How to Select a Home Inspector
No home inspector can ever find every defect in a home without spending days living in it, and without some destructive and very costly tests. Neither is practical or possible.
Yet, the home inspector your choose can make a difference in what is found, and in your understanding of the true condition and ultimate cost of buying and owning a home.
So, first thing first, decide to have your home inspected as a condition of purchase – do not skimp on money and skip this step!
Your next step is to select a home inspector who can do the best job for you and who will be totally objective. How do you do this? The answer is the same as how you should select a Realtor as your Buyer’s Agent: COMPARE.
The purpose of a home inspector is to discover and report defects. The ability to do this effectively involves skills that take many years to develop and refine. Some inspectors are far better at this than others. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize this when they hire a home inspector, and spend little, if any, time selecting one.
OK, so what should I compare?
Start by comparing experience, knowledge, and forensic skills. Designations may be important, too, but more often than not, they are the result of a one or two day class which was completed, along with the payment of an annual fee to allow the inspector to use the designation in his or her advertising.
In most cases, people hire the inspector who is recommended by their Realtor. Those recommendations are sometimes good ones, but sometimes they are not. If you chose a good Realtor, your chance of his or her recommendation for a home inspector will probably be more reliable than otherwise.
Also keep in mind that some real estate companies have ownership and/or financial interests (also known as “affiliated business arrangements”) with home inspection and other companies, and they promote and recommend those companies for added profits. Does this make their recommendation or referral objective? Does this place your interests in first priority?
There is always the potential for a Realtor to not want to risk their sale on a thorough inspection and thus you may wonder if there is a possibility that he or she would recommend an inspector who is less prone to critically and thoroughly review a home. So, while you may and probably should rely on your Realtor for a recommendation, do not place over-reliance on him or her for this; you should be involved in comparing home inspectors.
Should you compare cost? This is a low priority compared to other points of comparison. Some homebuyers do simply call a list of inspectors to see who charges the least, but I wouldn’t advise this as the best point of comparison.
Instead of asking for a price quote, buyers should inquire about experience and qualifications.
Some questions to ask include:
”How long have you been a home inspector?”
“How many homes have you inspected?”
“How many hours will you spend inspecting my future home?”
“What are your guidelines for determining a defect versus a concern in a home, and what factors go into this determination?
“May I see a sample report that you will use to evaluate and report your findings?”
“What are the top two or three reasons I should hire you instead of another home inspector?”
