17 Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring a House Or Building Inspector

If you're reading this page, your probably looking toDo your reports include cost estimates?
hire an inspector and maybe having troubleKnowing that a heating system or roof is shot is one
differentiating from all of the inspection companything. But you will really want to know what the
web sites. Here we have provided an unbiased list ofreplacement costs will be so you can plan accordingly
questions that you should ask of a home / buildingand/or maybe negotiate the sales price. Make sure
inspection company prior to hiring someone toyour inspector can provide cost estimates for
provide critical information about the largest purchaseneeded repairs.
you probably will ever make.When do I receive the written report?
What is the fee?When purchasing a property, once you have an offer
Although this is the first question we usually hear, theaccepted, you have a limited amount of time to sign
price should not have the most bearing on whoma sales contract. In many cases, the seller wants to
you hire. Inspection companies that marketmove things along as quickly as possible. Since a
themselves with low prices usually do so becauseproperty inspection plays a major role in helping you
they are new in the business (read: inexperienced)determine if and how to move forward, you need to
and, being unable or unwilling to distinguish themselveshave the written report as soon as possible after the
with high quality service, they fall back on low prices.site inspection. Most companies will provide it within a
It is a mistake to hire a company simply becausefew days via mail or email. Ask this question to make
they have the lowest price -- you will end up withsure you will be able move along in a timely manner.
the lowest quality service and you may end up reallyBeware of on-site "checklist" reports, as they are
regretting it. Ask these other questions to get agenerally an inferior product, that forces you to
better idea of the service you will receive as allnavigate large areas of irrelevant text and short
inspectors are not the same.handwritten sentence fragments.
Are you licensed?Is a termite certificate included in the fee? (for
In New York State, house inspections may onlyfinanced purchases)
legally be performed by a licensed architect, aMost lenders will require a termite certificate in order
licensed engineer, or a licensed home inspector. Byto underwrite a house. A separate termite inspection
definition, one does not necessarily provide betterfrom a pest control company can cost anywhere
service than another, no matter what you may befrom $75 to $125. Many building inspection companies
told. House inspection is a very unique discipline andinclude them with their reports but some don't. If you
the prospective inspector should have proper trainingmust choose between having the certificate provided
and experience specifically in house and buildingby the house inspector or a pest control technician,
inspections, regardless of which license they carry.remember: the house inspectors do not sell
So, therefore, it is important to ask the othertreatments (and are therefore not motivated to
questions on this page to get a better idea of whom"find" a problem).
you're hiring.Do you access the roof with a ladder?
Do you belong to any trade associations?Houses with pitched roofs do not have access from
Fully certified membership in a home inspection tradeinside. The only way to fully evaluate the condition
association is a good indication that a prospectiveand quality of installation of the roofing material is to
inspector is serious about their work. Membership issee it up close. The only way to see it up close is
not cheap and requires annual continuing educationwith a ladder. Most inspectors will not access a
that is currently more stringent than state licensing2-story roof with a ladder, so this is an important
requirements. The oldest, most well respectedquestion to ask. Even if the roof is new, it does not
associations in our area are ASHI (American Societymean that it was installed correctly. Proper evaluation
of Home Inspectors) and NAHI (National Associationof roofing cannot be done from the street with
of of Home Inspectors), whose local chapter is calledbinoculars.
MAHI (Metropolitan Association of Home Inspectors).Do you open all electric panels?
These are non-profit associations dedicated toPerhaps the most important thing an inspector can
educating their members and promoting qualitydo when visiting a property is to remove covers
service to the public from this industry. To becomefrom electric panels to check for unsafe wiring. Yet
fully certified in either group, one must pass a difficultthere are a few companies, including a prominent
exam and prove that they have completed a"engineering" firm that we know of, that do not
considerable number of fee-paid inspections, whichprovide this critical service.
are then verified to be in compliance with theDo you do combustion safety testing on heating
standards that the association has set forth.equipment?
A third group, which will not be named here, is aPractically every building has gas- or oil-fired heating
relatively new organization that has very lowequipment. Combustion safety testing determines if
requirements to become "Certified", thus providingthe fuel is burning efficiently and fully escaping
new and inexperienced entrants into this business athrough the chimney. Poor combustion is potentially
"qualification". It seems as through their main thrust isdeadly.
building their membership (and profits for the board)Do you enter accessible attics and crawl spaces?
rather than building quality service in this field, as theyAttics and crawl spaces can provide critical details
have been known to lobby NY state for lessabout a building. Entering these spaces often requires
stringent requirements for licensing of homean inspector to be in good physical shape and small
inspectors. They were recently sued for copyrightaccess openings may prevent access by (to be as
infringement by NAHI because their name was toopolite as possible) portly inspectors. Therefore, an
similar. They ended up changing their name toattic or crawl space may be disqualified as
something still similar but slightly more different."inaccessible" simply because of the physical
Membership to this third group is generally notcharacteristics of the inspector.
viewed as any kind of legitimate qualification byCan I speak to the inspector prior to making an
serious practitioners of house and building inspections.appointment and ask specific questions about the
How long have you been doing this work?property I'm interested in?
After licensing for home inspectors was made law inYou should be able to make your specific concerns
NYS, inspector schools sprung up and tripled theknown ahead of time. This not only allows you to
amount of home inspectors across the state byestablish a comfort level with your inspector, but will
providing a course specifically tailored to meet homehelp you determine if the inspection service will meet
inspector licensing requirements, which right now areyour needs.
not very stringent. As with any type of school, theyHow much notice do you need to make an
provide rudimentary training, but graduates are by noappointment?
means qualified to go out and start giving you adviceIn this business, the seller contingent usually wants
on the biggest purchase you probably will ever make.things done as quickly as possible and inspection
Inspectors can and must take training beforecompanies have adapted to this need. Most
entering the field but all the training in the world is nocompanies can provide an appointment to your
substitute for experience. (Hint: Those who advertiseconvenience if you provide 2 to 3 days lead time. In
their training may not have the experience youmany cases, you can get an appointment with less
should be looking for.) The bottom line is...you wantnotice, albeit with less likelihood.
to make sure you get an inspector who has theWhat preparations should be done for the inspection?
experience to provide you the information you need.Be sure that whoever is providing access to the
Is a sample report available?building understands that all areas of the building
Many inspection companies now provide a sampleshould be made accessible (which can be somewhat
report on their web sites. If they don't, you shouldchallenging if there are tenants involved) and make
ask for one. This is where you get to see the levelsure they understand that we will need the building
of quality provided by a given house and buildingfor a few hours. If the building is vacant, try to
inspection service. Is the report clear and easy toarrange to have all of the utilities (water, gas,
understand? Are there photos? If so, are they largeelectricity) turned on, as you get the most out of
enough to see the pertinent details and clearlythe service that way. Try to avoid bringing small
annotated? Does the report look like it explains issueschildren if possible as they can be a distraction.
in enough detail or will you continually have to callAre you insured?
back to get clarification? Are there cost estimates?There are two types of insurance that home and
Perusing a sample report is a must!building inspectors carry: General Liability (GL), which
Do your reports include photos?insures against damages to the property caused by
There are still a few inspection companies out therethe inspector, and Errors and Omissions (EO), which
that don't provide photos in their reports.insures against major mistakes or negligently omitted
Incorporating photos takes extra time, but a pictureitems in the report. State law requires home
is worth a thousand words and reports are moreinspectors to carry GL as a license requirement. EO is
valuable to you with them.optional, but most inspectors carry it.
Through and Detailed house and building inspections in New York City and Long Island at http://inspectbeforebuying.com