Top Five Things To Look For When Hiring A Home Inspector
Home inspections are a significant part of selling a house. They are ideally handled by both sides, the buyer and seller, when working on meeting the best deal. The buyer would want to make sure they are getting the best value for their money and make sure everything is alright with the house. The seller should ideally handle an inspection and repair the minor aspects of the house to increase the value when they are putting it on the market.
Through the pandemic, the housing market was not where it used to be, with many people not making the types of purchases they did in the past. A majority of people were not making large expenses because they were unsure of the changes and their future. However, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Working in the business for as long as we have, we learned a lot about it. Many were considering handling the process themselves or would settle for the first home inspector they found. Many others would pick the cheapest one, but these are not the ideal solutions. People should be putting in more time when they are settling on a home inspector because their decision is what gets the client to purchase a home. A house is one of the most expensive purchases someone would make, and you should be spending a little more, in the beginning, to purchase a house in good condition because you do not want to be spending a lot more later when you have to handle repairs and renovations. Here are some pointers to look out for when finding the best home inspector.
1. Passion for their work
The first thing you need to look for in any service professional is their level of passion for their work. Doing the same thing every day can wear on a person’s attention to detail. Home inspections are nothing but detail. Try to evaluate your inspector’s dedication to their work and if they still enjoy doing it. If they enjoyed their work, they would spend time doing it and not hurry to tick through a list and leave. They would also look with more interest because it is the smaller things that interest them, and they want to pay attention to the house.
2. Reasonable when evaluating and providing estimates
Your home inspector should be a reasonable person when it comes to evaluating the home and the possible levels of repair it may need. Don’t allow them to make every tiny defect into a big flaw that needs immediate attention. If you are buying a home older than five years (as most are), there will be some wear on it, which should be put in perspective and expected. Sure, some of these repairs may be needed, but do not overwhelm the deal with minutiae. These may only sour the deal from the seller’s side.
3. Reliable when providing you with the information
Your inspector should be reliable to share the truth with you. If there are problems with the house, your inspector should be frank about their importance. They should not gloss over relevant repairs nor send you on a wild goose chase for trivial problems. You would rather have them tell you what the issues are so you can work through them and get it done as opposed to finding it out later and having to spend more. If you are planning to sell the house, there could be small fixes that could cost you a couple of hundred dollars, but if not handled could reduce the value of the house by thousands.
4. Neutral and not picking a side with either the seller or the buyer
Even though the inspector is your agent, they should remain as neutral as possible in their’ bedside manners’. Tensions may run high during an inspection where the seller is present and may naturally defend their property from criticism. Your inspector should not fall into this spiral of emotion that may ruin the entire deal. They should remain as diplomatic as possible under this pressure. However, they should also not bend to ridiculous assertions that are wrong. They should maintain their professional integrity at all times -- the deal depends upon it.
5. Loyal, so their clients trust them
The best inspectors are loyal to their clients. They should remain available to them long after the sale is complete. They know the house in detail and can provide information and good advice as the new owner upgrades the home to meet their needs. The inspector should again be honest about the problems to be encountered during the repairs.
If you are looking for a home inspection through an ASHI Certified Home Inspector in Chicago, Illinois, get in touch with us at True Blue Home Inspections. We have almost two decades of experience and inspected more than a thousand houses within that time. We provide insurance for this kind of work, so our clients know they are protected. While we work on many residential homes on their property, we also assist with other inspections that our clients might need. If you are looking for a better understanding of the services we provide, please click here. If you want to get in touch with us or think we can assist with a requirement you have, please click here.