[three1oh]

can anyone recommend a good (and affordable) home inspector?

[macgeek]

Just a FYI - all home inspections run ya $200-300
And all of them "play up" anything bad. The way my home inspection went down
I had $5000 worth of work needed, the truth was closer to $2000

Just keep that in mind.

Jonathan

[blowncuda]

Well I had the opposite experience with my recent inspection. The inspector did not overplay any issue that were minor. He did a very thourough job, was at the house for almost 4 hours doing the inspection. It did cost me a bit more but I feel pretty good about the outcome. He did of course find soem stuff but gave an honest assessment of the condition. Most things found in my case were fairly minor and actually just maintenance issues. I used acompany named Pillar to Post and paid $515 and am VERY happy with the results. Is a home ispection really something you want to cheap out on??

[Croce]

After having paid for 6 or so home inspections in my life, I'm beginning to believe that for the most part they are unnecessary. My primary goal is to ensure that the house does not have a major structural issue. A competent builder can ascertain that fact in a few minutes. All the rest of the stuff the home inspector does discover is usually small potatoes. The home inspectors get a lot of good PR and everyone agrees you really need one, especially on HGTV. But I don't really buy it.

I used an engineering firm for my last home inspection and was generally satisfied with the results, although I have found items they missed. Be forewarned - the bank that issued my mortgage (US BANK) requested a copy of the inspection report from my realtor and wouldn't close escrow until all items on the inspection were addressed. This was problematic since I was out of state, but eventually was resolved.

So, should I purchase another home, I'll just have a contractor or builder look things over and give me a verbal report. That's all you need. The home inspector won't stand behind his report if he fails to find anything anyway (read the fine print). A lot of it is boilerplate. For a few hours spent at the house, inspectors can't find everything. Besides, you can flush the toilets, run water in the sink, and check the electric outlets yourself and look at the roof with a pair of binoculars.

Now if I could get a Holmes inspection - then that's another story.

[Tires]

I have had inspectors miss alot of things. Luckily, they were not really major issues so i didn't bother to call back about it, but it was still sloppy that he missed them. Makes me wonder if he really would have found serious problems if they existed.
Often they do not guarantee against anything missed other than to maybe refund the fee. Not much help to get a $300 inspection fee refund a few weeks after buying a house with a problem that costs a few thousand dollars or more to fix.

[macgeek]

I agree with the above,
Spending 3-5 hrs taking pictures of cracked tile, or looking under a sink does not really tell you the condition of a home, and yes the report is boilerplate, and they do not stand behind the report, and seems most will not even call you, if you have questions if like me, you are out of state

Jonathan

[olecapt]

I have had two sales go south over inspections in the last couple of years. One involved water damage that the seller declined to fix and the other scorpions. The water damage was at least a little malicious...the seller had blocked access to the affected area. Last sale involved a roof leak and some DIY electrical stuff that cost the seller about $1500.

In general inspections are routine...except when they are not. They also catch myriads of details that can be a pain. Bad outlets, stuck/broken windows etc. Probably 75% of the homes require roof repair...at least a couple of broken tiles.

An inspector is not off the hook because they have paper that says the are. If they are negligent or miss something that they reasonable should have caught they are liable and will likely settle. The good ones have insurance against such an outcome.

Note that an inspection also removes arguments with home warranty people about pre-existing damage. You are in pretty good shape if you have an inspection that says it worked.

[sahooa]

Hi,
I used George Hoeye
Nevada Home Inspections llc
Email: george@nvhomeinspections.com.
Keep in mind that it was a condo inspection and the condo was move in ready except a heating/ thermostat issue. Charged me $165. Gave me a detailed report with pictures and everything. I recommend his knowledge and level of professionalism.

[BBMW]

Can the inspectors detect, and does Vegas have a problem with, chinese high sulphur sheetrock? If you have a house with it, it can be the ultimate nightmare.

[KillerCards]

sahooa did your inspector check for termites? and should I ensure the inspector checks for this? I heard they can be pretty bad in dry hot climates.