Bad Info Cost $$$

No matter your profession, education is a large component to performing the job correctly. We all must learn our jobs. Whether it was that first high school job working at the local restaurant or gas station to a chosen career out of college. There is always learning involved, the one difference is that some tasks require more education than others.

For the home inspector education is an on going requirement. In fact it is often necessary in order to maintain the inspector’s livelihood. For example in Connecticut home inspectors are licensed. In order for an inspector to renew their license, 20 hours of approved continuing education must be completed during the license cycle (2 years). This is the absolute minimum amount of education an inspector “needs” to continue in the profession. A good many inspectors I know complete much more than the minimum educational requirement, and some only just.

Even with education, experience is necessary to make the knowledge tangible. Book and classroom learning only goes so far. The individual must take the information they have been imparted and extrapolate it into their working world.

This is an infinite process.

Because I have been in the profession a fair amount of time and have been in leadership positions I have heard various gripes concerning home inspectors. The one theme I hear again and again is the inspector was wrong about ______. You can fill in the blank.

First of all there are always two sides to every story. Second people often like to relate their bad experiences, its human nature. I would say more than half the time I can tell from the story, the inspector did their job. Often it’s simply the person misunderstood the scope of the inspection and is dissatisfied. A good example is hidden damage. A home inspection is a visual assessment. The other instances are usually, from the sound of it, legitimate complaints.

Everyone makes mistakes.

What I don’t have a high tolerance for are mistakes made out of ignorance that result in money being spent unnecessarily or worse in a misguided attempt to cover ones fanny. The best example of this I can think of is when mold or anything that remotely looks like mold is discovered during the inspection.

Mold testing and remediation is disproportionably expensive. Depending on where the mold is and how much is present, it may be nothing more than a small isolated condition or the tip of the iceberg. The inspector should try and determine the extent of the problem as much as possible and accurately report on the condition. This procedure should be followed for any deficiency discovered during a home inspection. By providing good and insightful information the inspector lays the ground work for the client to purse resolving any issue knowledgeably. That is a large part of what a home inspection should accomplish, provide to the client, good, useful information.

The bottom line is bad information can cost someone money in needless repairs.

James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

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