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Nothing is more important to a buyer before buying a home than knowing that they are not walking into a money pit. For this reason, getting a home inspection before getting into escrow is essential for buyers, regardless of whether it is a requirement of their lender.
The process of home inspections is yet to require licenses in many states so the only thing you can do is to rely on other methods to make sure you get a good inspector on your side. We spoke to the owner of a long-time home inspection company that has performed thousands of inspections to date to find out how one should go about finding the right one. Here’s what he had to say:
How Does Someone Go About Finding a Good Home Inspector?
The best way to find a good inspector is to talk to your Realtor. Most agents have a preferred vendors list and of course home inspections are something they deal with on an almost daily basis. They may have worked with a choice few and can corroborate their performance and results with proven experiences. In many states there is no license necessary to become a home inspector so going through word-of-mouth is even more important.
Another very effective way to search for a reputable instructor is to go through a national-level association such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). In addition to member links and information they also have a search tool through which consumers can access a comprehensive directory of qualified, reputable home inspectors that are members of the society as well. There are also state and local versions of these associations that you can access for more fine tuned searches if necessary. Many of these organizations provide certification after taking extensive testing and completing certification prerequisites. Professionals that have gone through this process are known as certified home inspectors and they are definitely measurably more qualified than many others that have completed first-level testing.
The more inspections performed allow more experienced inspectors to go through additional extensive certification testing and once completed they become master home inspectors – the best of the best and most qualified.
What Are Some of The Benefits of a Home Inspection?
Since a potential buyer can rely on one person to evaluate most of the home in one session, the field of home inspections is a specialized one where they go through every single part of the home. Whether investigating the condition of the home’s foundation, roof, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, safety, heating/cooling, fireplaces, or so much more – the home inspector is trained to recognize problems in all areas.
Contractors generally have a specialization in only one field, whereas home inspectors are training to view the entire home so if you know someone in a particular field it would still not make sense to forego the inspection and have that person review your home.
One of the best aspects of having an inspection is that buyers can freely investigate all areas of the home, they can liberally ask questions during the process and get a good idea of what to expect further down the line if they were to purchase the property. Buyers get so much more out of it if present at the time of the inspection.
From a Real Estate Perspective, How Do Inspections Help Consumers?
It is becoming more and more common now for inspections to take place ahead of time before the real estate transaction, so buyers can be ahead of the game before they get into escrow. Also pre-buy inspections allow buyers to go back to the negotiation table and ask for seller credits for any issues that may be potentially substantial expenses.
Sellers can also gain an edge and leverage when they have an inspection done ahead of time, with documentation to supplement their disclosure statement. At a time when buyers control the market it provides sellers with an advantage over the competition and it allows the process to go lot smoother, especially for older homes.
What Are Some Characteristics of a Good Inspector?
Look for an inspector that is able to find the problems, identify major issues, prioritize the essential ones, offer suggestions as to basic estimated costs for repair or renovation, and maybe even provide some leads for quality contractors to perform the work needed to be done. They should also provide a comprehensive report that includes time frames and necessary fixes in order to bring the issues back to code or to repair problems.
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Further information about the typical items that are included in a home inspection plus things that require inspections through independent specialists is available here.
