Who schedules your home inspection?

If you’re like most home buyers, you rely on your realtor to schedule all of your inspection services.  This could be a big mistake.

The reason is that realtors have a vested interest in seeing that the home sells.  They are paid a commission only when the transaction is completed.  Unfortunately for buyers, the “quick and easy” inspection desired by a few realtors is not in the best interest of home buyers.

A quick and easy inspection will often miss structural or mold issues, moisture issues in the crawl space or even electrical and heating/cooling issues.  A quick inspection may miss roofing or plumbing issues, such as minor leaks.  An inspection that isn’t thorough may fail to find minor issues that can become major, costly issues months or years down the road if left unaddressed.

When issues are overlooked or missed, home buyers are often stuck with repairs costing hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.  If only these buyers had taken the time to ensure that they had scheduled a thorough home inspection by an experienced home inspector!

Our Advice

Our advice to home buyers is this:

• Research home inspectors, looking closely at their certifications, training and online reviews (Do the same level of research as you would when making a major purchase!)
• You (not your realtor) should select your home inspector based on his or her experience, certifications, training and reviews
• Attend the home inspection and ask plenty of questions

An experienced inspector with extensive training and education will perform a thorough inspection and take the time to answer all of your questions.  This information is extremely valuable to buyers. Not only will this information enable you to understand your inspection report in a more complete manner, but it will also allow you to understand fully the issues in the home, the most serious concerns and probably even an estimated cost of repairs.

Don’t Be Swayed!

Our final bit of advice to buyers is this:  Experience has shown us that a few realtors may try to direct buyers away from inspectors who perform thorough inspections by making comments such as, “We would use him, but he’s very busy and probably won’t be able to perform your inspection for a few weeks.”  If a realtor makes this type of statement about an inspector you want to select, take the time to call the inspector yourself.  You will probably discover that even the most experienced and in-demand inspectors will work you in within a day or two — and will get you your report within another day or two.  There’s a really good reason why an experienced, full-time and highly-respected inspector is busy — he or she is the best and most qualified!

If you have any questions or need additional information, contact Housebusters Inspection Services.  We are always available for our clients!