Home Inspections

A Home Inspection is a non-invasive visual examination of a residential dwelling, performed for a fee, which is designed to identify observed material defects within specific components of said dwelling.  Components may include any combination of mechanical, structural, electrical, plumbing, or other essential systems or portions of the home, as identified and agreed to by the Client and Inspector, prior to the inspection process.

 

A Home Inspection is intended to assist in evaluation of the overall condition of the dwelling. The inspection is based on observation of the visible and apparent condition of the structure and its components on the date of the inspection and not the prediction of future conditions.

 

A home inspection will not reveal every concern that exists or ever could exist, but only those material defects observed on the day of the inspection.

 

A Material Defect is a condition of a residential real property or any portion of it that would have a significant adverse impact on the value of the real property or that involves an unreasonable risk to people on the property. The fact that a structural element, system or subsystem is near, at or beyond the end of the normal useful life of such a structural element, system or subsystem is not by itself a material defect.

 

An Inspection report shall describe and identify in written format the inspected systems, structures, and components of the dwelling and shall identify material defects observed. Inspection reports may contain recommendations regarding conditions reported or recommendations for correction, monitoring or further evaluation by professionals, but this is not required.

 

 

  Generally, a person will work with their Realtor to identify a suitable home and then an offer is made to the Seller. Once that offer is accepted and a Sales Contract is signed by both the Seller and the Buyer an Option Period is usually agreed upon. This Option Period runs for typically 7-14 days but varies by state and local customs and gives the Buyer an opportunity to rescind the offer under relatively lenient restrictions. The Option Period is the time to schedule the Home Inspection and it should be done early in that period to allow enough time to digest the results of the inspection and decide on how to address any issues that might be discovered.

  Sometimes your Realtor will recommend several inspectors to choose from or you may have an inspector in mind already. There are several inspector search tools available to help you locate an inspector that meets your needs. Try www.inspectorseek.com or www.inspectornow.com  to locate a qualified inspector for your area. Contact the inspector of your choice and discuss your needs and timing with him. He will collect the information needed to schedule your inspection so that it meets your option period requirements. You will also agree on the amount of the inspection and how the inspector will be paid. All inspectors take cash & checks of course and many take credit cards as well. Most inspectors shy away from being paid at closing but some are willing to work with you if that method is required.

 

 

 

Some "old school" inspectors provide a hand written, checklist type of inspection but most inspectors today utilize a computer generated report and many include digital photos in the report. Narrative reports characterized by concise, written descriptions of defects found during the inspection are more prevalent today than a simple checklist style report. A narrative style report (like this one: Example.pdf ) will indicate what the issue is, where it is located and may even go so far as to advise what should be done to address the deficiency and may also indicate what could happen if the defect is not corrected.  

 

 

In addition to the standard home inspection, an inspector may offer additional services such as WDI (Termite) inspections, mold, radon, septic, and or water quality, lead, stucco, log homes, energy, thermal infrared imagery, meth lab and numerous other inspections. Generally, these optional, ancillary inspections would be additional costs.

 

 

 

 

 

38 states have some form of licensing of home inspectors. Texas was the first state to license inspectors in 1993 and continues to lead the nation in pre-licensing education, continuing education, experience and insurance requirements. Other states may simply require registration of inspectors but impose little, if any, education requirements. Several have no requirements whatsoever to be a home inspector.  

 

 

There are numerous home inspector trade organizations both at the state and national levels. Many consider it important that an inspector belong to one of these organizations for numerous reasons. One, a trade organization is typically a great way for the inspector to stay abreast of new techniques, tools, procedures and the like that are available to the inspector. Many of these organizations provide free or low-cost Continuing Education to their members.

 

The largest inspector trade organization and arguably the most comprehensive is the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (INACHI) with approximately 8,000 members in the U.S. and several countries around the world. A smaller but older and more widely known trade organization is the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI).

INACHI - International Association of Certified Home Inspectors

ASHI - American Society of Home Inspectors

NAHI - National Association of Home Inspectors

 

TAREI - Texas

CREIA - California

FABI - Florida

 

You can obtain more information at my company website at www.capcityinspections.com