The Job of a Home Inspector

Buying a home is usually the biggest investment the typical person will ever make. To safeguard their investment, more and more people are hiring home inspectors to help determine the condition of the home and to identify defects and safety issues before they purchase. A typical home inspection involves evaluating the electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, roof, structure, exteriors, interiors, site, and foundation of an existing home.  

The home inspector conducts a primarily visual evaluation of the home, checking for safety and maintenance issues and making sure things seem to be functioning properly. Since it is a visual inspection, the home inspector is not required to lift furniture, dig into walls, climb into chimneys etc.  Home inspectors are not required to do anything that would put them in danger.

Do I Have to Write a Report?

After completing a home inspection, it is the inspector's job to assemble the findings into a report. The buyers can then take the report, review it, and decide which of the inspector's findings they are most concerned about. They can then possibly negotiate with the seller to fix the items of concern or negotiate the price so they are in a position to fix the problem themselves. Most real estate contracts include a home inspection contingency clause that allows the buyer to back out of the contract without penalty, if the buyer is concerned with problems identified during an inspection.

Do I Tell the Client the Value of the Home?

A home inspector does not determine the value of the house--that is the job of an appraiser. A home inspection does not do a code evaluation of the house--that is the job of the city/county inspector when they are evaluating a home that is being built. Most home inspectors are called to evaluate existing homes. Home inspectors do not give their opinion on whether or not the client should buy the home. Their only job is to report the defects they find and let the client decide what to do with the information.