A home is probably the single largest investment that the average American makes.  Your real estate agent has helped you decide on your home purchase and your loan officer has made the purchase a reality.  But how much do you know about your future purchase?  “It is a dream come true?” or “Is it a dangerous lemon?”  Home inspectors attempt to shed some light on these questions.  The inspector represents your interests and reports to you the general condition of the home at the time of the inspection.  You should always consider hiring a home inspector for both old and new homes.  The state and county enforce standard building codes, but building codes, like laws, don’t always cover every situation.  A code enforcement officer may pass a system or component that is dangerous because they do not have a building code to prevent it.  Home inspectors fill this gap.  In both old and new homes, they point out expensive repairs and dangerous situations so that you can have them corrected.  Your home inspection report should enable you to decide to do one or more of the following:
 
            •  negotiate to have the owner make the repairs
            •  negotiate to have the price of the home reduced
            •  fix the problems yourself
            •  hire a professional to do the work
            •  decline the home purchase
 
As you can see, a home inspection is an important facet of the home buying process. 
 
Choosing a Home Inspector
 
Every step in the home buying process can seem daunting.  Finding a home inspector can be the same as well.  There are an astounding number of home inspectors.  However, your agent can get you started by providing the names of some local home inspectors.  You can also look under “home inspectors” in the phone book or search on the internet.  Unfortunately, the state of Georgia does not have a licensing requirement for either the builders who build the homes or the home inspectors who inspect them.  This means that both reputable and non-reputable builders and home inspectors are competing for your business.  Keep in mind that the inspector should have the following “qualifications”:
 
Training or Certification

If Georgia did license, there would be a training or certification requirement.  Reputable home inspectors try to maintain an educational level that would give them an instant Georgia Home Inspectors License if licensing was enacted.
 
Good Communication Skills

Your home inspector has to find the areas of concern and communicate them (both written and verbally) to you, your agent, the seller’s agent, and the seller or builder.  If the home inspector makes any of these people mad, he/she is not doing you a service.
 
Time

An experienced feel as to how long it will take to inspect your new home.  Most home inspections last between two and four hours.  Remember, a home inspector must get to know a house that he or she has never seen.  The estimated time should make you comfortable.
 
Specialized Tools

Home inspectors need specific home inspection tools to inspect the different systems of the home.  This is not exactly a qualification and is not something that can be answered over the telephone, but it will be apparent during the inspection.  Some home inspecting tools are quite expensive.  If your home inspector uses them, it is a statement of commitment to you and your inspection.
 
 Deciding on Services
 
Home inspectors are service providers, so you have choices as to which way you want that service tailored.  Consider this short list:
 
•  Do you want to be present during the inspection?  Some home inspectors want company.  Others don’t.
 
•  Do you want your report immediately after the inspection (“on-site”)?  This may or may not be an important factor.  You have approximately five to ten days after signing your contract to get an inspection and make decisions based on that inspection.  Some inspectors provide the report on-site and others deliver the following morning.
 
•  Is the report computer generated or hand written?  There are a lot of both in the market.  Computer generated is easier to read but the inspection time is longer if the report is delivered on-site.
 
•  Is the report a matrix (“check sheet”) or a summary report (list of concerns)?  A matrix report shows every system and component that the inspector has examined and literally checked off.  It usually includes text communicating specific concerns.  A summary report lists the items/areas of concern that the inspector has found.  This is easier to use than sorting through the check sheet type but doesn’t tell you what the inspector examined during the inspection.  It just states what the inspector found.  However, summary reports usually include a Standards of Practice or an Agreement that states what was inspected.
 
•  Does the report come in a binder?  This is only a finishing touch but it demonstrates a degree of permanence on the part of the inspection company.
 
•  Does the inspector take pictures?  You may need proof during the negotiating phase, and pictures are visual documentation.
 
•  Does the inspector walk-through the report with you after the inspection?  This is not very common.  However, you may find that you need or want the home inspector to point out and explain everything that he or she has found.
 
•  Is the inspector available for questions or assistance during the negotiations?  Some are and some aren’t.  This can also include having the inspector represent your interests to the builder, owner, and/or listing agent.
 
•  Will the inspector return to the property to check repairs and/or prove concerns on the report?  This is very rare and may or may not be a benefit to you.  This “follow-up” or “reinspect” can be very useful if you have negotiated for repairs and do not have the tools or knowledge to check the soundness of a repairs.  It can also be useful when the seller denies that a reported concern exists.  The inspector can return to show the seller the problem and explain why he or she reported it.  You should understand that many home inspectors charge as much as the original inspection fee  to make a return visit.  However a small number of inspectors provide this service at a nominal charge or for free.  If this service is important to you, make sure you know what the home inspector charges for it before hiring the inspector.
 
 
Some Final Thoughts
 
Home inspections can cost as little as $150.  However, most of them are in the $200 to $300 range for a typical 2,000 square foot home.  This may be a good time to remember that you usually get what you pay for and that a little bit of money here might save you a lot more down the road.  Hopefully, this short brochure has cleared some of the fog.  Just remember that the best advice is to trust your instincts. 

Brought to you by:

Matt Jobson, President
West Georgia Inspection Services, Inc.
www.wga-inspect.com