It is important to know a great deal about your home when you sell. How do you handle disclosing the particulars about your property without spending the next few months learning the construction of your home? Use a Home Inspector. The inspector can solve a series of problems.
If the Inspector you use is bonded, and a problem arises after the sale, it is easy enough to say, “I didn’t know this was a problem. I had the home inspected and I trusted the work of the inspector.” Of course, that does not get you off the hook, but it does help. In addition, if there are damages to be paid and the inspector is to blame and is bonded, the inspector may have to pay for them instead of you. Therefore, using an inspector can be worthwhile.
Finding a Reputable Home Inspector
A real problem with housing inspections is that they are relatively new. In a few years, states will undoubtedly begin licensing and testing housing inspectors. However, as of today, few states are doing this, so sellers are on their own.
Having a contractor’s license does not necessarily qualify someone to be a home inspector. Are contractors qualified? Some
are and some definitely are not. A contractor who builds new homes may know very little about older homes. A plumbing contractor does not necessarily know about electricity. A cement contractor probably is not an expert on roofs. The value of their inspections is questionable, at best.
Beware of contractors who offer to do a home inspection for a nominal fee, then find something wrong and offer to fix it, usually for a higher fee. Some unscrupulous contractors have been using home inspection as a way to obtain business.
A good rule-of-thumb is to never have the person does the inspection to also do the work. Also, Do Not ask the inspector to refer you to someone. That someone could be the inspector’s brother-in-law or sister who is on the team and may take advantage of you.
Always insist on getting a written report from the inspector. An oral report is useless to you later, if there should be a problem.
Remember, you’re paying a professional for a professional report.
Look for an inspector who provides a summary report. The purpose for this is to make it clear that the seller and buyer are responsible for certain items per the contract.
