this way: a general home inspector is the generalist — great for a quick once-over of the whole property. A licensed HVAC and electrical professional is the specialist for the systems that quietly determine your comfort, your energy bills, your safety, and your repair budget for years. For the full reasoning on each, see our companion guides on getting an HVAC inspection before buying, an electrical inspection before buying, and a generator inspection before buying.
What a full Allred systems audit adds
Beyond the checklist above, our technicians go deeper than a topical pass is designed to: HVAC system and duct sizing, return air, and code compliance; an electrical evaluation of the panel, grounding, and any hazardous brand or wiring; and a generator load test with a check of the transfer switch and CO safety. You walk away with a clear, written picture of all three systems — what’s solid, what needs attention, and what it would cost to fix. You can see the full range of what we evaluate across our HVAC and electrical services.
Schedule your full HVAC, electrical & generator inspection
A licensed local technician — not a salesperson — tells you exactly what you’re buying, before you close.
When to schedule it
The time to look is before you close, while the findings can still move the price or the repair list. A pre-purchase HVAC, electrical, and generator inspection is relatively inexpensive compared with what it can uncover. If you’re already holding a repair quote the seller’s agent handed you, bring it to us and we’ll review it line by line.
Why we publish this: Allred was built on a simple idea — options, not ultimatums. We’d rather you walk into your new home knowing exactly what the HVAC, electrical, and generator really are, the good and the bad, and decide for yourself. An honest inspection hands you the facts; what you do with them is always your call.
Checklist reflects how Trust Allred evaluates a home’s systems before purchase — HVAC and duct sizing, return air, electrical panel and grounding, hazardous panel brands, and a generator load test. Verify any Washington contractor’s registration with the WA Department of Labor & Industries (lni.wa.gov). For the full reasoning, see our HVAC inspection guide, electrical inspection guide, and generator inspection guide.
Quick answers
What should a homebuyer's HVAC, electrical, and generator inspection check?
For HVAC: system age, correct sizing, ductwork, return air, refrigerant type, the condensate drain, and code compliance. For electrical: panel age and capacity, hazardous panel brands (Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger), grounding, GFCI/AFCI protection, and any DIY or unpermitted work. For a generator: safe wiring through an automatic transfer switch, correct sizing, fuel supply, a recent load test, and CO safety. A general home inspection touches the surface of these; a licensed technician verifies the parts that actually drive your repair costs and safety.
Why didn't my real estate agent recommend a separate HVAC or electrical inspection?
Often it comes down to incentives, not bad intent. An agent is generally paid only when the sale closes, so anything that could complicate or delay the deal works against that incentive — and the standard, broad home inspection rarely surfaces system-level detail that gives a buyer pause. Plenty of excellent agents do encourage specialist inspections. But the most expensive surprises — HVAC, the electrical panel, and a standby generator — are exactly the ones a generic 'does it turn on?' inspection underweights, and after closing that cost is yours.
Does a standard home inspection cover HVAC, electrical, and generators?
Only at the surface. A general home inspection confirms systems power on and broadly function. It is not designed to evaluate HVAC sizing, ductwork, and return air; to identify a hazardous electrical panel or improper grounding; or to load-test a standby generator and confirm it's wired through a proper transfer switch. For your most expensive and safety-critical systems, a licensed specialist is the right call.
Should I schedule a systems inspection before or after closing?
Before — while the findings are still negotiable. Once you close, every repair the inspection would have caught becomes yours to pay for. A pre-purchase HVAC, electrical, and generator inspection is relatively inexpensive compared with the repairs it can uncover.
Which Puget Sound areas does Allred serve for pre-purchase inspections?
We serve Auburn and communities across King and Pierce counties and the greater Puget Sound region. If you're under contract on a home in our area, call us before closing day so the findings are still on the table.