Hi! Thanks for allowing us to help you during your home buying experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to provide you with information about home inspections and help you choose a home inspection company.
This information has been collected and arrived at by talking to buyers – sellers – real estate agents and inspectors from across North America. One of the main things I’ve learned is that home inspections are the subject of much confusion. In fact, people have so many misconceptions about home inspections that I decided to offer this consumer education message so when you select a home inspection company, you can make an informed, intelligent decision.
In just a moment, I’ll share with you seven costly misconceptions about home inspections. I am also putting together additional secrets that I have learned from my many years of experience that can help you in your home search and will help you avoid buying a home with problems that may cost you alot of money to repair if you aren’t aware of them.
Misconception #1: You should wait as long as possible before getting your home inspection.
No. Waiting until the last minute to have your home inspection done leaves you in the position of not having the information that you may need in time to make an informed decision. Additionally, your contract will likely have specific dates in it that if you don’t respond in a timely manner; you will loose the opportunity to cancel your contract on a house and still receive your earnest money back.
One problem of waiting too long to have the inspection done is if the home inspection turns up something significant, then a specialist is generally required to help you understand the depth of the problem.
Inspectors are like general practitioners – they give the home a physical examination, looking for symptoms of problems. If they see an indication of a problem, they will recommend you have it checked out further by a specialist, one that can determine the specific cause of the problem and recommend any necessary corrections. This is similar to a doctor suggesting you see a specialist if he discovered a problem during a physical. For instance, if the doctor discovered a skin problem, he may refer you to a dermatologist.
You need to schedule the inspection as quickly as possible and have it done as soon as possible. There are several other things that will help with this that I will mention in a later section.
Misconception #2: You don’t need a home inspection if you are getting a home warranty.
No. As you probably know, there are very few perfect homes. A home inspector is going to inspect for any major problems that you need to be aware of concerning the structure of the home and the mechanical aspects of the home.
On a regular basis, home inspections turn up items that are simply too expensive to fix and/or may not be fixable. If you move in and are relying on the home warranty you may end up with items that the warranty doesn’t even begin to cover.
In addition, as you may know, if someone tells you "not to worry - that the warranty will take care of any problems with the home "- this should be a red flag. Home warranties are not designed and will not cover pre-existing conditions.
One of the best reasons to have an inspection is to help prove that a problem that shows up later is not pre-existing.
Misconception #3: You need to have an inspection done for each home you are considering.
No. To have a home inspection done on every home you are considering would cost you a small fortune.
Most often you are not going to need to have an inspection done on every home you are considering when you are armed with some basic information. I am setting up some of that information to give to you by e-mail after this report.
In most cases you don’t need to invest your money on a home inspection until you have found a home you are completely comfortable with and have put a contract on. This helps ensure that the seller is locked in to completing the sale if everything checks out and that you have a deal already negotiated.
If you do the inspection prior to a contract, you actually give the seller the upper-hand as you now have a vested interest in the home and will feel more inclined to not negotiate as hard or be as effective.
Misconception #4: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.
Maybe – but not usually.
The Company that offers the cheapest price is generally showing you a couple of things. One, that they are new and/or that they don’t really know what their cost is; meaning they are likely not to be in business for very long. If you are only concerned about one or two items you can probably have a specialist come out and look at it for less than the inspection, or you can even have a competant friend or relative look at the house and give you their expert advice.
On the other hand, if you want a thorough inspection that gives you information on every major system – if you want to know the status of all the major systems in the home – then you need to hire a company that does inspections full-time and specializes in looking at more than just a few parts of the home. You want to hire an inspector that understands that they are working for you and no one else. You are their main concern and making sure that you understand the condition of the house is their first priority.
Because hiring someone to do a home inspection for you is something that most homebuyers only do once every three to five years. You are most likely not even going to realize if you received a poor inspection until it is too late. So remember that the price you pay for a home inspection may not give you the information that you are hoping for with many "cheaper priced" inspectors.
Many homeowners have learned that the low price they pay for a cheap inspection also means there is less standing behind that inspection.
And if you have hired a "cheaper priced" inspector, you too may have experienced the problem of getting back in touch with him when and if there was a problem or if you needed a re-inspect and he was too busy to get you taken care of in a timely manner. Also, many "cheaper priced" inspectors will not have the ability to take care of all the inspections that you may wish or need performed and you end up having to call someone else to do other parts of the home.
As in all businesses and professions, the home inspection industry has its share of bad apples. I take no pleasure in telling you this, but some are unethical – and, sadly, a few are dishonest. By their deep concern for others besides yourself, they may leave you hanging and missing vital information that you should have had to make a complete and informed decision. This is another reason you want to make sure you hire an inspector that has your best interest at heart. You want to hire an inspector that is less influenced by others. The cheaper the inspector the higher the chance he is concerned about others besides you.
Then you’ll find other home inspection companies – professionals like me who work hard to earn your trust and respect.
As a way of improving our profession, I’ve dedicated my business to educating the public. The only way you can make an intelligent decision is to have all the facts you need. This is why I’ve prepared this message. And to help promote my efforts at consumer education, I regularly visit with other top professionals across North America to make sure you are receiving the best possible information in a timely fashion and in additon help maintain the quality of inspectors and inspections.
Misconception #5: If you are buying a brand new home you don’t need an inspection.
Simply not true. Many people believe that if they are buying a new home that everything is new and going to work perfectly.
Nothing could be further from the truth. While buying a new house is great because no one has lived in it and everything is brand new, from the carpet to the roof, this does not mean everything was put together correctly.
If fact, over my many years of experience, I have found some of the strangest problems and situations in brand new homes.
In one case, it was discovered that the main sewer drain line from the house had collapsed under the weight of the tractor that was used to grade the front yard. The house partially flooded during the inspection.
Another time, the builder forgot to have any insulation put in the attic. That would have been a costly heating bill!
And just one last example was the home that both of the standing showers had been installed with no shower pans. Water literally ran down the exterior walls when the showers were tested. Since this was on the outside of the home, it may have been months or years before it was discovered.
Of course, the builder in each case went back in and fixed these items. And I am sure he would have done so even after you moved in, but don’t risk it. We have found that you have a lot more leverage to get these and other items fixed quicker before you close on the house.
My recommendation is that you don’t put yourself or your family through having to chase the builder down - a builder that may or may not really care and fix the problem in a timely manner while your family has to work around the problem.
Misconception #6: FHA or VA has inspected the house and/or the appraisal will cover me.
Absolutely not. While having FHA or VA do an inspection on your home is useful and they are likely to call out a number of concerns, this is far from a complete inspection. In fact the bottom line is that these inspectors are working to protect FHA or VA and not you.
On top of that, these inspections are about 30 minutes to an hour long at best and usually 30 minutes is pushing it. A real inspection that has your best interest at heart is going to take significantly longer. It is unusual for an inspection to take less than 2 hours on smaller homes and many inspections have been known to take longer depending on the size and condition of the home.
Then the appraisal will cover me – Right? Wrong!
The thought of the appraisal taking the place of the inspection scares the appraiser as much as it should scare you. The appraisal is designed to determine the value of the home for the mortgage company. The appraiser, in other words, is working for the mortgage company.
The mortgage company simply wants to know if what they are loaning on the house is reasonable. It is not designed to pick up on the condition of the house, even though some times if there is a major concern, the appraiser will bring it to everyone’s attention. However this is hardly an inspection, and every appraiser will be glad to tell you so. Unfortunately you rarely see the appraiser and you are lucky if you receive his report before you go to closing.
Misconception #7: That the home inspection is a guarantee or warranty.
No. If you ask just about any inspection company they will tell you that their inspection is only good for the day and time of the inspection. Which means it is possible that anything can and sometimes does break at some point after the inspection has been performed.
Unfortunately, most inspectors use this like a crutch and use it to cover their mistakes. If you are using a cheaper priced company and you have a problem, - the inspector doesn’t answer your concerns satisfactorily - then you are usually just out of luck. This is a great reason to make sure that you choose your inspection company carefully.
In my company’s case, we set a certain amount of money aside. If we investigate a problem and we feel the inspector has made a mistake, we don’t hesitate to correct the problem. The inspector is charged for the oversight from his recovery fund. As far as we are concerned, it is in our best interest and yours to resolve any problems as quickly and fairly as possible.
Thanks for taking the time to read our Consumer Awareness Guide and allowing us this opportunity to help you in your home buying process. We hope you find this consumer message helpful. If you have questions or comments – or if you’d like to schedule us for your home inspection, please give us a call.
End of Consumer Awareness Guide
When deciding on the inspection company to inspect your new home, I offer these four recommendations.
Recommendation #1: Make a commitment to yourself to hire a company that has your best interest at heart. Choose a company that, even though they may be a little higher in cost, will be honest and straight forward with you and will give you an on-site report.
Recommendation #2: Hire a company and not just a one-man shop, (who may be here today or gone tomorrow). Hire a company, that if something goes wrong, has someone else behind the inspector to objectively look at the situation and make sure your best interest is taken care of, because it is in their best interest as well to protect their reputation.
Recommendation #3: Ask questions. The way you learn about a company is to ask specific questions and listen carefully to the answers. Here are six questions I suggest you ask:
1. How long has your company been in business? Anything less than 3 years is a point against the company, 3-10 years is a neutral, and anything above 10 years is a positive.
2. Do you offer on-site reports?
3. Do you carry E&O insurance? Anything but a yes is the wrong answer, move on to the next company.
4. Do you have a supervisor or owner that can help me resolve a problem if I feel the inspector has made a mistake? Again, anything but a yes is the wrong answer, move on to the next company.
5. Will you be able to perform all the inspections that I need? Termite inspection? Radon inspection? Septic Inspection? Etc. Hopefully the answer is yes.
6. Does your company have an in-house training program? If they seem baffled by this question you have your answer. We bring our inspectors into the office monthly for continuing education on top of the state requirements. Additionally, we have a supervisor that stops in on all of our inspectors, even our veterans, at least once a month to help maintain the quality that you deserve.
Recommendation #4: Once you’re satisfied that you’re working with an honest, competent, professional company, invite them to help you make one of the largest financial decisions that you will ever make and be comfortable with the fact that they have your best interest at heart.
By following these four recommendations, you’ll gain all the information you need to make an informed, intelligent decision. If you want a quick, cheap home inspection, many companies in the phone book can help you. Or you can have a friend or relative come with you or you can even do the inspection yourself.
But if you want your home inspection to be complete and thorough – removing doubt and giving you peace of mind – then I invite you to call our company.
We have professionals answering our phones. They will answer your questions and to be able to give you an exact quote right over the phone. They also work earlier and later than most to make sure we are there for you. They are available from 7 am to 8 pm Monday through Sunday. Or, if you prefer, just leave your name and telephone number after this message and we will be glad to call you promptly, or if after hours, first thing in the morning.
Here’s one last point: I know that many consumers are skeptical about home inspections companies. Before I got into the business, I was skeptical too. I actually purchased a home and found many problems with the home after moving in. I vowed to help prevent any other homebuyers from ever having to go through what my family went through.
So in addition to dedicating my business to consumer education, I do one more thing as well.
I guarantee our work. That’s right. I fully guarantee every home inspection that we do. If you aren’t happy with our work, we’ll send a second inspector or supervisor to give you a second opinion. Then if you still aren’t pleased, you pay nothing. Not one cent. On top of that, if you'd like, I will pay another inspection company (if you haven’t already closed on the house) to come in and inspect the house up to the price that you would have paid us. That is our 200% guarantee.
As a matter fact, add this question to the list. Question #7 is “Do you guarantee your work?” Not all companies do and I don’t know any that offer a 200% guarantee – and it’s important that you have this information before you make your decision.
What could be more fair and professional?
I hope you found this consumer message helpful. If you have questions or comments – or if you’d like to schedule us for your home inspection, please call us at the office at 1-800-253-4402 or simply leave your name and telephone number after the tone. We will promptly return your call.
On behalf of RJ Inspections, Inc. – We thank you for your kind attention.
Robert Corsetti and Jim Wright
