How to find a qualified home inspector
Q: You often advise buyers to find a home inspector who has done thousands of inspections. Frankly, this may not be the best advice. I know home inspectors who have practiced the same bad habits for years; who schedule too many inspections a day to possibly do a thorough job. Many of them write reports that are professionally embarrassing: either too short or too inflated with unnecessary information. People should know not all inspectors, no matter how many inspections they've done, are qualified to deliver a thorough and comprehensive product.
A: Your points are well taken. The guidelines for finding qualified home inspectors do not guarantee professional competence. To illustrate this, let's consider the six criteria most often cited as essential factors in selecting a qualified inspector.
• Professional affiliations: Membership in a recognized association of home inspectors, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), is commonly held as a measure of professionalism and competence. Membership requires adherence to standards of practice, codes of ethics, and ongoing education, but no regulatory association can instill competent or ethical performance in every individual.
• Inspection experience: Years of dedicated practice can produce home inspectors with the ability to discover defects that would be missed by inspectors with less experience, but shortcomings in talent or integrity can diminish the benefits of accumulated experience.
• Errors and omissions insurance: E&O insurance is often stressed as an important consideration when hiring a home inspector. If an inspector fails to report a major defect, the deep pocket of an insurance company may be the only recourse. On the other hand, some of the best home inspectors forego insurance coverage because deep pockets can attract litigious attorneys.
• Building code certification: Although code certification is not a professional requirement for home inspectors, some inspectors acquire code credentials to increase their knowledge of potential defects. This knowledge is unquestionably beneficial, but increased knowledge does not guarantee the ability to observe and evaluate defects. It is possible to know the code yet fail to recognize an apparent violation.
• Formal home inspection training: A common mistake among new home inspectors is reliance on past construction experience, rather than home inspection training. Those who have attended a qualified school are better prepared to commence their careers as inspectors. On the other hand, there is no amount of schooling that truly prepares one for the complexities of inspecting homes. Schooling merely provides a foundation on which to build experience.
• Ask for a sample report: Sample reports provide clues as to the thoroughness of a home inspector. On the other hand, anyone can purchase a high-tech report-writing system. Sample reports only show the problems that were found by the inspector, not the ones that may have been missed.
The above criteria provide guidelines for selecting a qualified home inspector, but elements of uncertainty and risk still remain. It is also helpful to call several real estate offices to ask who are the most thorough inspectors in the area, but those recommendations may not be entirely objective.
The bottom line when choosing a home inspector brings us back to the adage: "Buyer beware!"
• Email Barry Stone at barry@housedetective.com.
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