Skipping an inspection
can become the most
expensive way to save money.
Resources — Tatiana Vitas
Many people, especially first-time home buyers do not correlate their home inspection with their home insurance rate. (We’ll get to that in a second). Oftentimes times homebuyers have the preconceived notion they should hire a “deal breaker” inspector or the most thorough inspector…Wrong. You need to hire someone honest, level-headed, and one who isn’t going to exaggerate cosmetic issues because that is not what a home inspection truly covers.
Buying a property is a big investment and expenses come with that. But going cheap on a home inspection will come with a cost. A typical range, depending on the square footage of the home can run about $250 - $700. Any additional services like mold testing, asbestos, and sewer scopes will up the price. Good inspectors won’t even show up for less than $275. So if. you hear price ranges in the $150-$200 bracket, be weary.
“Hiring a cheap inspector...you really just get what you pay for. You want quality or incompetence? You’ll end up getting someone who doesn’t pay attention to the details that matter. You’ll just get a guy that comes around to collect his money and call it a day.”
A home inspection is a noninvasive visual evaluation of a property’s following components: foundation, roofing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical system, and exterior grounds. The home inspector investigates visual defects with any of these systems and determines whether they are a safety or health concern.
With. that being said, let’s reiterate; Cheaper doesn’t always mean better. Let’s discuss the reasons to avoid shopping around for the cheapest price.
1. Certification and Experience
Home inspectors should carry certification and credentials. Don’t just show up to a home with your father or husband and expect them to know the ins and outs of the home. Your potential home should be inspected properly by someone who is knowledgeable with experienced. You want your inspector to be able to get on the roof and take a look. You want your inspector to have equipment ready if the home needs a sewer scope to check out any backed-up pipes. All this will matter and affect the rate when it is listed on your insurance reports.
A home inspection can uncover whether rooms, altered garages, or the roof were completed without a proper permit, or did not follow the code, If a house has these illegal and unpermitted additions, it affects the insurance, taxes, usability, and the overall value of the home. Even new homes with systems that were not installed to code will become the new homeowners' financial burden to fix. An experienced home inspector will know all this and be there to guide and help you.
2. Google Reviews Do Not Justify ‘Better’.
With experience also comes more time in the field, which also comes with more Google reviews. But that doesn’t always mean it is a better option. Many companies with hundreds of reviews on Google are assembly line/cookie-cutter companies. They do not know who you are. They have not been referred to you by anyone except an internet search. They send a random inspector out on the job, with either experience or a rookie, and collect their pay. You think it’s a great inspector because they were there for two hours being ‘thorough’ so you leave that review. The office then emails you a long and detailed report and you never speak to your inspector again. Then the part that changes everything. You receive your insurance reports and every cosmetic issue is listed on there, from chipping paint on the walls, stains on the walls, a broken tile on the roof, a crack in your front steps, etc. And you can’t do anything about your quoted insurance rate unless you spend more money for a new inspection from someone more qualified and who will communicate with you. Wasted time, energy, and money.
“When I first started out, I worked as an inspector for this big company with tons of reviews. I thought they were easy to work for because all we had to do was send the office our general report and they would handle the insurance forms for the client. What a big mistake. The office apparently thinks they know more than the inspector who actually went on the job. So they listed all these unnecessary ‘issues’ on the insurance forms that should have been only on the general reports for the client’s knowledge. One thing i learned is that these big companies think listing everything will cover them in the future if something were to happen. As much as they say they work for you, they don’t care about the client. Cosmetic issues do not have to be listed on an insurance form.”
3. Details Missing in an Inspection Report
Aside from cosmetic issues, certain details must and should be listed on a report. You NEED the inspector to find all of the issues in the home so you have a clear idea if it is a house you want to put money into or walk away from. It’s a big deal. A good suggestion is to be at the inspection and do a walk-through with the inspector at the end to go over any ‘major’ and ‘significant’ issues. Missing details like mold or leaky pipes will affect your insurance rate significantly. Missing photographs will also have an insurance agent going back and forth with you to complete the forms properly.
A quality home inspection report reveals critical information about the condition of a home and its systems. Costs, repairs, and maintenance become aware to the buyer, so the findings of the home inspection present one last opportunity to back out of the offer to buy.
4. Cheaper Home Inspector Doesn’t Mean Better
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Lower rates can mean they are new and just want the business or are one of those cookie-cutter companies sending out random Joe Smith who has to get to his next appointment in 30 minutes. Maybe they aren’t certified or insured. Research who you hire. Spending $150 for someone who isn’t going to catch important details over that $300 for someone qualified and who comes from a background of construction, plumbing, etc. will make all the difference. Cheaper will usually mean paying for a re-inspection. Spend the money the right way, the first time.
5. Real Estate Agent Referrals
You hired your real estate agent because they have your best interest in mind. And that interest extends to their home inspector referral. Sure, you hear about inspector-agent relationships that become dishonest for the client just to seal a deal; but the majority of referrals are suggested to help the buyer. The realtor wants the deal to close of course, but they also want you happy. They don’t want to waste time during the home inspection period having re-inspections because the first one was cheap and incompetent. They want you to use someone they trust and know how to get the job done. Use your own discretion with one, but base it on your relationship with your realtor.
6. Check for Insurance; especially on those cheap rates
Anytime you have someone in a home doing an inspection, they should carry insurance. A professional and ethical inspector will check everything that is on the home inspection list thoroughly. They do. not want to be sued and performing efficient work is their top priority. When the customer sues a home inspector for negligence, it is often hard to prove and there may be a clause in the contract that covers them. It is a headache and not worth it.
The Takeaway
Doing your research and knowing what qualifies someone for this position is important. Check credentials, referrals, and licensing. Think twice about an inspector who offers a price that seems too good to be true. Comment below on your experiences or if you have any questions. We’ll be glad to help.