Selecting the Right Home Inspector

Here is some information about selecting a home inspector.

1. At a minimum, a home inspector should be an experienced general contractor, preferably registered with a building trade group such as the California Real Estate Inspections Assn., the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) or the International Conference of Building Officials, the organization responsible for writing building codes in the United States. These organizations require inspectors to pass lengthy and detailed examinations and to perform a minimum number of inspections before becoming members. They also provide continuing education courses so members stay up to speed on the latest changes in building codes.

2. Pick an inspector who is a generalist, not a specialist. “A narrow trade specialist, such as a carpenter or electrician, or people who only have inspected new buildings, may not have the right background to do a thorough home inspection,” said Roy Fewell, a spokesman for the ICBO. “You need someone with a repair and remodeling background, someone who has helped homeowners figure out what to fix and how to fix it, who has a broad building safety and property safety background and knows a hazard when they see it. Just knowing the code may not be enough, because you may have a safety hazard where no code violation is involved.”

3. The inspector should be bonded and carry errors and omissions insurance, which is the liability insurance available for home and building inspectors.

4. Look for someone with whom you feel comfortable. An important attribute of a home inspector is good rapport with clients. According to one source, the main goal of the inspector is to educate, not to terrorize the purchaser into thinking the house is about to fall down.

5. When interviewing an inspector, ask if that person will be available to clients for questions later, after the home is purchased. This kind of extended consultation will come in handy down the line when a second opinion is needed before undertaking major renovations, such as plumbing replacement or wall repair.

For example, Ted Knowles of Inspections Unlimited said he recently received a call from a woman whose home he had inspected two years ago. The woman said a plumber she hired told her that her plumbing system required extensive (and expensive) repairs. Knowles looked at his records, saw no indication for such work and referred the woman to a plumber he knew and trusted. The second plumber confirmed Knowles’ report, and the woman ended up saving money and avoiding the aggravation of unnecessary repairs.

6. As in the example above, home inspectors may refer clients to other trade specialists for home repairs. Beware, however, of inspectors who discover a problem and then offer to do the repair work themselves. This goes against the ethical standards of organizations like CREIA.

7. The average cost of a home inspection ranges from $200 to $350 for single-family homes, depending upon the size, and start at about $150 for condominiums and townhouses.

8. When searching for a home inspector, the best source is usually your real estate agent. “They work with inspectors all of the time, so they would know if there were any problems with an inspector or what their credentials are,” Knowles said.