Thermal imaging on a home inspection: cost and value
Thermal imaging can add $50 to $200 to a home inspection; many inspectors include it. What it finds, what it misses, and how to use a flagged spot.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
Is thermal imaging worth it for a home inspection?
Thermal imaging is worth it for a home inspection if your inspector charges little or nothing and will check what the camera flags. A national cost guide puts the add-on at $50 to $200, and many inspectors fold it into their base fee. The camera shows surface temperature, not the problem itself. Plan to have the right trade confirm any flagged spot before your deadline.
Key takeaways
- The standard home inspection is visual and not technically exhaustive, so ask about thermal imaging when you book.
- Ask your inspector whether they confirm hot or cold spots with a moisture meter. A spot nobody checks is just a colored patch in a photo.
- Order it with the inspection. A stand-alone scan for one issue costs $100 to $300 on top of the inspector's base rate.
How much does a thermal imaging inspection cost?
Thermal imaging costs anywhere from nothing to a few hundred dollars, depending on how the company prices it.
| What you order | Cost |
|---|---|
| Add-on to a home inspection, national | $50 to $200 |
| Scan to chase one issue, national | $100 to $300 on top of the inspector's base rate |
| Add-on, local company (Atlanta, Charleston, Myrtle Beach) | $265 |
| Included in the inspection fee, local company (Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, San Antonio) | No extra charge |
Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours.
Sources: HomeAdvisor cost guide, Home-Probe, The Home Inspectors.
The cost guide suggests bundling the scan with your home inspection for a lower overall rate. Bigger homes cost more: a scan takes 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, and homes over 4,000 square feet can run past two hours and into a higher price tier. Rates also run higher in dense metro areas, and an inspector who drives a long way may add a travel fee.
Does a standard home inspection include thermal imaging?
No, the standards a general inspection follows don't require thermal imaging. InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, publishes the Standards of Practice its members follow. They say "an inspection is not technically exhaustive" and "will not identify concealed or latent defects." A technically exhaustive exam is one that involves "special equipment," and a thermal camera is a specialized instrument. The inspector isn't even required to operate "moisture meters, gas detectors or similar equipment."
So your general inspector does a visual exam and stops at the wall surface. If you want a thermal scan, ask for it by name when you book. Confirm whether it's in the base fee or a separate line.
What does a thermal camera find, and what can't it see?
A thermal camera reads heat coming off a surface and shows warm and cool areas as colors. InterNACHI's thermography overview lists what inspectors use it for:
- Missing or thin insulation
- Air leaks
- Moisture intrusion, when paired with a moisture meter
- Overloaded or overheating electrical parts
- Roof leaks
- Heating and cooling defects
It has hard limits. One Texas inspection company notes that the camera can't directly see moisture, mold or termites, or see inside walls. The same company says sunlight or an appliance can make a harmless spot look like a problem. Citing the U.S. Department of Energy, it adds that clear images need a big indoor-outdoor temperature difference, often for several hours, and the best results come early morning or evening. Most home inspections happen during the day.
One Atlanta-area company runs water through the sinks, toilets, showers and tubs during the regular inspection. It then scans from the top floor down: ceilings, exterior walls, plumbing fixtures, then the basement, crawlspace and foundation.
The follow-up matters as much as the scan. In one case, that company's inspector saw a dark band where a basement wall met the floor, then checked it with a moisture meter and found high moisture. The same company says not every flagged spot turns out to be moisture or a leak, so ask your inspector which spots they ruled out.
How long until you get the thermal report?
How long the thermal report takes depends on the company, so ask when you book. The Atlanta-area company above sends its thermal report as a separate, second report, typically the morning after the inspection. You need the report early enough to get a contractor out before your inspection deadline.
What can a thermal finding let you ask the seller for?
A colored spot on its own is hard to put in a repair request, because nobody has said what it is or what it costs. The standards don't require your inspector to give repair cost estimates or to determine "the cause or reason of any condition." That job falls to the trade the spot points to:
- A plumber for a suspected leak under a bathroom or behind a wall
- An insulation contractor for a cold wall cavity or attic gap
- An electrician for a hot breaker, panel or outlet
- A roofer for a wet spot on a top-floor ceiling
Their written bid gives you a scope and a dollar figure. How to get repair estimates during the inspection period covers how to get one fast. With the bid in hand, decide whether to ask for the repair, a credit or a lower price. What to ask for after a home inspection helps you pick which.
Your contract sets the deadline and what you can do if the seller says no, so confirm both with your agent or attorney.
Does the inspector need thermal training?
Yes, ask whether the inspector has thermal training before you book. InterNACHI tells consumers to look for inspectors who are Infrared Certified. The Atlanta-area company above has a Level I Certified Thermographer who took a four-day course. Reading the images well takes training, not just a camera.
Can thermal imaging miss a problem?
Yes, thermal imaging can miss a problem. The Texas company above says a scan only points to areas that need further, sometimes invasive, investigation. InterNACHI tells its inspectors not to rely on thermal imaging over their other tools. Treat a clean scan as one more data point, not a guarantee.
How do I know what a thermal finding is worth?
A thermal finding is worth what the written bid from the trade it points to says.
While the flagged spots wait for trade bids, upload your inspection report to Kept to price the rest of the report and send one request for the whole house.
Sources
Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.