Curious about your home inspection? You should be since your home inspector will be inspecting the home you’d like to buy to determine its condition. The inspection report could provide you with the information you need to either sign on the dotted line with confidence or walk away from the table. So how do you know that you’re hiring the right home inspector for the job? You may want to prepare some questions to ask a home inspector in order to determine whether they have the knowledge and skills you need. Here are some of the questions to ask a home inspector before the home inspection even gets going.
What Do You Inspect?
Are you familiar with what your home inspector will be doing? A lot of people aren’t. The answer is a great deal; a home inspector will visually inspect over 1,500 aspects of the home. You can expect everything to be inspected, from the foundation to the top of the roof, provided it is visible and accessible. If you understand what the inspector can and can’t inspect, there’s a greater chance of you being satisfied with the home inspection.
What Don’t You Inspect?
Home inspectors perform a non-invasive inspection of the home, which means that they can’t check for everything. They’re not going to be cutting holes in your wall in order to see what’s going on inside. This means that after viewing the home, your home inspector may suggest that you call in other professionals with a more specialized job, like a plumber or an electrician, to evaluate and perform work on certain parts of the house.
How Much is the Inspection Going to Cost?
Home inspections can cost several hundred dollars and typically depend on the square footage of the house in question. Typically, you’ll pay the home inspector when the home is getting inspected or before receiving your home inspection report, so you should know how much you’ll be charged and how you’ll be paying the inspector. Don’t just choose the cheapest home inspector; there are a lot of factors that go into determining the price of an inspection, and if an inspector’s prices are quite low compared to others in your area, this could mean that they’re in need of customers.
How Long Have You Been a Home Inspector?
This is one of the most important questions to ask a home inspector. Another way to phrase this is, “How many inspections have you completed?” You’ll want a home inspector with experience, but keep in mind that a lot of inspectors have experience working in the building, construction, and renovation fields, which gives them a lot of tools to help do the job.
Can I Join You During the Inspection?
Your home inspector shouldn’t pause before answering yes to this question. Keep in mind that many home inspectors will likely inspect the house on their own first—you can’t exactly join them in a crawl space—before taking you on a thorough walkthrough of the house to explain all of their findings. While you will be receiving a home inspection report, you’ll also want to see things that the inspector has singled out to show you firsthand. Take advantage of this time to ask your home inspector questions; they’ll be happy to educate you about the house and any defective systems and components they’ve discovered during the inspection.
How Long is the Home Inspection Going to Take?
Your home inspector will only be able to estimate the answer to this one, but you’ll need to know so that you can set aside time to attend. If the inspector gives you a number that seems way off, like an hour and a half for a spacious historic home, then take this as a red flag.
Will You Show Me a Sample Report?
This is especially helpful for first-time homebuyers. If you have the chance to look at someone else’s report, then yours probably won’t look so overwhelming when you get it. Keep in mind that the home inspector reports on every single thing they uncover and many of these things aren’t as serious as they may seem. Allow your home inspector to explain the difference to you.
Questions to Ask A Home Inspector After the Inspection
Here at Cal Home Inspection, once we have completed your home inspection and delivered your inspection report, you are welcome to call or email us with additional questions you may think of afterward. Whether you need advice on how to address a particular defect or have a general maintenance question, give us a call or send an email. We are available to our customers no matter how much time has passed since your inspection!