How to choose a home inspector...COMPARE THEM!

You have just signed the purchase agreement on your new home and now you need a home inspection to make sure that the home you are about to buy is worth it's salt. Where do you begin? All too often home buyers will choose a home inspector based off of the price of an inspection. That is the absolute worst way to choose a home inspector. Why? Because all home inspectors are not created equal, just as all home inspection reports are not created equal. When hiring a home inspector you want...no...you NEED a home inspector that will describe the ENTIRE condition of the home as it sits on inspection day. Many of todays home inspection reports simply do not make the grade when it comes to describing in detail the overall condition of the ENTIRE home. Most reports are about 15 pages long. Approximately 3-4 of those pages are filled with disclaimers and useless information to the home buyer. That leaves you with 10-11 pages of information, and to be perfectly honest, that is just not enough to describe an entire home.

Just like these useless reports, many home inspectors do not fully describe the ENTIRE condition of the property. Why? Several reasons. The home inspector may be afraid that if he calls out too many issues, the referring agent will never use him again, incompetence, they are using the wrong kind of report, etc. No doubt you have heard home inspection horror stories of items that were missed or defects that were somehow overlooked. While a home inspection is never a guarantee that 100% of all defects in a home will be found, studies show that if you hire the RIGHT home inspector, approximately 95% of defects CAN be found and reported on. So how to choose?

Again, do not let price be your guide! I have actually lost home inspections over $5.00!! Seriously! No offense, but that is absolutely ridiculous. You are not buying a gallon of milk, you are placing your trust in someone to inspect your home! You need to do your homework. When you are choosing an inspector based solely off of the inspection price, in many cases the old adage holds true...you get what you pay for. Many franchise companies charge enormous fees to cover the cost of their offices, their vehicles and staff. Many independent home inspectors charge too little because they are in direct competition with the larger companies and are trying to gain an edge.

When choosing a home inspector the very first thing you need to do is ask how long their report is, what is covered and what is not, and ask for a sample copy of an actual inspection report so you can see for yourself what it looks like and what kinds of things the inspector is calling out. You will be VERY surprised once you do this and I assure you, it will make your decision a much easier one.

Along with examining their report, you should also make sure that the company is a member in good standing with the Better Business Bureau and/or any other performance based associations such as Angies List. While this is also no guarantee, it seriously limits your chance of getting ripped off by someone who is not looking out for your best interest. Another important thing to remember is to not always rely on your real estate agents "list of approved home inspectors". Remember the choice is completely yours to make when it comes to choosing a home inspector. Do not feel pressured into making a wrong decision. You want to feel comfortable in the fact that you did everything you could possibly do to ensure that you are getting the best home inspection possible. While many agents are looking out for you by recommending certain inspection companies, there is an inherit conflict of interest present.

Last but not least, just talk to the home inspector. Ask informative questions and not accusatory ones. Home inspectors get many phone calls every day and can tell when they are being drilled with accusatory questions. You will most likely not get the response you are looking for when taking this approach. However if you ask "informative" questions, you will find that most home inspectors are more than willing to share with you. This is how you can tell if the inspector is generally looking out for your best interest. You will be able to tell the inspectors who are passionate about their jobs just by talking to them, that is exactly what you want to be looking for.

Good luck.