Are you choosing the right home inspector? The goal here is to assist you!
Where do you start? Maybe the Yellow Pages, you can certainly ask your realtor your real estate lawyer. Maybe even try the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors. But are you hiring the right people? Let's get ready to ask the tough questions.
Professional certifications and Affiliations
Licensed through the Government of Alberta, this will indicate right off the bat if they have met the minimum qualifications required. Is the company member of the C.A.H.R.I the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors or the N.A.C.H.I International Association of Certified home Inspector’s? Are they a member of the Better Business Bureau? This type of do diligence will give you some insight to how serious they take their job.
Experience
Inquire how long the inspector has been in business and how many homes in total have they inspected in their career. Can they supply references? You do not want to hire someone who does this part time or it's their third house. We have seen many deals fall apart due to a bad home inspection.
Written Report
The right home inspector will give you a detailed computer generated report, nothing hand written. If this is not done properly you will not be able to run your proper due diligence. What you want to see is a detailed checklist which include specific comments to each category. Accompanied with those comments you want to see pictures taken the day of the home inspection. An educated eye will be able to determine a maintenance item versus something that is a major repair catching you unprepared down the road. Any deficiencies found in the home inspection should be identified with a rough estimate to repair/replace.
This report is made to help you make an informed decision about the home you're considering.
At no time is it ethical for the home inspector to refer or take on a job to repair anything in this report
Equipment
If the inspector shows up with his pencil and clipboard and a flashlight we have the wrong company. Today's home inspector has an arsenal of cutting-edge tools available to him or her to assist you. They will be dealing with electrical,carbon monoxide, gas, moisture, furnace and appliances, they need these sophisticated tools to ensure that everything is working properly. Digital camera, ladder and yes, that flashlight or a few other things that will be needed. Remember, the more sophisticated the equipment the inspector uses can represent the price they charge.
How much does it cost?
This is not an area where you want to consider saving a few dollars, like many things you get what you pay for. If you've made the right choice narrowing down to a few inspectors, the cost difference will be minimal. You require the best and most qualified home inspector inspecting the biggest purchase you will ever make. In the grand scheme of things is $100 or $200 important when we're dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars?