Six Tips for Choosing A Home Inspector

Home inspections are important and should not be taken lightly. If you are going to purchase a home, it is important to be sure that you know of any and all "pre-existing conditions" that the home may have.

Problematic things can be items such as past flooding, mold or mildew, and foundation cracks.

Here are a few tips when it comes to selecting your home inspector.

1. Choose an inspector with top qualifications

Direct, "hands-on" experience in building is one of the most important criteria to look for. Someone who has had experience building a home knows what goes into building something properly. Of course, during a home inspection you cannot disassemble anything, so it's key for them to be able to have an idea of what's behind those walls. Not just knowledge, but experience in laying out various systems in the home provides them with invaluable knowledge of your home.

2. Experience

Check to see how long the inspector has been in business, and how many homes they have performed inspections on. There is no replacement for experience!

3. Obtain a written report

Make sure you get a full written report, not just a hand written checklist with the stock responses. Your home is unique and a checklist might not cover every detail. The inspection report should have three basic areas: an overview, where all major components and their condition are itemized; maintenance items, where all items in need of normal maintenance or attention are noted; and major repair items, where items are listed that are unsatisfactory and need serious attention. Any items in need of repair or replacement should be clearly identified and, if possible, noted with it's approximate cost.

4. Professional affiliations and certifications

Be sure your inspector has affiliations and certifications through nationally recognized and respected organizations such as NAHI (Nations Association of Home Inspectors), ICBO (International Conference of Building Officials), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), AARST (American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists), etc. Having these certifications shows that they are serious about doing the job the right way and are going to be knowledgeable when it comes to potential issues in your home.

5. What type of equipment will be used?

Many home inspectors will show up with just a flashlight, but now there are so many modern tools that can be used to test systems of your home, it shows a level of professionalism if they bring those as well. This equipment can include items such as electrical circuit analyzers, electronic carbon monoxide and fuel gas analyzers, digital moisture meters, etc.

6. Price

Being budget-conscious is incredibly important. However, going bargain hunting for a home inspector may not be the best idea. This is an important role and should be treated as such. The relative cost of paying a good, qualified inspector, to paying the "bargain rate" inspector could mean devastating problems down the road.

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So there you have it. Six simple things to keep in mind when finding a home inspector. When you do get that detailed inspection report back, don't hesitate to give the friendly folks at CHORE Masters a call and they can handle every item on it with just one phone call! Some resources found in this articles were found here.