Before retaining a home inspector these are questions you should ask and the answers you should get.
- How many home inspections have you done, how long have you been doing them? Seasoned inspectors will have done more than 1,000 – 1,500 and been doing them for more than 10 years.
- What does it cover? Most states license home inspectors (and have online licensure look up). License holders are required to inspect (and not inspect) what their state requires. Generally all states and good home inspectors in non licensed states are required/will inspect; lots and grounds, exterior surfaces, systems, structures and mechanicals and all interior areas including basements, attics, kitchens, baths and living areas.
- Do you offer other inspections? Most standard inspections cover home, radon and termite. High quality inspection companies will also offer additional inspections at the same visit including tank sweeps, sewer main scans, septic inspections, well inspections, pool inspections and level chimney inspections.
- How long does it take? A standard 3/4 bedroom house takes 3 hours. A little longer for larger houses. For houses in excess of 4-5,000 sq. ft reputable companies will send more than 1 inspector.
- Do you detail your findings on site? Quality inspectors should spend about half an hour to 45 minutes detailing their findings for the buyer and Realtor
- Are you available for follow up questions? Again quality inspectors make themselves available if items need clarifications.
- When will we get the report? We generally provide our report next day. Some provide a report on site same day. We recommend against that. It’s important to write a complete and accurate report when there are no distractions.
- How will you deliver the report? All reports should be emailed or online. We provide ours either online, which is searchable and interactive and via PDF if that’s preferred.
- Does your report contain photos? A picture is worth a thousand words. Each report should have photos of any deficiencies.
- Does your report contain summary sections? A good quality report has summary sections detailing the most important findings. A great quality report allows you to search the summary sections and report.
- Can I see a sample report? All quality inspectors are happy to share a sample report. https://app.spectora.com/home-inspectors/my-inspection-company-a8bd627d4e/sample_report?sample_id=17746
- How much does it cost? Fair home inspectors charge fair prices for what the service they provide. Beware of discount inspections. You get what you pay for. A missed item can easily cost $5,000 – $10,000, spend a little extra to get quality and protect what is likely your largest investment.
As always feel free to reach out with any questions. Good luck!
