Home Inspectors I Have Known and Loved

OK, you all know that when purchasing a home, you really need to hire a licensed inspector to examine the property for flaws that either compromise safety, or indicate a major cash outlay in the near future for the buyer of the property.

Just like Realtors, inspectors come in all varieties and in all levels of proficiency. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in inspectors. The good ones are a joy to observe; they move through the quagmire of a property, inside and out, and report to the client the condition of its components. Nothing more, nothing less. Want a radon test kit left at the property? Today's inspector should provide that service. Test for gas leaks? Yes. Test outlet circuitry? Yes. Test walls with a dampness meter? Yes. Test window and door operation? Yes. Climb on the roof for an accurate report on the life expectancy? Yes. Go into the attic to check for water stains, mold, animal infiltration? Yes. Test all the appliances, even though they might be dirty and unpleasant to navigate? Yes. Offer opinions on how the condition of the property aligns with the client's future plan for the property? No, no, no; that is the Realtor's responsibility. And finally, the inspector offers a full report to the client, and whomever else the client instructs the inspector to include.

The bad ones can minimally cause the client to come to inaccurate conclusions about the property that is being inspected, can morph into a 4-hour encyclopedia of how all house systems function, can fail to even locate a simple light switch on the wall ("you better check with the owner about this situation!!" ), can fail to point out a basic flaw in the property, can inflict undue panic and even fear into the heart of a client, and thereby fail to gain the respect of the client's Realtor.

Any inspector should want to perform fairly and with competence so that a real estate agent might recommend that inspector to other clients. Certainly one agent can bring many more new customers to that inspector than does the one client of the inspector. The Realtors are interfacing with dozens of potential buyers, while the one customer is interfacing with perhaps 1 or 2 possible property buyers. An inspector's business card goes in one of two places with me: in the client's file as a good contributor to the transaction, or in a business card file with a handwritten note about my disappointment in that inspector.

When I recommend an inspector to a client, I do so with the intention of getting that client a fantastic home inspection, done with professionalism, courtesy, thoroughness, honesty, and a timely report that is promptly delivered to the client. The inspection is done within the boundaries of an inspector's mission: to report on the condition of the property. Acting as a Realtor, I personally gain nothing from recommending an inspector to my client. Indeed, the inspector might point out problems that cause legitimate concern to the buyer, and result in the termination of a transaction. Believe me, it has happened on many occasions! But I welcome the inspector's results that cause a contract to "fall", because it means my client has been saved from a future, difficult and potentially expensive ordeal. It's all about the client, folks.

And I have also noticed that a client instinctively knows when the inspector experience has been a good one; the client might speak enthusiastically after the inspection is completed, on how well the inspector did his job, REGARDLESS of his findings. I have one client couple in particular who went through three, count 'em, THREE inspections with the same inspector before they found a home that seemed to pass the inspector's thorough examination; they didn't buy the home with systemic mold involving the dryvit (whew!), they didn't buy the home with the suspect attic insulation that might be contaminated with asbestos, but they DID buy the home that had nothing more to be concerned about than the height of the furnace vent on the roof. To this day, that client will rave about the inspector, how he prevented them from buying into a messy situation. Keep in mind, that inspector caused the clients and me to get back into the car and seek out/identify/negotiate a contract and involve the real estate attorney a total of three times. Did they mind this additional time and effort? No. The inspector was hired on my recommendation. I rest my case.