How to find a thorough and reliable home inspector (Howe: real estate, insurance)

[semidevil]

Most of the homes we are looking at are built in the 1940s and 1950s, so I want to make sure we get as thorough home inspection as possible. If I'm not able to get any friends reccomednations(most of them just get their reccomednation from their agents), how do I find one that is thorough and unbiased? Do home inspections have certifications or belong to any association to indicate ther expertise? How will it work if they didn't spot a major issue? Can they be held responsible for damages as a result? I want to do more then just a visual inspection, so wait type of things do they need to be inspecting?

Googling online I just see the 'big names' with high Yelp ratings. Are those really my best chance of getting a good inspector?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Remember you cannot name people on the forum. Send the OP a DM.

[WorldKlas]

Ask your facebook friends

[MissLizzie85]

Sent you a DM

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by semidevil

Most of the homes we are looking at are built in the 1940s and 1950s, so I want to make sure we get as thorough home inspection as possible. If I'm not able to get any friends reccomednations(most of them just get their reccomednation from their agents), how do I find one that is thorough and unbiased? Do home inspections have certifications or belong to any association to indicate ther expertise? How will it work if they didn't spot a major issue? Can they be held responsible for damages as a result? I want to do more then just a visual inspection, so wait type of things do they need to be inspecting?

Googling online I just see the 'big names' with high Yelp ratings. Are those really my best chance of getting a good inspector?

I'll try to answer some of your questions.

"Do home inspections have certifications or belong to any association to indicate ther expertise?"

Inspectors are licensed by the State of Texas. Many belong to various State, National, and International associations. Neither of these can be used to accurately gauge an Inspectors expertise. Texas has simple requirements for obtaining a license and unfortunately many enter that maybe should not.

Some Inspectors do carry other certifications such as building code certifications with the International Code Council. Some have certifications from other reputable providers. Unfortunately there are quite a few (the vast majority) that can be had easily and do you no good.

"How will it work if they didn't spot a major issue? Can they be held responsible for damages as a result?"

All licensed Inspectors (those licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission TREC) are required to carry Errors & omissions insurance for that purpose. However that is not an automatic draw source and the conditions behind missing it might affect your desired outcome. In any event consumers always have the avenue of filing a complaint with TREC. TREC is not there to help you obtain monetary recompense but some times filing a complaint might shake things loose a little and get the money flowing.

"I want to do more then just a visual inspection, so wait type of things do they need to be inspecting? "

What types of inspection activities are you looking for? TREC has defined the minimum Standards Of Practice (SOP) that Inspectors must follow. You can view this here TREC - Rules Governing Inspectors. This defines the minimum that is required to be inspected but it does not prevent an Inspector from exceeding those minimums.

"Googling online I just see the 'big names' with high Yelp ratings. Are those really my best chance of getting a good inspector?"

Point blank No! I used to try having my clients provide reviews in services such as these until I found out how easy they are to game and how little they mean. One thing they are useful for is possibly help determine who to stay away from. If an Inspector has plenty of recent negative reviews then maybe you might to steer clear of them.

"how do I find one that is thorough and unbiased?"

No doubt this is the hardest part of the search. Here in the DFW area you have your choice from over 600 licensed Inspectors. So how do you choose?

1. obtain your list of Inspectors from where you are most comfortable.
2. All the ones that do not have a WEB site put them aside since it will be a little harder to get a read on them.
3. If their WEB site is cluttered with certification logos put them aside. Most certification logos mean little to nothing.
4. If the WEB site is offering all kinds of "Free This" and "Free That" dump it in the trash! That's all marketing intended to get your business and nothing worth having is "Free".
5. If they advertise all kinds of discounts and money back guarantees set them aside. Again it's all marketing intended to get your business.
6. If yoou want E&O coverage then make sure you are looking at TREC licensed Inspectors. No offense to the Engineers inspecting homes but they are not required to carry E&O insurance.
7. Now that you've weeded most of them out contact them and ask for a sample report of an actual home inspection and not just a made up one. The Inspectors report can tell you a great deal about how thorough and detailed they may be. Count the pages of actual write ups and the pages of disclaimers. The disclaimer pages should be minimal and nothing compared to the rest.
8. Once you see what you like then start calling them back to speak with them. Any good Inspector is going to listen, answer your questions, and try to determine what your needs are.
9. From there pick the one that suits you best.

Notice how I left out a factor? Until you have found two or three "Just Right" Inspectors leave the price shopping out of the picture. If your whole shopping for an Inspector is geared around price you will wind up with a bad experience!


If you have any other specific questions ask away.

[JustMike77]

Call a well known and well respected realtor in your area. They should know who the best people are.

[oldoak2000]

Originally Posted by semidevil

.... How will it work if they didn't spot a major issue? Can they be held responsible for damages as a result? I want to do more then just a visual inspection, so wait type of things do they need to be inspecting? ...

An inspector ONLY does a VISUAL inspection!
He/she looks for signs that indicate deeper problems, and will recommend more thorough examination as necessary.

He wont 'disassemble' anything so wont find anything that is 'hidden'. Says so in disclaimers in inspection - don't think you're gonna 'ambulance-chase' even for a second!!!

For example, if he finds some windows or doors sticking (& cracks in walls), he'll likely recommend the foundation be thoroughly inspected (probably by a foundation ENGINEER {not a 'foundation repair company'} ).
HE HIMSELF is not going to break out a laser site-level and spend 2 hours doing the slab-engineers job; YOU will have to schedule the appropriate party and pay that separately!

The inspection is essentially an INITIAL 'quick' evaluation of all basic standard systems - and is supposed to alert the parties to things that OBVIOUSLY need further evaluation.

Likewise, just because he doesn't find any evidence/symptoms of foundation problems, doesn't mean that slab is perfect. caveat emptor!


IF you want MORE than just visual, plan on having (and paying $$$ for) evaluations by specialists; Foundation Engineer (as already noted), Structural Engineer, Master Electrician, Master Plumber, HVAC specialist, Septic Engineer (if needed), etc!!!

[TeamLynn]

Sometimes I wonder what people want to hear on an old house?
Around here, they're often old and have issues.
It's more of a situation of are you willing to live with the issues.
Many have foundation issues that can't be fixed....some wood sags after 80 years....so you just cant make it level.
Insulation sags too...I've seen infrared pictures where the insulation (sometimes that was shreded newspaper) has fallen
to about the bottom foot of the walls.

What you might want to know is ....when the electrical was updated?
Has the plumbing been updated.
Has the sewer line been updated.

I think it if funny when people check the review sites or check with friends and family for inspector recommendations. Seems like a good idea, but how many inspectors have they had work for them? How many inspections have your friends and family had? One maybe two? What do they have to compare?

It's tough to use realtor suggestions too. There are inspectors I like that I think did a good job for other customers. Those are the ones I recommend. I think one question you could ask a realtor is ...what inspector do you use that really tears the house apart....who is the most detailed....who is going to document every screw that needs tightened. I don't want a softball pitcher....I want a commando.

Nothing is guaranteed...it is a VISUAL inspection...they can't go behind the walls....etc....to me it is a status report...a second set of eyes with more expertise and experience of going in homes...taking a more detailed look than most realtors or buyers take.

If you need recommendations feel free to DM me.

[jdallas]

Best advice I can give is to hire a GC to perform the inspection. No realtor is going to recommend an inspector that may flag problems and jeopardize the sale. As someone was kind enough to allude to above, real estate inspectors are often unqualified for much of anything beyond turning appliances on and pointing out routine maintenance items.

[dallas_cowboy]

I won't suggest names though I have personal experience with two different home inspectors.

My only suggestion is to get Angies List subscription and search for best rated inspectors in the metroplex. Reviews on Angies List are from people who had a service from the provider instead of fake reviews I have came across on google, yelp etc. review sites. I bought this subscription when I was looking for home inspectors and my $$ was worth spent to get the right information I was looking for at that point in time.

My realtor suggested 3 inspectors and I chose not to use realtor's suggested inspectors as I think finding the right independent inspector who works for you is better than someone who has a recommendation influence.

I know there are home inspectors on this forum site who provide advises but make sure you do your own research and interview them before making a decision.

Home inspection costs anywhere from $200 to $1000+ based on what type of inspection you want to be inspected in the house.

Most importantly the inspector who does not like buyer to be there at the time of inspection is a total rip off in my opinion. As a buyer you always want to make sure you walk thru the house with an inspector to make sure your question/queries are answered about different pieces of the house and make sure he doing his job satisfactorily. They are humans and you may find mistakes in their inspectors and it can be corrected only when you are present to point it out. DO NOT CHOOSE AN INSPECTOR WHO SAYS YOU CAN JOIN ME AT THE END OF THE INSPECTION BUT NOT WHEN INSPECTION IS UNDERWAY.

Hope this helps!