Finding a Great Home Inspector

Many thanks to Whitey Hutten over at Bigger Pockets for this article on how to find a Great Home Inspector. Check out the full article here.

Here is a portion of the article that’s helpful…

How to Vet a Home Inspector

There isn’t a national certification to be a home inspector, and requirements vary state by state. In some states, the requirement to be a home inspector is just 60 hours of education, while in other states it’s 400. Remember, we don’t just want an inspector, we want a “rockstar” inspector. Look for someone who has done more than just a three-day course.

Additionally, you want to find someone you can build a long-term relationship with. I also encourage you to do some homework before calling anyone. In order to save yourself some time, try to find the answers to these questions:

Experience & Qualifications

1. What kind of certification and training do they have?
2. What kind of experience do they have in the asset class you are purchasing?
3. What type of inspections do they do? Single-family, multifamily, etc.
4. If this is an investment property inspection, are they an investor themselves? I love working with inspectors who are also investors as I can “pick their brain” on the neighborhood and home as an investment.

Location & Service Area

Where do they do the main part of their business? Again we want to find someone who is very familiar with the asset type you are purchasing.

Specialty

1. What inspections do they do?
2. More importantly, what will they not inspect?
3. For a fee, what additional inspections will they arrange for you? Again, here’s a short list of things you might want to add on:

• • Roof
  • Foundation
  • HVAC
  • Sewer scope (I highly suggest you do this in any home that has clay piping)
  • Plumbing
  • Pest control

Timeline

1. How long does the inspection take?
2. Can you, your Realtor, your property manager, and your general contractor be present? If this is a rental that you are doing any work on, make sure your contractor overlaps with the inspector at the end of the inspection. The inspector can go over the main issues that need to be corrected and the contractor can make sure to add those to the bid. Additionally, if the contractor sees anything that they would like a second opinion on, the inspector is there.
3. Are you entering the home only one time, limiting the disruption to any tenants?
4. How long will it take to produce a report? This is important in case you have to meet an inspection objection deadline for your purchase agreement.

Cost

1. What do they charge for the main inspection?
2. What do they charge for add-on inspections?

Scope

Will they send an example of the type of report they do? This is a case where you want more information, not less.