Questions to ask Home Inspector?

Question

Hello,

So I plan on viewing properties soon and am currently in the process of building my team. My mentor suggested I find a home inspector soon. This brings me to this question: What kind of questions should I ask them to gauge how competent they are? I plan on calling a variety before picking one

Thanks

Filipe Pereira · Answer

1. How many years have you been doing this for? 2. How many inspections do you do on average per week? (Should be 5-10 if they are well experienced).

3. What is your typical client like? (If they say "oh it's usually first time buyers buying new construction single families" and you are looking at 50 year old multis....they may not be a good fit)

4. Do you have a list of vendors who could come in after you to quote/correct the items you point out as faulty/needs work in your inspection?

Evan Polaski · Answer

@Hossam Elaskalani, what are their credentials?  What are the most common issues they uncover?  Do they own their own house?  Do they invest in real estate themselves?  What do they view their purpose as being?

Remember a home inspector is not a contractor.  Most have never done construction, let alone are a specialist in anything.  Their role is to look for common issues and flag them for you to dig deeper into before buying.

Depending on the types of houses you are looking for, turnkey or with some rehab, I think you would get more value out of walking with a gc/handyman that understands issues (similar to a home inspector) and can assign general costs on site.  Contractors will also often tour for free, where you are paying a home inspector to show up and often not until you are under contract.

Cody Neumann · Answer

@Hossam Elaskalani

Another route you could potentially take is calling real estate brokers in your area and see which one they highly recommend.

Adam Azam · Answer

Any good inspector will go over everything with you, likely as he/she moves from system to system. He should be thorough with his explanation, which may bring up questions you hadn't thought of. Off the top of my head, you'll want to know about pests (termites and carpenter ants most specifically) and if there is any sign of damage. The foundation has potential for being a huge expense if there are large cracks, bulging, or signs of major settling. The other systems that are expensive to replace might be areas of concern; mainly the furnace, plumbing, roof, and electrical. Since this is your first, as the inspector to explain anything you don't understand, and by the time you get to your 5th, you'll be pretty well versed in what you're looking for and what's done right vs. what's not.

Gregory Hill · Answer

@Hossam Elaskalani. Sorry Hossam, I just realized my phone autocorrected and spelled your name wrong!

Another tip is to let the inspector you chose know that this will be an investment property. It will change the way they view or write up some issues and will allow them to be a little more aggressive in your favor vs how they would approach a first time home owner for example.

Gregory Hill · Answer

@Hossam Elaskalani

Great question to be asking Hassan! I’m a home inspector myself and have been inspecting for several years with an inspection count in the thousands. Ask their experience and training, each state has different certifications or licensing. You want a full time inspector that has been in business for awhile. A local realtor can point you in a good direction for a starting point!

Another question to ask is how long the inspection will take. The inspection process should take multiple hours and include time with you to review and walk the house, answer questions etc. A good inspector will take the time to educate you and explain findings in detail. Not just hand you a report and collect payment.  As for going the contractor route, just because you can build doesn’t mean you can inspect and vice versa. Solid inspectors will have seen many more properties than a builder and should know what problem areas and defects to look for. Depending on area the inspector may be adept at providing broad range estimates for repairs, however that should not replace getting written estimates from the contractor.

In the end inspections can save you thousands and give you an official document to negotiate with the sellers from which will more than pay for the inspection.

Last thing is to do some digging on certification companies as a resource. InterNACHI, ASHI are two of the bigger ones and can also give you names of local certified inspectors.

Good luck!

Aj Parikh · Answer

Getting referrals would be the best place to start. Speak to a few realtors or join your neighborhood facebook group and ask the question there to find out which home inspectors they have used. Those are always the best recommendations. Good luck and congratulations on the deal!

Hossam Elaskalani · Answer

@Filipe Pereira

Thank you so much!

Hossam Elaskalani · Answer

@Gregory HilL

Thank you so much!

Hossam Elaskalani · Answer

@Evan Polaski

This is great advice thank you!

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