Choosing the Right Home Inspector 

Many homebuyers do not know what to ask a home inspector. There are several more important things to know about your home inspector than what he/she charges.  Keep in mind they will be acting as your agent to determine the status of what may be the largest purchase you will ever make.   As an example, would you choose your doctor or legal council based solely on their fee?  Probably not, you would want to know their qualifications (education, track record, experience, etc).  I made the mistake of not interviewing the inspector for my current home.

The following is a list of things the home inspector did not report:

Two light fixtures were shorting out

The dish washer was not operational

There were two holes in the garage

Three of the cable outlets were just wall plates with no wiring behind them

One outlet did not work

The oven fan did not work

One of the two AC units was not fully charged

There was a leak in the basement

The drip pan under the water heater was mangled

There were no filters in any of the air vents. 

Your real estate agent will probably offer you a short list of potential inspectors (2 or 3).  This is good because it will save you the time of searching for, and reviewing the qualifications of 20 or 30 inspectors in your area.

Here are some questions you may want to ask:

1. What kind of education/certifications do you have in this field, and are you a member in good standing with one of the national home inspection associations?   NACHI, ISHI, ASHI, etc.  These associations require (and test for) a certain level of knowledge and ethical behavior.  They all have a standard operating procedure that is both systematic and comprehensive.  This helps ensure you get a good inspection.  Also check to see if the State certifies home inspectors.

2.  Are you insured?  Some states require E&O insurance.  Even if your state does not make sure your Inspector has it, you want to be covered just in case.  You can be assured a bad inspector will not be insured for long.  An insured professional in any industry will charge a little more, and it’s worth it.

3.  What is your experience in the home inspection/construction field?  Many home inspectors were general contractors or engineers in a previous career and you can benefit from their insight. 

4. What kind of report do you provide?  Is it hand written or a computer printout?  It should be organized by home system, contain descriptive pictures, be easy to read and include summaries.  The report is something you may want to keep around for several years.  So ask if it can be emailed to you or put on CD.

5.  What do you charge?  A lot can be said on this subject, but it boils down to, a) “You get what you pay for” and b) the cheapest is rarely the best. If someone is significantly lower in cost than the area average, be wary.  Find inspectors that answer these questions to your satisfaction first and use cost as a tie breaker. 

*NACHI (National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, ISHI (International Society of Home Inspectors), ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors)    

Wade Vaughn

864-399-9528