Top Five Things To Look For When Hiring A Home Inspector
If you’re a prospective homebuyer and have narrowed down an ideal property to invest in, having it professionally inspected can serve to mitigate future costs of any hidden faults or defects. Moreover, it can also help you negotiate with the seller at the time of purchase so that you make a sensible investment. Therefore, it’s advisable that you hire a reliable home inspector who will provide you with useful information and essential facts that the seller may leave out about a house.
While a home inspection is necessary, finding the right inspector can be a daunting task. To simplify your search and help you pick the best professional, here’s a list of the top five things to look for when hiring a home inspector.
1. Certified Home Inspector
Hiring an inspector certified who has been trained through an association, for example, InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors), means that they have taken courses and are undergoing continuing education yearly. It’s important to note that there is no inspector licensing organization in Utah, but if you come across an inspector who says they are licensed, it’s either a business license or he is licensed in another state with different requirements
At J-Pro Inspects, all our staff is InterNACHI Certified. In addition to NACHI certification, our inspectors have attended the Penn Foster School for Home Inspectors. This training allows us to provide our clients with a high-quality home inspection.
2. Has insurance
Make sure your home inspector carries an Error and Omission (E&O) Insurance. This will ensure that the insurance will cover any unfortunate events that may happen during an inspection.
There are instances where a real estate agent used a home inspection company where the inspector missed calling out (reporting) a big-ticket item. Upon inquiry, it was found that they were not a certified inspector, no proper training or education, and/or didn’t have insurance. This makes, not only the inspector look bad but, the real estate agent appears to be less professional and ends up having to pay for the mistake.
3. Customer-oriented service
A home inspection should be more than just a “job” by the inspector. Each home and its occupants deserve a home inspection performed with the same quality the inspector would do for themselves if they were buying the home. Many inspectors will quickly conduct three inspections per day taking less than an hour per thousand square feet. To do a great, detailed inspection, an inspector could take the time to really "see" the home on the client's behalf.
We, at J-Pro Inspects, we take the time to inspect everything accessible in the client's furniture home with the care we would for ourselves. The Standards of Practice for a Home Inspection require only random testing of items representative of the whole house, such as windows or electrical outlets.
At J-Pro Inspect, if it’s accessible without moving furniture or stored items, then it is inspected. For every buyer, but especially first time home buyers, we take the time to discuss the home, address any concerns, and teach how to fix the easy things. We do inspect each home as if we were purchasing it ourselves.
4. Reviews and feedback
It’s easier to learn about a home inspection company by looking at the reviews they receive from clients and real estate agents. Whether it’s fifty or more than hundreds of reviews, see what customers say about their service.
At J-Pro Inspects, we’ve had clients and agents leave us five-star ratings, a sentence or two, or even a several paragraph testimonial. If these reviews reflect how you would like to be treated and how you would like your home inspection conducted, you’ve come to the right place.
5. Consider the real estate agent’s inspector referral(s) but also do your own research
A real estate agent may have been in the business for a while and have ample experience in the housing market. They have seen the work of many home inspectors and often know who does the best work for their clients, provides a walk-through, and prepares an easy to read report making negotiations with the seller easier as well as giving the client a pretty straight forward “fix-it” or “honey-do” list. When you ask these agents to provide referrals for home inspectors, they may have three or more on the list and one favorite. Make sure your real estate agent is not receiving a gift card for every inspection that they hire the inspector to do and that is the reason they are recommending him/her.
We learned that there are inspectors out there giving agents a gift card every time they have their clients use them. Guess who’s paying for that? (Your inspection just got $25 more expensive). Therefore, beware when consulting a real estate agent.
If you’re looking for certified home inspectors in Utah, who value you and the work done on your behalf, reach out to J-Pro Inspects. We are a family-owned home inspection company and have been conducting home inspections for more than eleven years. We offer high-quality home inspection services and treat all our customers' inspections as if we were buying the home. If you are a real estate agent, we have your back. Your clients will be glad you shared our information!
We offer several other services for an additional fee: Radon testing, Methamphetamine testing (Meth), mold testing, air quality mold testing, and UV ozone air purifier for move-in ready home decontamination. It’s available to clients across Davis County, Salt Lake County, Utah County, Tooele County, Sanpete County, Wasatch County, Summit County, Weber County, and the surrounding areas. (UV treatment is available for counties surrounding Salt Lake County for an additional trip fee and is a 3+ hour process.) Sewer scopes in the Salt Lake area.
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