Monday, January 17, 2011

What to Look for in a Home Inspector, Part 4

A shout-out to my cousin-in-law Melissa and her fiance Jason who moved into their new house that I inspected last month - Congrats!

What to look for in a home inspector:  one who will provide a professional report.

In today's market top home inspectors do not produce hand-written reports.  A professional inspector will provide a report that is computer-generated with lots of photos.  The photos will serve to highlight problem areas in the home, as well as educate the potential home owner about certain areas of the home.  There are some inspectors that provide the report on site, however, I feel that the best reports are developed off-site because it gives the inspector an opportunity to review notes and pictures and potentially notice things that weren't seen on first inspection.  Most top home inspectors have spent several thousand dollars on a computer program that will give home owners a report that is a combination checklist and narrative report of each area in the home.  The report should not have repair costs or plan of action for repairs.  Professional home inspectors inspect - they do not repair.  An inspector that makes repairs should be avoided as that presents a conflict of interest.

1 comment:

  1. Brian, we are all moved in and the work you did on our inspection was SO helpful. We took your recommendations and are fixing the items in your thorough report. Thanks so much for such an excellent assessment of our new home!

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