You are buying a document. Here is exactly what is in it.
Most inspection companies ask you to pay several hundred dollars for something you cannot see until after you have paid. This page walks through every section of a Sterling report, and shows how a single finding is actually written.
Short answer
A Sterling report contains eight sections: scope and limitations, a plain-language summary of findings, moisture readings tied to specific locations, thermal imaging paired with visible-light photos, dated photo documentation, interpretation, and prioritised recommendations — plus accredited third-party laboratory results on the $700 Premium package. It is delivered as a PDF within 24–48 hrs of the inspection.
Delivered
24–48 hrs
Format
PDF — yours to keep and share
Prepared by
A licensed FL assessor
Illustration of the report format. Sterling does not publish real client reports — they describe identifiable properties and belong to the people who commissioned them.
Eight sections, and the job each one does
A report is not a formality at the end of the visit — it is the product. Each section exists because somebody downstream of you needs it: a contractor, an adjuster, a buyer, or you in six months when the details have faded.
1. Scope & limitations
The property assessed, the date and time, who performed the inspection and under which license, what was accessible, and what was not.
This is the section that makes the rest defensible. A report that does not state its own limits is not a professional document — and the areas we could not reach are exactly what a careful reader needs to know about.
2. Summary of findings
The whole inspection in plain language on a single page: what was found, where, how significant it is, and what we recommend.
Written so you can read one page and know what to do. Everything after it is the evidence supporting it.
3. Moisture mapping & readings
Recorded moisture levels at identified locations with the reference range for that material, plus ambient temperature and relative humidity.
Numbers tied to specific places. This is what turns 'it feels damp in here' into something a contractor can act on and an adjuster can evaluate.
4. Thermal imaging
Infrared images of areas showing thermal anomalies, paired with the matching visible-light photograph of the same spot.
The pairing is the point. A thermal image alone is unreadable to most people; side by side with the ordinary photo, you can see exactly which wall we mean.
5. Photo documentation
Dated, captioned photographs of every area of concern, keyed to the findings by number.
Conditions change. Materials get dried, demolished, or repaired. Photographs taken on the day are the only record of what was actually there.
6. Laboratory results
Premium onlyThe accredited third-party laboratory's report reproduced in full, plus indoor spore counts compared against the outdoor baseline sample taken the same day.
The lab produces the numbers — not us. That independence is what makes the result usable by an insurer, a buyer, or a court.
7. Interpretation
What the measurements and laboratory data indicate about the building — stated separately from what was directly observed.
Observation and inference are kept apart on purpose. A report that blurs them is easy to attack, and a report that is easy to attack is not useful to you.
8. Recommendations & next steps
Specific, prioritised actions — what to correct, in what order, and what (if anything) warrants a remediation scope.
Written to be handed to a contractor. And when nothing is warranted, it says so plainly, because we are paid the same either way.
One finding, annotated
This is the part worth studying. A finding is not 'there is mold in the bathroom' — it separates what was seen, what was measured, what that implies, and what to do, so each part can be checked independently.
Illustrative example — not a real property, reading, or client. Written to show the structure of a finding.
Finding 3 of 6
Primary bathroom — north wall, at the shared plumbing wall
- Observed
- Staining approximately 14 inches wide at the base of the drywall, extending behind the vanity toe-kick. Baseboard shows separation and swelling consistent with sustained contact with moisture.
- Measured
- Drywall moisture 24.6% at 6 in. above floor, falling to 11.2% at 30 in. Adjacent unaffected wall measured 8.4%. Ambient 74°F / 58% RH.
- Thermal
- Infrared imaging shows a cool anomaly matching the stained area and continuing approximately 20 in. beyond the visible staining, behind the vanity.
- Interpretation
- The moisture gradient and thermal pattern indicate an active or recent source within the wall cavity rather than surface splash. The affected area is larger than what is visible.
- Recommendation
- Have a licensed plumber isolate the supply and waste lines in this wall before any cosmetic repair. Do not seal, paint, or replace the baseboard until the cavity is confirmed dry by re-measurement.
Why it is broken into parts
Observed and Measured are facts. Anyone can walk to that wall and check them.
Interpretation is inference — clearly marked as such, so a contractor or adjuster can weigh it rather than being asked to swallow it whole.
Recommendation is specific enough to hand to a trade. Notice it calls for a plumber, not a remediation company — because the water is the problem, and we do not profit from either call.
Notice also what is absent: no severity theatre, no species guessed from a photograph, and nothing about anyone's health.
Four questions your report should answer
If you finish reading and cannot answer all four, the report has not been explained to you properly — and asking is entirely reasonable. Every Sterling inspection includes a call to walk through the findings.
- 1Do indoor conditions differ meaningfully from the outdoor baseline?
- 2Was a moisture source identified, and where is it?
- 3What specifically is recommended next, and in what order?
- 4What does this report NOT cover?
Four things your report will never say
A professional document is defined as much by what it refuses to claim as by what it concludes.
It will never certify the property as mold-free
No inspection can, and any document claiming to is overreaching. Spores exist in every building; the realistic goal is normal conditions with no active growth and no unaddressed moisture source.
It will never diagnose anyone's health
We document building conditions. Attributing symptoms to a building is a medical determination and belongs with a physician — not with a building professional, however confident.
It will never arrive with a remediation quote attached
Sterling is assessment-only. There is no cleanup for us to sell you, which is the entire reason the findings are worth reading.
It will never overstate what the evidence supports
Where the physical evidence supports a conclusion, we state it. Where it does not, we say that instead of speculating — including when a stronger claim would be more persuasive.
Same report. One extra section.
The $400 Basic and $700 Premium reports share an identical structure. Premium adds section 6 — the accredited third-party laboratory results, with indoor spore counts compared against an outdoor baseline taken the same day. That section is what a buyer, insurer, or court will actually accept as evidence.
Questions about the report
This page shows the full anatomy of the report — every section, what it contains, and an annotated example of how a finding is written. We do not publish real client reports, even redacted ones: they describe identifiable properties and belong to the people who paid for them. If you want to talk through the format before booking, call us and we will walk you through it.
Know what you are buying before you buy it.
Tell us about the property and we respond with scope and price, typically within one business hour. The report lands within 24–48 hours of the visit.