So you are thinking about hiring a home inspector and you’re wondering where to get started & questions to ask. Well you’re in the right place…I have been doing inspections for 11 years (Home, Condo, Commercial, Septic, etc)
We will give you 5 great questions to ask and one additional run like hell question to keep your inspector on his/her toes. For the sake of this blog posting we will use condo/homes/properties interchangeably.
Begin with the obvious – if they get this wrong just move onto the next inspector.
1) Are you certified or state licensed to provide home inspection services in the state in which you are considering having your property inspected?
Amazingly enough until recently (Sept 2009) Washington State didn’t have a formal test to become an inspector. In a roundabout we inspectors were under the control of Washington State Department of Agriculture for being licensed to do Structural Pest Inspections, but for the most part no licensing until recently. More detail, but that’s another rant for another day.
2) How many homes have you inspected?
The wording of this question is important. Some people ask how many years have you been inspecting homes. The inspector can answer 5 years which infers a lot of inspecting experience. But what if the inspector works very part time and does an inspection every other week. He/she may have only inspected a 50-100 homes during that time period. So ask how many homes they have inspected? You can say roughly estimate. If the inspector has inspected 500+ homes you should be pretty confident they know what they are doing.
3) How did you learn to inspect homes?
Did the inspector order some CD’s from the internet and then put up a shingle? Wow - now they are out inspecting homes? It’s important to understand their level of hands on experience and education. Some inspectors have no choice but to download some CD’s because they live in an area where there isn’t a home inspection school. Again you are just gathering information. Don’t write the inspector off, just because they learned from the Internet or book…the important point to figure out is if the the inspector went from being a roofer to being an inspector. Now they are doing OJT on your home, hopefully figuring out how the plumbing works, or what a furnace looks like…etc. O ya OJT trade word for “On The Job” training. Yep just brought you into the “circle of trust”. Don’t tell anyone.
4) What is your hands on construction experience?
This is an important question to gauge the level of someone’s knowledge for potential repair/replacement questions. This will help when you are trying to figure out the level of concern in an item found at the time of inspection. The inspector technically can’t tell you how to repair something, but adding additional insight on the potential repair is helpful, particularly when the buyer knows nothing about construction. For example if you are a first time home buyer and your inspector calls out damaged grout and broken tiles in the shower and on the countertop. Well those two items sound very familiar (broken tiles/grout) but the potential repair scope and cost can be significantly different from a countertop to a shower. Again if the inspector doesn’t have some construction experience they might just point you to a contractor which can add to your stress and anxiety, and really not provide a good scope of concern.
5) What type of report do you provide and in what time frame?
Does the report include color photos, computer generated, delivered onsite or emailed within 24 hrs of completion. Or perhaps it’s handwritten with crayons by the inspectors 4 year old son, delivered via carrier pigeon. Serious though the most important element is the photos. It’s really difficult to convince a home owner their crawlspace is rat infested, but you show them pictures of a bunch of dead critters and end of conversation. Negotiations are a lot easier and less stressful. Ideally the inspector can send you a link to a sample report online or shoot you an example via email.
Here’s the run like hell question. Ask the inspector if they ever do client repairs as a side job. If the inspector answers they do inspection customer side jobs and would be happy to give you a quote on putting in a new floors or doors or windows…yada yada. Run like hell. I know some states allow the inspector to do side jobs, but I think it’s a giant conflict of interest.
This inspector is either a handyman/contractor using the inspection business as a lead generator a big NO NO. As you have a major conflict of interest. i.e. I think you need to rebuild this bathroom and I think I have the perfect guy to do it for you..ME. Crazy I know but I am perfect at doing these repairs and I’ll totally rip you off but you won’t know. Kidding … maybe!
Or the inspector isn’t doing enough inspections and therefore is trying to do handyman work on the side to make ends meet. Which in this environment is understandable, but in reality, this may mean the inspector won’t be in the “Inspection” business in 6 months when you have a problem you want to discuss. I know reputable inspectors who do construction on the side, but never on the home they are inspector. Again major conflict of interest if you inspect and also do repairs on the same house. Perhaps it’s better is to ask the inspector or REALTOR for a referral contractor then get 3 quotes. To find out if you are a getting hosed.
Now we come to the end of my blog post. I know a bit blunt. You can also ask “What’s your prices”. As long as the inspector is not outrageously more expensive then the other inspectors you have called – you should be good to go. Don’t fall into the trap of not hiring a great inspector for a $40 difference in inspection fees. Remember this is an investment in your education, don’t go cheap : ) Congrats on making it through the whole article. Learn more about Farren West @ www.KeyInspectionServices.com or www.EZ2Inspect.com or email me directly @ Farren@EZ2Inspect.com #206.931.0506 Washington State Licensed Inspector #489 & State Licensed Structural Pest Inspector #66918.
