What Happens During a Home Inspection: A Full Walkthrough
A home inspection is a several-hour visual review of the entire property, roof, exterior, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, interior, and the crawlspace or foundation underneath, and in Wyoming a full home inspection typically runs $400 to $750. The inspector does not open walls and does not pass or fail a house. He documents condition, and hands you a report you can use to negotiate, plan repairs, or walk away.
I bought a foreclosure outside Gillette, and rather than describe the process, I filmed the whole thing.
The short version
A full home inspection in Wyoming typically runs $400 to $750, depending on square footage, age, foundation type, and add-ons like septic, radon, or a sewer camera. Rural acreage sits at the higher end.
Plan on three to four hours on a property with outbuildings. Be there for it.
An inspector checks condition, not code compliance, and does not open walls or dig.
The single biggest find at this house was an uninsulated air conditioner line that had built a block of ice all the way back into the furnace, a several-thousand-dollar failure caught for the price of the inspection.
Foreclosure filings nationwide hit 227,548 in the first half of 2026, up 21 percent year over year (ATTOM), so more distressed inventory is reaching Northeast Wyoming.
Updated for the 2026 market. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.66% as of July 30, 2026, per Freddie Mac.
What happens during a home inspection, start to finish?
A home inspection runs in a fixed order: secure the property, exterior perimeter, roof, structure and siding, utilities and mechanicals, interior room by room, then foundation or crawlspace last. On this house Jeremy Torres of ISpy Inspections cut the lock, checked for gas odor and for anyone or anything living inside, then started outside and worked in.
That order is not arbitrary. Roof and foundation come first in importance because almost everything between them can be corrected later. If both are sound, the rest is a repair list. If either one is failing, you are looking at a different conversation entirely.
You can watch the whole thing in the full inspection walkthrough video if you would rather see it than read it.
How much does a home inspection cost in Wyoming?
A full home inspection in Wyoming typically costs $400 to $750. Price moves with square footage, the age of the home, whether there is a crawlspace or a basement, and whether you add specialty items. Septic inspections, radon testing, well water testing, and sewer camera work are all separate line items.
Rural properties in Campbell, Crook, and Weston counties run toward the top of that range. There is simply more to walk. On this property the inspector covered the house, a detached shop, a second outbuilding, a septic clean-out, a retaining wall, and the crawlspace under a manufactured home. That is not a ninety-minute job.
The number that matters is not the fee. It is what the fee buys you in negotiating power before you are on title.
What does an inspector check before going inside a vacant foreclosure?
Before anyone enters a vacant foreclosure, the inspector confirms the building is safe to occupy for the next few hours: no gas odor, no squatters, no animals, no obvious structural hazard. On this house that meant cutting the lock, opening the door, and standing there for a moment before walking in.
That step gets skipped constantly by buyers who tour distressed property on their own. Vacant homes in Northeast Wyoming sit through hard winters with the utilities off. Pipes freeze and split, gas lines get disturbed, and wildlife finds a way in. I have walked into vacant houses in Gillette and Moorcroft where the first thing that told me something was wrong was the smell.
What does an inspector look for on the roof?
On a roof, an inspector checks shingle continuity and sealing, penetrations, and anything that carries water or exhaust. Loose or delaminating shingles, unsealed roof cans, skylight flashing that sheds water on top of the shingle instead of underneath it, and rusted-out chimney or furnace vents.
Two Wyoming-specific items came up on this house that I want buyers here to know about:
Plumbing vent stacks need to stand 10 to 18 inches above the roofline. Two on this house were short or broken off near roof level. In snow country, a short stack packs with snow and backs up the plumbing inside the house.
A rusting furnace chimney is not cosmetic. Water running down that vent deteriorates the furnace box itself, and you end up replacing more than the pipe.
Wind is the other factor nobody from out of state accounts for. Every shingle got a tug during this inspection, and the reason is that our wind will take up anything that is not sealed down and put it in the neighbor's yard.
What was the biggest problem found at this house?
The biggest find was an air conditioner line set with no insulation on it, which had built a solid block of ice that traveled from the outdoor unit all the way back into the furnace. From the outside it looked like white foam insulation. It was ice.
That single item is why I made this video. It is a cheap, ten-minute fix that almost nobody looks at. Left running, that ice load makes the compressor work far harder than it was designed to, and it takes the system out. The furnace also had no filter installed at all, which means the duct system had been circulating dust and debris for who knows how long.
Nothing about that is visible on a listing photo. Nothing about it shows up in a seller's disclosure. It shows up because somebody with a thermal camera walked the property.
Other items worth naming from the same walkthrough: uncapped live wiring in the shop, a single-wall wood stove pipe with water intrusion around it, deck stairs with no joist hangers, a leaning 4x4 retaining wall with no anchor behind it, and skirting backed with OSB that had rotted into the ground.
What does a home inspection actually save you? An illustration
This is an illustration, not a guarantee. Your property and your numbers will differ.
Using the midpoint of the Wyoming range, call this inspection $550.
Inspection fee: $550
AC system replacement if the ice load runs the compressor to failure: commonly several thousand dollars on a home of this type
Two plumbing vent stacks brought to proper height: a few hundred dollars in a scheduled repair, versus a sewer backup inside a finished home
Furnace filter and duct cleaning: minor, and only found because the furnace cabinet was opened
One item on that list covers the fee many times over. That is the entire argument for the inspection, and it is why I have never once told a buyer to waive one to win a deal.
The other half of the argument is negotiation. A documented defect list, with photos, is the difference between asking a seller for a price reduction and proving one is warranted.
What is different about a manufactured home inspection?
A manufactured home inspection covers everything a stick-built inspection does, plus four things unique to the structure: the pier and shim support system, the marriage wall where the two halves join, the underbelly insulation, and the tie-downs.
The tie-downs matter more than most buyers realize. They are the anchoring cables that make the home a permanent structure, and lenders require them before they will finance the home. If they are missing, cut, or improperly installed, the financing problem arrives long before the wind problem does.
The other three:
Piers and shims. Every support block should be square, stacked correctly, uncracked, and actually touching the frame above it. There should be an extra set at every door opening.
Marriage wall. Where the halves come together, the center line often sits high and the sides float down. Once that happens, doors and windows stop closing correctly.
Underbelly. Torn or hanging insulation usually means there has been a leak. There had been one here.
This matters in Campbell County more than most markets. Manufactured homes on acreage are a large share of what sells here, and an inspector who treats one like a site-built house misses the four items that actually determine whether it is financeable.
Home inspection vs. appraisal vs. seller's disclosure
These three get confused constantly. They answer different questions.
Home inspection. Ordered by you, paid for by you, typically $400 to $750. Answers: what condition is this property in, and what will it cost me. Not a code inspection and not a warranty.
Appraisal. Ordered by the lender, paid for by you at closing or up front. Answers: is this property worth what you agreed to pay, so the lender can size the loan. An appraiser is not looking for a rusted furnace vent.
Seller's disclosure. Provided by the seller. Answers: what does the seller know about and admit to. On a foreclosure there usually is not one, because the bank never lived there and has no knowledge to disclose. That is exactly why an inspection carries more weight on distressed property, not less.
What should I do differently as a seller in Gillette?
If you are selling, get ahead of the inspection instead of reacting to it. The items that kill deals in Northeast Wyoming are almost never surprises to the seller. They are things the seller stopped noticing.
From this walkthrough alone, here is a pre-listing punch list that costs very little:
Insulate the air conditioner line set
Put a filter in the furnace
Bring plumbing vent stacks to proper height
Cap any exposed wiring in the shop or garage
Secure loose cabinets, countertops, toilets, and handrails
Grade soil away from the foundation at roughly a 3 to 1 slope for at least six feet
That last one is the most overlooked item in our market. Our soil does not absorb water well. Snowmelt sitting against a foundation is a slow, expensive problem, and it is nearly free to fix before you list.
I have sold homes in Gillette, Sheridan, Newcastle, Pine Haven, Moorcroft, and Wright, and the sellers who spend a weekend on a list like that one almost always net more than the sellers who wait for a buyer's inspector to hand them the same list with a repair request attached.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a home inspection cost in Wyoming? A full home inspection in Wyoming typically runs $400 to $750, depending on square footage, age, foundation type, and whether you add septic, radon, well water, or sewer camera services. Rural acreage properties sit at the higher end because there is more ground and more structures to cover.
How long does a home inspection take? Plan on three to four hours for a typical single-family home, and longer if there are outbuildings, a shop, or a septic system. The inspection in this video covered a house, two outbuildings, a septic clean-out, and a crawlspace.
Should I be present at my own home inspection? Yes. The written report is useful, but standing next to the inspector while he points at the defect is worth more than any PDF. You will understand severity far better in person, and you can ask questions the report will never answer.
Can a house fail a home inspection? No. A home inspection does not pass or fail a property. It documents condition. What you do with that documentation, negotiate, repair, or terminate, is your decision and depends on the terms of your contract.
Do I need a home inspection when buying a foreclosure? Yes, and arguably more than on a normal sale. Foreclosures are sold as-is and typically come with no seller's disclosure, because the bank has no personal knowledge of the property. The inspection is your only real source of condition information before closing.
What does a home inspection not cover? A standard inspection is visual and non-invasive. It does not include opening walls, moving stored belongings, evaluating anything buried, or certifying code compliance. Septic tanks, wells, radon, mold, and chimneys are usually separate specialty inspections at additional cost.
What is checked on a manufactured home that is not checked on a stick-built home? Piers and shims, the marriage wall, the underbelly insulation, and the tie-down anchoring system. Tie-downs are a financing requirement, not just a wind-load item, so missing or damaged tie-downs can stop a loan.
Who pays for the home inspection? The buyer pays, typically at the time of the inspection rather than at closing. It is one of the few real estate costs that comes out of pocket before you know whether the deal will close.
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About the author
Jessica "Jess" LaCour is the Broker/Owner of 411 Properties LLC in Gillette, Wyoming, serving Campbell, Crook, Weston, and Sheridan counties. She is the #1 active producing broker in NE Wyoming since 2019, with $764M+ in sales since 2014 and 1,500+ families helped. She holds the CRS and RENE designations, is a five-time RateMyAgent Wyoming State Award winner (2022 through 2026), and was ranked #1 in Gillette and Northeast Wyoming and #9 in Wyoming by sales volume in RealTrends Verified 2026, with 113 transaction sides, the most of any agent in Wyoming's top ten.
411 Properties LLC, 560 Running W Dr #120, Gillette, WY 82718. 307-682-7767. Wyoming Real Estate License WY RE-13305.
This article is educational and is not legal, financial, or engineering advice. Property conditions vary. Hire your own licensed home inspector and consult appropriate professionals for your situation.