Knowing What to Ask For in a Home Inspection

Below we outline a few questions you might want to consider asking your home inspector. Hopefully by asking these questions, and getting good answers to them, you will feel more at ease with the process.

1. Ask your inspector how much experience they have. Ask how many inspections they have completed and how long they have been in business. They should be more than happy to provide you with past client testimonials or at least references that you can call on. If they are a new inspector, they may well be very qualified too. Ask about their training and if they plan to have anyone supervising the inspection when the do it for you.

2. Ask if they are a member of a professional home inspector association. There are numerous organizations both at a state and national level. However, the most recognized and respected are the American Society of Home Inspectors and the National Association of Home Inspectors. If your inspector says they are a member, it’s OK to ask to see a membership ID.

3. Ask if their business focus is exclusively on residential properties. Doing residential home inspections is considerably different than doing commercial properties or construction inspections. If you happen to be buying a historic home, you may even want to consider finding an inspector who specializes in these types of properties as they present unique challenges.

4. Find out whether the inspector will be able/willing/allowed to make repairs to any problems they might find. Being allowed to do so varies from state to state as some feel it is a conflict of interest. It’s good to know going in whether you may need to find someone to perform certain repairs, if it is found that some are needed.

5. Ask to see a copy of the kind of report they will put together for you. Some reports are easier to read than others, and you wouldn’t want to pay for a report that you can’t even understand. They should be happy to provide one to you.

6. Ask whether you can attend the inspection. They should have no problem allowing you to be present. It can be a very educational experience, and you’ll have a much better understanding of your new house.

Taking a bit of time to prepare yourself for a home inspection and knowing what to ask, will make the process a much better one for you. You will also feel better knowing that the results you get from the inspection are solid and well founded.

If you would like more information about the home buying process, especially as it pertains to getting an Atlanta home loan, you will find a lot of helpful information at the Atlanta Refinance Report website.