How to find a thorough and reliable home inspector

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by oldoak2000

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

Performing "ONLY" a "VISUAL inspection" is not in compliance with the laws and rules governing licensed Inspectors unless the client agrees to it in writing. Unfortunately some Inspectors do add wording such as "This is only a limited visual inspection ...." within their contracts. They do this to set expectations of their clients and also as a liability reduction tool. If the contract is signed by the client it is now what was contracted for and agreed to by the client.

He wont 'disassemble' anything so wont find anything that is 'hidden'.

There is some truth to this statement. But Inspectors are required to open access panels intended for normal inspection purposes, test operational functions of many components of a home, and perform other actions that are not visual only in nature.. However they are not required to "disassemble" anything beyond the access panel and for good reasons.

• The main reason they don't disassemble equipment is that for the most part it is not needed, would take extensive additional time, and the Inspector would have to charge a great deal more to compensate for that time and effort. Could you imagine how long an inspection would take if the Inspector "disassembled" the heating unit to access the internal heat exchanger for even a simple visual inspection of it? Then the Inspector moves on to all of the kitchen appliances, water heaters, Pulls ceiling fan/lights down to inspect inside their mounting base for improper installation/wiring, etc., etc., etc.? That's simply a massive amount of time!
• The Inspector by virtue of their licensed status has quite a bit of leeway in performing actions that are the function of another licensed trade or profession. One large example is the Inspector is "Required" to provide a foundation performance opinion. To do so properly entails collecting all data regarding the foundation condition (movement indicators, etc.), reviewing and analyzing what they have and then basically making an Engineering call to some degree. However in many other aspects they have no leeway at all for example a full test of a home's cooling system which would require gauging the refrigerant levels. By law only a licensed HVAC contractor can contract for to a residential owner or even purchaser. The EPA and Texas State laws are very picky about the release of refrigerants in the air and when done improperly and unnecessarily can happen on an inspection. This is only one of many examples.
• You mention hidden issues which you will see Inspectors use the term "latent defects" and means the same thing. To find latent defects would require disassembling many different components of a home with many of those requiring "destructive inspection" means. The current owners of a home certainly don't want anyone, even trades people with other licenses, damaging finishes and materials of their home for anyone let alone a buyer. One clear example of a possible "latent defect" is underneath poorly maintained exterior sidings and trims. That would be poor painting or no routine painting, poor caulking or no routine caulking of water penetration points. Whether it is deteriorated siding materials, brick, stone, etc., that is possibly allowing water penetration behind it there is always the potential for latent defects that can not be seen until those materials are even partially removed.

Says so in disclaimers in inspection - don't think you're gonna 'ambulance-chase' even for a second!!!

Many Inspectors do use many disclaimers both in their inspection agreements and their reports. It's crazy for some Inspectors I've seen their reports contain well more disclaimer text than actual issues found. Inspectors try to do this again in an effort to limit their liability. What those Inspectors need to understand, and consumers need to know, is that you can not disclaim gross negligence!

By the way one of my points above about selecting an Inspector is to obtain a copy of an actual inspection report and review it. You'll see right away this type Inspector that just loves that disclaimer language. Hold onto the sample inspection report and compare it to yours later to ensure it is not different and yours including all the crazy disclaimer language the sample did not. If it is different then obviously you've just experienced a "Bait & Switch" issue with the Inspector.

Using the term "ambulance chase" is actually a slam on the consumer/client trying to gain recompense for an Inspector's gross negligence. It infers that the consumer/client is attempting to nickel dime the Inspector when in many cases it is not nickel dime and certainly not a minor negligent action. I've seen this and helped consumers who have had this type of problem.

As for disclaimers in the inspection contract the consumer needs to read them closely. If there is something that you don't understand in the contract then ask the Inspector before you sign or otherwise agree to it.

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!

I will agree with you on this one to a point. The key is your statement about 2 hours time. It won't take quite that long to do a slab level analysis for anyone that knows what they are doing and do it regularly but it does take time. However in the vast majority of cases a level analysis is not needed and is nothing more than a draw (marketing point) for Inspectors to get your business. The human body can already detect a 1" slope in 20' and any Inspector should catch that when simply walking around the home performing their other inspection tasks. Taking the time to perform a slab level analysis takes away from what the Inspector should be doing in the first place! Leave the level analysis to the Engineers if unlevel or other significant foundation issues have been found.

BTW IMO these Inspector slab level analysis attempts are not of much value to you for two main reasons.

• If you have no real previous and/or baseline level analysis to compare it to then it is nothing more than supposed numbers of unlevelness. Unless the Inspector is backing up his "Unlevel" call with a lot of other indicators of movement how would they even know that the unlevelness wasn't from a bad original foundation pour job?
  
• Many Inspectors don't perform these level analysis properly and as a result it may have no meaning or value to another (Engineer, foundation company) who does hopefully perform them properly. If you do buy the home and try to use these Inspector level analysis results in some type of legal action or other confrontation (possibly even before you buy the house) they are automatically suspect as they were not performed by an Engineer or foundation company.

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.

I like your inference with the use of the word "OBVIOUSLY"! There are many things that a buyer can "Obviously" see themselves if they are looking at the condition of the home rather than the accoutrements of the home. However buyers don't have a lot of time in a home and many are more concerned, and rightly so, about the many other basic issues that would prevent them from even making an offer on a home. That would include a very important example such as "Does the layout of the home even fit my lifestyle or that of my family's lifestyle?". If the home doesn't fit their lifestyle needs they'll never be happy in it and checking this can take much of the buyers short time during viewings.

The Inspector on the other hand is there to look for deficiencies in the home. Some of those deficiencies may well even impact the buyer's lifestyle and they never realized it. As for being a "quick" evaluation" that all depends on your Inspector and yes many do "very quick" generally "to quick" of an evaluation. Many Inspectors do this so they can make their second, third, and for some even fourth inspection of the day. BTW that's a real good question to ask Inspectors when choosing them is how many inspections "CAN" you do in one day? Don't ask how many "DO" you do in one day since they might only be averaging 2 a day. The more inspections a day the better the chances you're going to have a bad experience!

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

Nothing is perfect and that extends to home foundations. Also nothing remains the same and conditions can change quickly. Unfortunately if an Inspector had a crystal ball to tell you what did lay ahead in the future then don't use them because it would be a scam! If I owned a crystal ball I wouldn't be doing much of anything except using it to read the future of the stock market, RE market, and making tons of cash for retirement!

IF you want MORE than just visual, plan on having (and paying $$$ for) evaluations by specialists; Foundation Engineer (as already noted),

Average $400 for a simple foundation review possibly with (most times with) a foundation analysis diagram.

Structural Engineer,

You might get the foundation Engineer to also perform a full structural review of the home as an add on to the foundation but that would bring the total higher than the typical $400 above. Otherwise if you bring in another Engineer it's probably going to be another $400.

Master Electrician,

Average rate for an Electrician seems to be about $125/hour. There are not many willing to inspect a home and provide you a full written report of all parts of the electrical system as they would be placing their license on the line if they missed items. Also a good Master Electrician has more work than they need and performing an actual thorough electrical inspection on your home is back seat to better paying gigs. I have heard there are a few that will perform inspections but the Home Inspector is typically doing the same, and probably most times more than, the Electrician would. To obtain the true benefit of having an electrician do this you should include everything the Inspector does along with load testing, testing your system ground, and a variety of other actions. To get this with the inspection and a written report would easily take the electrican several hours. That's $125/Hr X 3 = $375.00.

Master Plumber,

Average rate for a Master Plumber is also around $125/Hr. You're looking at the same situation as with the Electrician. Also to get the most out of a Master Plumber's inspection you'll want them to perform pressure testing for leaks on the fresh water line and scoping of all the waste lines under the home and to the street sewer connection. The latter two alone can easily run $800 - $1000+.

HVAC specialist,

The HVAC tech charges an average of $75/Unit to do a very basic check and they are very basic. To go beyond and open up the evap coil case and inspect it, disassemble the gas heater to confirm its condition, perform balance tests, etc., is no doubt going to run big bucks just for one unit!

Septic Engineer (if needed),

There are three groups that can actually "Certify" a septic system is operational and has no issues. By "Certify" I mean actually provide a clean bill of health that lenders and others sometimes demand. One are Registered/Licensed Sanitarians. Another are licensed septic installation/maintenance persons. The last is an Engineer that has the training and experience with septic systems. I do a lot of country properties and never heard of any Engineer performing these inspections for property purchases. They are typically there when a new system is designed and are required for that. Most septic installation/maintenance companies don't want to certify systems as there are a lot of "Latent Issues" they can miss. Hey look, a hidden problem reference! That leaves the Registered/Licensed Sanitarians who actually do these regularly for property transfers/sales.

This is the typical breakdown on an average septic system inspection when performed properly.

• $350 average fee to fully pump the system. A good Sanitarian is going to want that so they can examine the tanks as best possible.
• Sanitarians fee of approximately $150.00.

etc!!!

I've added some information above in blue to help other readers get another perspective on your suggestions/comments. It sounds as if you've had a bad experience with an Inspector(s) before but there are good Inspectors out there.

Also what you propose with bringing in all the trades and other professions can become quite expensive for the average buyer.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by dallas_cowboy

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.

Looks like AL has changed recently and they are now providing free memberships to all. Apparently that also includes the ability to write reviews. It will be interesting to see if this makes it even easier to game the review system?

I'm old enough to have seen too many things that make me cynical about these review sites (any of them). I saw a recent post on another bulletin board's marketing section about reviews. One person posted they offer their client's $50 cash if they write a good review for them. Sad part was that person also unbelievably stated they add the $50 into every fee. If the client writes a good review they give them back their $50. If they don't write a good review they made another $50 off the consumer.

The review sites are great for avoiding businesses that have lots of bad reviews. Beyond that as you say the consumer really needs to vet their choices closely!