Home inspectors are out there by the thousands. Many people are lured to a home inspector by their membership of associations such as NACHI, ASHI, FABI and so on. These are acronyms for different organizations that a home inspector can become a member of just by purchasing the membership and using the organizations name on their marketing material.
Doing this does not prove that an inspector knows what they are doing or has the knowledge to do a thorough home inspection correctly. So how does a home owner know if they are hiring a qualified home inspector or not?
By asking these top 3 questions you should be well on your way to choosing a qualified home inspector.
- Find out what qualifies that person to do home inspections. What is their background in?
Ask for the inspectors back ground and business experience. If an inspector was a roofer and became a home inspector, is he going to have the knowledge of plumbing and electrical to do those aspects of the inspection correctly? Since you are buying the whole house, find out what knowledge the inspector has for all the areas of the home. Ask the home inspector if they inspect every part of a system such as all the outlets or just a few here and there. You want to make sure that your inspection is a thorough inspection and not just someone walking around acting like they are inspecting. Check the company web site to see if the company gives information about themselves and the types of inspections and what is covered in the inspection. Do not confuse someone who is book smart (has degrees and certifications) with someone who has actual knowledge and hands on experience. Nothing is a better teacher than experience especially in this business.
- Ask how thorough the inspection will be.
Many inspections are classified as visual and non-intrusive meaning that the inspector will only visually look and not be hands on in the inspection. These types of inspections are typically the worst. Ask your inspector if panels will be removed to know if a system is not only working, but working correctly. An electrical system may appear to be ok, but if the panel is not removed you may have bad wiring or faulty circuits and not know it. The air conditioner is another example of a panel that you should want removed during an inspection. The system may function properly, but if debris is blocking the air flow at the coils, the system will not be efficient resulting in higher fuel costs.
- Ask if the inspector will go into all areas that need to be inspected.
Many inspectors will not go into attics or through crawl spaces to thoroughly inspect a home. If the inspector is very old, or is out of shape, they may not physically be able to do a complete inspection. Inspectors should not rely too much on equipment to perform the inspection. Using equipment is good, but in addition to the inspection and not as the inspection. Many inspectors are now using the infra-red cameras. All these cameras do is show hot and cold spots within the home. Many times where the camera will show a cold spot in the wall or the floor, an inspector will believe that it is a leaky pipe when there are multitudes of different reasons for the cold spot such as missing insulation. An inspector relying too much on the camera will not take the time to investigate using proper inspecting techniques.
By asking these questions you will have a much better idea where the home inspection company stands and can make an informed decision on choosing the Orlando home inspector that is right for you.
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