What you should know about Home Inspectors

What you should know about Home Inspectors…..

Did you ever wonder what makes the guy you hire to be your home inspector qualified to be a home inspector. Well if you haven’t thought of this you should have. In the state of Kentucky anyone selling themselves as a home inspector must be licensed by the state of Kentucky. This licensing process is quite involved and is one hurdle a Home Inspector in Kentucky must jump. This process involves training, a background check, doing actual home inspections, and testing for competency. It also requires a minimum amount of liability insurance before you can receive your license. In my view this process is just the beginning if you don’t already possess some skills related to actually doing home inspections. This licensing process only indicates you have passed the test and paid the fees. Being a home inspector requires a wide range of knowledge in several technical areas.

For instance any home has the following:

• Heating and Cooling system - There is sometimes more than one. There may also be two different types of heating systems in the same house.
• Plumbing - This includes the drain system, water supply system, the fixtures, the water heater, location of the various access points such as drain cleanouts and water cutoffs. The various types of materials used to make up the plumbing system need to be identified. There are many other items that would get quite boring if I went into all of them.
• Electrical System - This system is just like the plumbing system. It all starts with the wires as they enter the house. From there you have the meter and all the associated equipment. Other equipment would include the main panel box and all the components that make up the panel box, the actual wires and the circuits they make up. As with the plumbing many other things in the electrical system have to be checked.
• Then you have the house itself. As you know the house breaks down to the roof, the attic, the floors, walls, ceiling, the structure, the exterior cladding, the foundation, the windows, doors and numerous other items. All of these require some skill to examine them and determine if they are all functioning as designed.
• Then we have the lot, driveway, walkways, stoops and all the associated items that go along with this area of concern.

So that I don’t bore you with the details I am going to stop with the systems and move on. The main point of the above was to start you thinking about the home inspection in terms of what has to be done. You can see that you need someone who can examine these systems with a good level of expertise, not someone who has just passed the test required by the state. Remember, previous experience is just as important as the number of home inspections they have done.

What questions should you be asking:

I get calls all the time and the 1^st question people ask is how much does it cost. This is a good question but it shouldn’t be the 1^st question. It should actually be the last question. You should take a few minutes to get to know the inspector. You may find that you just don’t hit it off with this guy. That’s a good reason to move on to the next one. During this few minutes ask questions like this:

• Are you licensed? If not, don’t talk anymore. Don’t accept someone telling you they are certified. Certified is not the same as being licensed. Certified only means they belong to some organization that requires they pass a test to belong.
• What is your experience, or better yet, what makes you qualified to be my home inspector?
• How many home inspections have you done?
• Have you had any complaints filed against you with the state? You can find this out.
• How long will it take to do the inspection?
• When will my report be ready?
• Do you allow the client to attend the inspection? If not, I would move on to the next inspector.
• Do you include pictures and in-depth explanations in your report?
• Are your reports computerized? They are much easier to understand than the simple pre- printed forms many inspectors use.
• Do you have references and will you provide them?
• How do you deliver your reports? They should give you a couple of options.
• How long does it take to get the report?
• How many inspections do you do a day? Two a day is a reasonable amount. .

By now you will have an idea if the voice on the other end of the line is someone you would want to examine the home you are about to spend your hard earned money on.

Now it is time to ask what they charge. They most likely won’t be the least expensive if they are good, but the extra 50 - 100 dollars they charge may save you thousands in the long run.

In my case I have approximately 25 years experience that makes me qualified to be your home inspector. I also worked with one of the best home inspectors in the business when I was starting out. He was kind enough to help me get into the very business he was making a living out of. He told me that I needed to know what I was doing or I would give all home inspectors a bad name. This is just one example of the kind of people you should be dealing with. If you can find these folks you will have spent your money wisely. I am a member of the Kentucky Real Estate Inspectors Association (KREIA). This organization promotes home inspectors helping home inspectors. I strongly recommend you use a KREIA inspector.

In closing I hope you found this article useful. If you would like to talk with me you can reach me via the contact information on this web site.

Thank you,

Curtis Adams - Owner