Home Inspector, Southern Pines NC
My name is Earl Payne and I am a home inspector and have been licensed since 1998. I am also a North Carolina licensed residential and commercial General Contractor and have been since 1984. My home inspection company is "Carolina's Best Home Inspections", and as the name implies, I care about the quality of my work.
You who are reading this will probably be buying or selling a home. Perhaps you are a real estate agent. In any case, this article is relevant for you.
The home inspector is many things, or should be. He is a specialist. He is a generalist. He is a communicator. He is a politician. And he is a salesman.
Firstly, the home inspector is a specialist. He specializes in property inspections. There are all kinds of inspections. There are automobile inspections. There are military inspections. There are nuclear facility inspections. The home inspector specializes in one kind of inspection - property. He may also specialize within that field. The home inspector may only inspect single family residential dwellings. Most home inspectors specialize in that. But he may specialize in commercial buildings. He may specialize in mold inspections within buildings. He may specialize in environmental concerns as they relate to residences or properties, or any number of issues. But generally speaking, the home inspector specializes, in most cases, in single family residential homes.
The state of North Carolina, where I live and do business recognizes, legislates , licenses, and investigates home inspectors. We are told how we are to perform our work, and what is and what is not a part of a North Carolina home inspection. We must conform to these laws or else we will lose our licenses. If an inspector loses his license he is no longer allowed to practice home inspections in North Carolina. So the typical home inspector is a specialist, not only in that he primarily inspects single family residences, but in that he inspects according to the laws of the state in which he practices and is licensed. There are very specific rules laid down for the inspector, and he must conform to those rules.
The home inspector is also a specialist in that he must know about the components and systems that make up the property he is inspecting. An inspector must know something about foundations, framing, roofing, plumbing, electricity, heating and air conditioning, insulation and ventilation, appliances, grading, concrete, and more, if he is going to inspect a home. All of these are in a typical American home. How can you inspect something if you know nothing about it? Within the home are these components and systems that make up the home. Since the inspector is specializing in homes he must know and understand these systems and their components.
For most of my life I have worked in and on single family residences and light commercial buildings. This is not only where I live, it is where I work and have worked since the 1970's. Times change, products change, materials change, and to be a good home inspector one must make a concentrated effort to stay abreast of the changes in the marketplace, and I do. I endeavour to continually become more aware of changes in the industry, and in every way be able to deliver "Carolina's Best Home Inspections".
(The next article will discuss the home inspector as a generalist)
known as the Sandhills.ncorporated in March 7, 1887, the town has since grown to the current population of approximately 12,208 and encompasses 16.456 square miles. Over the years this charming mid-south town evolved into a resort community with horses and golf as the main attractions. 
