Home Inspector
- Thread starter jhelrey
- Start date
hllon4whls
Active member
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- Jan 8, 2011
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- 37
Realtor may know of one. Good home inspector may be an oxymoron if you ask me. I've had one good and one bad. The bad one I'll remember for life.
magilla
Well-known member
your locality's government building & permits dept. should be able to refer you to someone reliable.
HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
I would try to avoid the one the realty company recommends.
Nothing against those guys, but you have to realize anyone getting referrels from the sellers real estate agent is someone the agent thinks will not screw up the deal. If I'm going to pay for an inspector, I want them to be working for me and not beholden to the seller's agent for future business.
A good inspector will find everything the seller knows is wrong with the property and isn't telling you (maybe the basement gets water in it) PLUS things the seller has no clue is wrong (termites perhaps).
Phil
Nothing against those guys, but you have to realize anyone getting referrels from the sellers real estate agent is someone the agent thinks will not screw up the deal. If I'm going to pay for an inspector, I want them to be working for me and not beholden to the seller's agent for future business.
A good inspector will find everything the seller knows is wrong with the property and isn't telling you (maybe the basement gets water in it) PLUS things the seller has no clue is wrong (termites perhaps).
Phil
digdug18
Well-known member
I'd go the home inspector route as well as ask a general contractor to walk through and point out any fixes he sees, I had to pay one $100 to do so. But he even hand typed up a report for me and all. Seeing where you live, if your that serious about this house being the one. I'd go get a blower door test done, for 2 reasons. Test will tell you potential air leaks, and what areas of the house need to be addressed. It can be alot of money to lay out, but the more people that have eyes on your house the better. I also would reccomend that if there are any major issues that you try to work with the seller, because there isn't anything that can't be fixed.
GarageEnvy
Well-known member
+1 That's good advice. My state does not have a licensing requirement so anyone can be a home inspector. A good one is worth his weight in gold. A bad one isn't worth the paper it's written on. I would look at the inspector's background. Try and find one who is also a general contractor.
I have had home inspector's that did a great job and ones that were terrible. That being sad.....we just bought a bank repo...and we used a home repair contractor for our "home inspector". He did a great job....hit the big items (which were most important to us) and didn't charge a huge price for an inspection. So...I would start talking to people you know...find somebody good who repairs homes...and maybe take an ad out on craig's list.
K'ledgeBldr
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cowboyjosh
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- Mar 11, 2010
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- 1,066
X2 on the ashi.org website. I know folks when they buy houses that will have their GC, plumber, electrician, low volt, contractors all go thru house, but these are buyers of multi million dollar properties. I also agree "good home inspector" is a oxi ***** statement. Enjoy your new place.
Zeke
Well-known member
If your state doesn't regulate them as CA doesn't, I'd ask to see his checklist before hiring him or her. If it seems complete, there is no reason you can't be there to see that he really checks the stuff on the list. Just tell him you won't interfere with the process and won't ask any questions until the report is finished. He should be good with that or I'd look further.
All the reports that I have seen were pretty good but most of the pics sucked. Unless there is something that really needs to be seen, I think lots of pics are fluff. If a fence has rot, it has rot. No need to pic every detail, just mention it.
All the reports that I have seen were pretty good but most of the pics sucked. Unless there is something that really needs to be seen, I think lots of pics are fluff. If a fence has rot, it has rot. No need to pic every detail, just mention it.
Interex
Well-known member
As others have mentioned, ask your realtor. They normally have a list of ones that they've worked with.
Mmfh
MEMBER EMERITUS
As was said earlier, sometimes Realtors will use Inspectors that won't screw up the deal. I hate to say it but I used to be licensed and I heard of it being done more than once.
What about talking to your lender, they may know of one that is trustworthy. Also if you are using a title company to close the deal, they a lot of times will know of a good one.
You are right about getting an inspection, get it done, get him in the attic and down below if possible. Write a report with a warranty. If he screws up bad you might be able to go after him for the missed repairs.
Mm
What about talking to your lender, they may know of one that is trustworthy. Also if you are using a title company to close the deal, they a lot of times will know of a good one.
You are right about getting an inspection, get it done, get him in the attic and down below if possible. Write a report with a warranty. If he screws up bad you might be able to go after him for the missed repairs.
Mm
rvr6000
Well-known member
Sorry.....had to do it. haha
bczygan
Well-known member
Uh Oh....Time for inspector is BEFORE putting in an offer. An offer, once accepted, is a contract.
Joeydabomb
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- Mar 15, 2011
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- 58
You put an offer in pending inspection.
I got few recommendations from friends and began the search with them, my realtor wanted me to use her guys that bring in a team and are in and out within 60 minutes. No thanks.
I would also recommend bringing in a HVAC guy and possibly a structural engineer, I don't regret it one bit.
Mmfh
MEMBER EMERITUS
You always get an accepted offer before doing the inspection. Most Ernest money agreements are written with a 7 day inspection period. At the end of that period or after the inspection has been completed, the buying Realtor will write a addendum as far as what repairs the buyer wants the seller to take care of.
Inspections usually cost from 3 to 5 hundred depending on size of house. You want to get the offer accepted before shelling out that kind of cash.
A good inspection usually takes 2 to 3 hours, than time to prepare the report and if a good inspector he will have plenty of photo's to go over with you.
Mm
slghmmr88
Well-known member
Take me around 4 hours for my onsite insp. for a single family residence of 1500 to 2000 sq ft and then another 6 hours preparing a report with pictures of between 60 to 110 depending on what is found. Report length has run from 32 to 46 pages in length. I upload to a website so the customer and whoever else they want to view it can download and print all or part or just a summary. As has been stated in other threads the rules vary by state. And I guess from reading other comments some states have no rules at all.
I used Brian Block last year. Was about $350 and 3 hours. I had no experience with inspections, but know my way around things. It was definitely worth it for the second set of eyes, but with a proper check list I think I wouldn't need an inspector. No relation or financial interest, just sharing my experience. He's in the Saint Paul area: http://www.blockbyblockinc.com/
I'm also in the market for an inspector and I point blank asked if I could be on site since I'm a first time buyer and would like to know as much as possible about the house. He replied that he encouraged his clients to come along and view the inspection.