Buying a home is a big investment and probably the biggest one you will make in your lifetime. With this home, come expenses before you are handed the keys. One of those expenses is the home inspection. Home inspection costs range from $250 – $700+ depending on the size of the home and ancillary services.
You may think this is one area you can cut costs but is that a good idea? Let’s look at five reasons why you don’t want to hire a cheap home inspector.
1. Certification and Experience Are Important
Just like with any profession, there is a certification and credential process for a home inspector. Each state has a listing of those who are licensed and have the experience needed to make sure your home is inspected properly.
A great place to look is InterNACHI or American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) to find a licensed home inspector in your area. However, you should not just look for these certifications, you should also look for a highly reviewed company on Google.
You won’t take your sick pet to a Veterinarian who has never worked with animals, and you wouldn’t want someone who isn’t qualified as a home inspector to inspect your possible new home.
2. Cheaper Home Inspector Doesn’t Mean Better
Often in life, you get what you pay for. If a home inspector you talk to is much cheaper than those in the area, you need to do your research. Why are they lower? Are they new and starting out? Maybe, but checking references, reviews, and other sources will be important.
They might not be certified or might have issues with inspections. Thank goodness for the Internet. Research a few people for the home inspection in Gig Harbor and remember, this is a house that you want to live in and are investing a lot of money so you want the right person.
Saving $50 doesn’t mean you are getting a good inspector who will catch the issues and can possibly miss saving you thousands before you sign for the home.
3. Details Missing in a Home Inspection Sample Report
Reason #3 for not hiring a cheap home inspector is a home inspection in Tacoma or anywhere needs to be done by a certified and detailed inspector. Asking for a sample of a report is a great idea. This will allow you to see how thorough an inspector is.
If the report is not detailed, do not feel bad about moving on to another inspector. 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 in to or walk away from.
Plan on being there for some or all of the inspection so you can find out where important areas are such as the electrical panel and listen for keywords such as “significant” and “major.”
4. Check for Insurance; Especially for a Cheap Home Inspector
Anytime you have someone in a home doing an inspection or a repair, the individual should carry insurance. However, an inspector that has known issues won’t carry good insurance. A professional and ethical inspector will check everything that is on the home inspection list thoroughly.
He/she doesn’t want to be sued and wants to perform excellent work. This is just like you don’t want to need to sue them. 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.
Often, a cheaper home inspector may also have cheaper insurance that unfortunately, doesn’t cover any issues that may arise.
5. A Referral from a Real Estate Agent
Most home buyers really like their real estate agent and trust everything they say. Asking your agent for suggestions is a great idea for an inspection, but continue to research the inspectors in the area. Sometimes, the inspector and the agent may have a referral relationship and that doesn’t necessarily mean the inspector is thorough and credentialed.
We would love to believe that one person refers another because of the skills and the work they do, but that is not always the case. Unfortunately, money talks and not everyone is trustworthy.
Conclusion
Doing your research and knowing what qualifies someone in your state for this position is important. Also, checking credentials, referrals, reviews, licensing etc. is imperative on your part to find the right home inspector.
There are many reasons above why you don’t want to hire a cheap home inspector and more out there as well. Cheaper does not always mean better and you want to think twice about an inspector who offers an inspection for a price that seems too good to be true. If you have questions about home inspections, please drop us a line below!
