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Did you know that the home inspection industry is completely unregulated?
As a buyer you’re going to find out pretty quickly that qualifications, fees, time spent on site, reporting methods and yes, even ethics are very much all over-the-map…
FACT…
If you’re realtor gives you a list of 3 inspectors, in one way or another they work for the realtor or the deal.
First off… throw away your realtors list and ask yourself, “why would a realtor need a list of their “favorite home inspectors” if not to control the deal? Exactly.. When choosing between inspection companies, narrow your choices to an inspection company who are real genuine California contractors. There is no such thing as a California “CERTIFIED” home inspector. Home inspection certifications are obtained online or in a classroom for a few hundred bucks. Really.
What To Expect, When They Inspect
So what do these guys check?
Most all home inspectors check off the same list… roof, plumbing, electrical etc…
FACT…
What separates all home inspectors is their ability to troubleshoot and diagnose a condition immediately for you and give you proper direction. You will find that the majority of home inspectors will refer issues to other “Contractors” for further evaluation. These are the guys to avoid for sure, it just shows their lack of basic construction knowledge and does not help you the home buyer, trust me.
Time Spent
The most common questions we get is,” how long will this take?”…
And our response will usually go something like this…a lot goes into constructing an entire building and as inspectors, visually taking it apart in an hour is a really is a difficult task.
FACT…
Your inspector should take no less than 2-3 hours on any house including a condo. Make sure that if your inspector works closely with your agent that the inspector is not trying to rush through to accommodate the agents schedule. A good home inspector will take as long as it takes. The condition of the house dictates this.
Will they work for you or the agent?
Never ever, ever go off a realtors list or allow an agent to schedule a home inspection for you. Ever, Period. If you received a list of home inspectors from your agent (even if the agent is a close friend) you have to understand that there is a relationship there between the inspector and the agent.
FACT…
Realtors will NEVER refer an over-the-top-thorough home inspector. They will never refer an inspector who takes his time nor will they refer an inspector who tells-it-like-it-is for fear of loosing their deal.
In Summary
So if you’ve made it this far good… let me break it down and summarize this for you. When choosing between inspectors try to base your decision on the inspectors genuine building experience after all, the inspector is using this experience to visually diagnose a building and trust me, if you’ve never put one together you cannot take one apart visually. Base your decision on how many inspections he has performed and what other qualifications he may possess such as… pool contractor, roof contractor, chimney expert etc… And base your choice on the finished product, the report. The report should not contain 80% disclaimers of what they did not inspect because it was beyond their ability (scope). One the other hand, if you were basing your choice on how much the guys on your realtors list can “suck up to your agent“, then your chose should be clear.. any one of them will work. Just be prepared for surprises and those surprises can come in all shapes, sizes and costs.