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Many states now require home
inspectors to be licensed and insured. Licensed home inspectors are considered
professionals. So, before selecting a home inspector, ask for their credentials
and find out whether your state licenses home inspectors. The licensing state
will generally require that the home inspector have a certain number of
classroom hours (some actually take correspondence), attend a specified number
of "dead inspection", attend a certain number of "live inspections", and pass a
national test. In many states, after the test has been passed but before the
home inspector performs a home inspection on residential property for resale,
the home inspector must obtain Errors and Omissions and General Liability
insurances.
States licensing home inspectors will typically have "Standards of Practice" or
a "Code of Ethics" that the inspectors must follow. The Standards typically
outline the minimum you can expect from a home inspector or what can and cannot
be expected in a home inspection. For example, home inspections are generally
not technically exhausted. That is, home inspectors do not necessarily inspect
the cause of certain problems; they merely report that there appears to be an
issue and recommend further evaluation.
Home inspections may contain items greater than the typical Standards but they
should never contain less. For example an HVAC technician who is now performing
home inspection may offer a very thorough evaluation of your heating and cooling
system for an additional fee. This is perfectly fine as the home inspector can
always do more than the Standards of Practice. How Much Will A Typical Home
Inspection Cost? The cost of a home inspection varies widely by location of the
property, size of the buildings inspected, and the depth of the inspection. As a
general statement, home inspectors must inspect certain systems in the home.
They must also describe certain features of the home as well. For instance,
saying that the home has a roof is no more information than most of us can
gather on our own. But saying that the dwelling has an asphalt shingled roof
with OSB sheathing gives us a considerable amount of additional information.
With that said and at the time of this writing,
Baton Rouge home inspections run between $250 and $400 per inspection for a
house under 2,500 square feet. New Orleans home inspections and Lafayette home
inspections run roughly in the same range.
This price range may appear wide but certain inspectors offer a "bare bones
inspection" that is relatively cheap while others offer a few more bells and
whistles for a slightly higher price. Lower priced home inspections may be as
equally thorough as a higher priced inspection but this is not always the case.
Do keep in mind that a higher price does not necessarily mean less value in the
home inspection business. The cliché, "You get what you pay for" definitely
holds true when dealing with home inspections. What Can I Expect From My Home
Inspector? Home inspectors should provide a thorough evaluation of your home as
defined above. After inspecting your home, home inspectors will give you a home
inspection report. These reports will generally outline each area that the home
inspector reviewed and, more importantly, those that he did not.
Limitations are outlined in the home inspection report. Limitations of your home
inspection are those items that prevented a thorough inspection. Home inspectors
do not move furniture or rugs and many do not remove items such as child proof
receptacle covers. Given that a home inspection is a visual examination,
furniture or grass around the foundation can really obscure the inspector's
view.
A typical home inspection report will contain a detail section as well as a
summary page or pages. Many useful tips may be buried within the text of the
home inspection report. It is always good to take some time to sit down and
review the whole report. Some reports may be in excess of 30 pages. Don't let
this alarm you! Home inspection reports typically will explain the deficiencies
found in your home as well as offer some very useful tips. Some inspection
reports can be viewed as a mini homeowners … owner's manual.
Most home inspectors pay for a report template from third parties. This template
may be either a paper template that is completed by hand or a computerized
template that is completed on the computer. There are advantages to each type of
report, most of which deal with the speed that the client receives the home
inspection report. The typical turnaround time for a home inspection report may
be as quick as the inspection is complete to as long as 24 hours or more out.
This is a question that you should ask your inspector when you are requesting
your home inspection.
Must I Be at the Home Inspection Home inspectors typically like their clients to
be at the inspection. They do realize that many times this is not possible.
During a typical inspection, the client, the seller's real estate agent, and the
client's real estate agent will attend the home inspection. It is wise for the
client to take the time during the home inspection to walk around the house and
make a list of questions that they would like to ask the home inspector. Making
a list and asking the questions at the end of the inspection is most always
preferable to asking individual questions as they come to mind. The more the
client interrupts the home inspector, the more likely the home inspector is to
overlook something. That is not necessarily a deficiency in the home inspector
but a quality of being human. The home inspector is concentrating on doing a
good job for the client but the more interruptions, the more likely an error
will occur. Home inspectors
generally welcome questions from the client but most like them asked all at once
at the end of the inspection. Don't be afraid to ask but also remember that the
inspector is not necessarily going to tell you what you want to hear. You are
paying them for their unbiased point of view. They are trying their best to
provide you with quality information about the current visible condition of your
new home so that you will not be unpleasantly surprised in the future.
Once the home inspection is complete, the home inspector will generally review
the findings with the client. Many call this their "post inspection interview"
and there is no better place to do this than on site. The client can walk around
with the home inspector and see the potential issues first hand. This is also
the perfect opportunity for the client to ask the inspector about the issues on
their list. When Do I Pay for the Home Inspection The home inspection fee is
typically paid to the inspector before the inspection report is delivered. Many
inspectors prefer to have the money in hand before they begin the inspection
process while others may wait until the report is prepared and ready to be
delivered. This is a point that will come up so the client can ask the home
inspector before the inspection at what point they require payment.
If the client is unable to make the inspection, it is okay to send payment with
the realtor or another representative. The client should keep in mind that the
home inspector may or may not discuss their findings with the agent. There is
confidentiality between the client and the home inspector. The client should
designate who can receive the home inspection information other than themselves.
Good Luck!
This should give you an idea of what to expect from a home inspector and how the
inspection process will be handled. Each home inspector is different and may use
somewhat different techniques. Good luck and best wishes with your home
inspection!
Darren Dunner writer for
http://www.arbucklellc.com . Arbuckle LLC has been providing quality home
inspection and quality service.
Article Source:
http://www.ArticleBiz.com
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