How to Choose a Home Inspector
Would you call a retail store and ask, “How much do you charge for a TV?” Probably not. You’d have to do research and decide what you want to buy before asking for prices.
One of the toughest calls that I get as a home inspector is, “What do you charge for a home inspection?”
Home buyers often ask me this because they’re trying to find the inspector that offers the best deal. When buyers are only concerned with the price of a home inspection, they have already made an assumption that all home inspectors offer the same thing, and they assume they’re comparing apples to apples. This just isn’t true.
Here are a few key things to research before deciding on a home inspector, and to help make sure you’re making a fair comparison when it comes down to price. This is all information that home inspectors typically list on their web site.
- Find out how long they’ve been in business.
- Read client testimonials. Are they from clients or real estate agents? Do they have testimonials from three delighted clients, or thirty?
- Read about their qualifications and experiençe.
- Most importantly, view a sample inspection report. If there isn’t one available or you need to send the inspector an email to request one, it’s probably for good reason. Home Inspectors that are proud of their reports practically want to push the report in to your lap.
When reviewing a sample report, there is much more to look for than just photos and illustrations. Watch out for useless report writing that is designed to cover the home inspector’s butt, not yours. A bad report would contain a lot of phrases like “This was observed, recommend further evaluation and correction by a licensed blah blah blah.” With this type of writing, you could easily have an inspection report that recommends a dozen additional inspections. If further inspections are needed, that’s fine, but these recommendations should never be made lightly, because additional inspections require more time and money.
A good home inspection report will clearly state the problem, explain the significance of the problem if it’s not obvious, and will give a recommended course of action.
When picking out a home inspector, spend some time researching inspectors, even if you receive three different names of inspectors from your agent. Many agents give out three names because they don’t want to assume liability if their client isn’t happy with the inspection, not because they have three companies that do great work. For more tips on finding an inspector online, read this post by one of my favorite bloggers:
How Hard Can It Be to Find a Good Home Inspector?
After you’ve decided on an inspector, book the inspection. If you’ve narrowed it down to two inspectors and you need a tiebreaker, go with price.
Because you’re making a massive investment, you need to protect it. For that reason, never consider avoiding the home inspection. Unless you’re a home inspector yourself, you won’t be able to accurately assess all areas of the home you’re looking at. Known as one of the best home inspectors Chattanooga offers, Melanie Crabtree with Full Disclosure Property Inspection can provide that knowledge and experience. In addition, she’ll help you avoid thousands of dollars of extra costs and the regret that comes with it.
Full Disclosure Property Inspection: the Best Home Inspectors Chattanooga Trusts
The biggest question is: how much risk are you comfortable with? Is peace of mind worth a few hundred dollars? The answer seems to be clear: with the best home inspectors, Chattanooga buyers have a better chance of knowing what they are getting.
Full Disclosure Property Inspection is the full-service home inspection company your neighbors trust. Locally owned and operated, we also have uncompromising work ethics and standards. In addition, we founded our company in order to combine the highest technical skills with superior customer service. When you ask us to take on your home inspections, you’re hiring conscientious, educated professionals. Professional home inspectors who love helping clients with one of the most important investment decisions they will ever make.
Just listen to our clients:
“Melanie was very efficient and professional in completing our recent home inspection. She showed pictures, explained everything and answered our questions after the inspection. Her report was thorough, detailed and included pictures. We received it very quickly! If you need a home inspection, choose Full Disclosure Property Inspection!”
– Michelle Kelly
Click here to learn more about what types of home inspections we have available for you.
