Was Your Last Home Inspector Blind?
Learn Seven Things You Must Know To Avoid Hiring The Wrong Home Inspector
1. Hire A Home Inspector With Lots Of Experience:
It takes a full a time Home Inspector hundreds and hundreds of inspections to develop the eyes, ears, and nose for hunting down problems. Part-time inspectors simply do not have the proper time in the field to develop that radar. Be sure to ask how many inspections he/she performs annually and for how many years. A quality Home Inspector does at least 200 to 300inspections annually. Blind inspectors conduct 50 to 100 inspections annually. Conducting 200 to 300 inspections each year requires extensive referrals by prior clients, lenders, real estate agents and others, – so there is a much greater chance the inspector is not blind.
• A quality full-time home inspector conducts between 200 and 400 inspections annually; however, Xcellence Inspection Services conducts more than 750 per year. Blind inspectors ONLY conduct 50 to 100 inspections annually.
2. Education & Training:
Being a contractor is very different from being a Professional Home Inspector. Home inspectors are responsible for evaluating all of the systems and components of the home — not just one aspect such as the brick or the framing. To be able to provide a competent evaluation of all of these elements takes formal education and training. Did the inspector attend one of the top home inspection schools, or did he complete a correspondence course, or have his brother in law Bubba show him how to inspect?
• Comprehensive, continuing education and training is a must!
3. Certifications:
While certifications are certainly important, it’s the combination of Experience, Education and Training that make the difference in the competency of your next home inspector. Certifications let the world know that the inspector can pass a test, not that he can inspect a home properly. We all know people who are certified for one thing or another that we wouldn’t hire under any circumstances.
• There is simply no substitute for experience and proper training.
Buying a home during these unprecedented times made a routine inspection very interesting. Rob was professional, communicative and helped make the process as a buyer seamless. He answered all my questions, sent pictures and live video from my inspection that exceeded my expectations! – Review of Xcellence Inspection Services By Tamiya Aurel
4. Advanced Technology:
Buying a home is an extraordinary investment. So why would you want merely an ordinary inspection?
There is no reason to wonder if you’re getting the best inspection if the inspector is using cutting-edge technologies and the proper tools — such as Laser Thermometer, Hand-Held Computer, Moisture Meter, Outlet Testers, Infrared Technology, etc.
5. The Inspection Report:
The top home inspectors in today’s business don’t produce handwritten reports. A professional inspector will provide at least a 30+ page narrative report, and not some little 10-15 pages that you can’t read because he writes like your doctor.
You should want the report to be written in plain English, not some “Techno Jargon”- that only the home inspector can understand.
Inspector should NEVER make repairs or offer to make repairs at a later date. An inspector that makes repairs should always be avoided due to the conflict of interest inherent in that situation. All national home inspection associations forbid this lack of integrity and objectivity.
Ask for a sample of an inspection report so you’ll know what you can expect for your time and money. After all, you are the client!
- Click Here to check out a copy of our Sample Report
6. How Long Has The Inspection Company Been In Business?
Is the inspection company locally owned and operated or are they some far away faceless corporation” where no one is monitoring and evaluating the quality of their work?
If you are dealing with a multi-inspector firm, how long has the inspection company been in business? Does the inspection company have dedicated employees serving as customer service representatives to schedule appointments and provide any needed follow up assistance?
7. Ask To See What Other Home Buyers Have Said About The Inspector:
Quality Professional Home Inspectors ask their client’s to post online reviews upon completion of the inspection.
Professional Inspectors want to know what they are doing right, as well as what might need improvement, because you can’t improve what you don’t measure. If the inspector can’t or won’t provide client referrals, he might be blind in more ways than one!
• Click here to check out What Our Clients Have To Say: Reviews
