"Your home doesn't stop changing the day you close. Bradley & April Wilburn perform maintenance inspections for current Upstate homeowners — annual checkups, before-warranty-expires inspections on new construction, and getting ahead of repairs before they become emergencies."
Most homeowners only have one home inspection in their entire ownership of a home — the one performed before they bought it. That inspection captures a single moment in time. It cannot tell you what's happening to your roof three years later, whether your HVAC is approaching end of life, whether your crawlspace developed moisture issues you don't know about, or whether the slow drip under the kitchen sink has been quietly damaging the cabinet floor for months. A maintenance inspection answers those questions — proactively, before small problems become expensive emergencies.
Bradley Wilburn (SC Licensed Home Inspector #48751) and April Wilburn (SC Licensed Home Inspector #48528), the husband-and-wife team behind Carolina Quality Home Inspection, perform maintenance inspections for current Upstate homeowners across Greenville and the surrounding counties. We have been doing this work since 2013. A maintenance inspection delivers the same comprehensive evaluation we deliver to homebuyers — but the audience is different. You already own the home; the goal is protecting your investment, catching issues early, and giving you the information you need to plan ahead.
There are three common reasons Upstate homeowners schedule maintenance inspections, and each one delivers real value. The annual checkup is exactly what it sounds like — a regular evaluation of your home's major systems to catch developing issues before they fail. The builder warranty inspection is one of the smartest moves any new construction owner can make: schedule an inspection right before your builder's 1-year warranty expires (sometimes called an 11-month inspection), so any defects, framing issues, drainage problems, or component failures get documented while the builder is still on the hook to address them. The pre-repair planning inspection helps homeowners who know something needs work — but want a thorough professional evaluation before they start hiring contractors, so they know what to ask for and what to expect.
The Upstate's mix of older housing stock and active new construction makes maintenance inspections particularly valuable across the region. Older homes in mill village neighborhoods, historic districts, and 1980s-90s subdivisions have systems that wear, age, and surprise homeowners. Newer homes in Five Forks, the BMW corridor, and Simpsonville's growth zones can show defects within months of closing — defects that warranty inspections catch while there's still recourse. Whether you've owned your Upstate home for 1 year or 30, a maintenance inspection gives you the information to plan and the peace of mind that comes from knowing what's actually happening with your house. "A Well-Maintained Home Is A Safe Home."™
Annual Checkups for Aging Upstate Homes. If your home is more than 15-20 years old — and a huge share of Upstate homes in Greenville, Spartanburg, Easley, Anderson, Greer, and surrounding cities are in that range — annual maintenance inspections help you stay ahead of HVAC end-of-life, roof replacement timing, water heater age, panel concerns, and crawlspace moisture before they become emergencies.
Builder Warranty Inspections (the 11-Month Inspection). If you bought a new construction home in Five Forks, the BMW corridor, Simpsonville, Mauldin, or any of the Upstate's growing subdivisions, your builder's 1-year warranty is one of the most valuable assets you have — and it expires fast. Schedule a maintenance inspection at the 10-11 month mark, get a documented list of defects, and present it to your builder while they're still obligated to address it. This is one of the highest-ROI inspections you can buy.
Pre-Repair Planning Inspections. If you know something needs work — a roof replacement, an HVAC upgrade, foundation concerns, or a renovation — but you want professional eyes on the whole picture before you start hiring contractors, a maintenance inspection gives you the documentation and vocabulary to make better decisions and shop quotes intelligently.
Roof, structure, foundation, exterior, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, attic, crawlspace, interior — every system evaluated with the same thoroughness as a buyer's inspection.
For each major system, we document age, condition, and remaining useful life when assessable — giving you a roadmap for what to plan and budget for over the next several years.
Detailed photos of every finding — what was observed and where. Documentation you can keep, reference, and share with contractors when repairs are needed.
For new construction homes within their builder warranty window, we identify and document items the builder should address — defects, drainage, framing concerns, HVAC imbalance, settling cracks.
Findings prioritized by urgency — what's a safety concern, what should be addressed soon, what's a future budget item, and what's normal aging that doesn't require action.
Comprehensive written report with photos and clear summaries — typically delivered within 24 hours and useful for both your records and any contractor work that follows.
Call or text with your property address and the reason for the inspection (annual checkup, warranty deadline, planning a project). Most can be scheduled within a few business days.
Both Bradley and April walk every property — typically 2-4 hours on-site. You're encouraged to attend so we can discuss findings with you in real time.
Before we leave, we walk you through major findings on-site, prioritize what matters most, and answer questions about timing, repairs, and what to expect.
Comprehensive plain-English report delivered within 24 hours — your roadmap for repairs, planning, builder warranty claims, or future maintenance budgeting.
Bradley and April are both SC Licensed Home Inspectors. Two perspectives, two sets of eyes — same comprehensive coverage we give Upstate buyers, applied to your home.
We don't sell repairs, mitigation, or remediation services. Our job is to identify, document, and explain — your recommendations are unbiased and your contractor choices stay yours.
Many Upstate homeowners use us year after year. We get to know your home, track changes over time, and give you a real ongoing maintenance partner.
Answers to the most common questions Upstate homeowners ask before scheduling a maintenance inspection.
Schedule it at the 10-month or 11-month mark — about a month before your builder's 1-year warranty expires. That gives you time for the inspection, the report delivery, your builder's response, and any remediation work before the warranty window closes. We can document defects, drainage issues, framing concerns, HVAC imbalance, settling cracks, and any builder workmanship items the builder is still obligated to address. This inspection is one of the highest-ROI inspections any Upstate new construction owner can purchase.
For most Upstate homeowners, an annual maintenance inspection makes sense for homes that are more than 15-20 years old, where major systems are aging into end-of-life territory. For newer homes, every 2-3 years is often enough. For homes you don't live in full-time (rental properties, second homes, family-owned homes used part-time), annual inspections are particularly valuable because issues develop quietly when no one is there.
Yes — both. Documentation that you've maintained your home, identified issues proactively, and addressed them shows up well in insurance discussions and is valuable when you eventually sell. Some Upstate sellers reference recent maintenance inspections during the listing process to demonstrate the home has been actively cared for. The report is yours to use however serves you.
The scope is similar, but the audience and timing are different. A maintenance inspection is for current homeowners who are not planning to sell — focused on staying ahead of repairs and protecting your investment. A pre-listing inspection is specifically for sellers preparing to go to market — focused on identifying issues before buyers find them. If you're considering selling within the next 6-12 months, a pre-listing inspection is the better fit. Otherwise, maintenance inspections give you ongoing peace of mind. Call or text 864-684-2475 to discuss which fits your situation.
Carolina Quality Home Inspection performs comprehensive maintenance inspections for homeowners across Greenville and the entire Upstate service area. Click any city below to learn more about our services in that area.
Call Bradley & April today • SC Licensed Home Inspectors • Family Owned Since 2013 • "A Well-Maintained Home Is A Safe Home"™