How to Recognize a Bad Home Inspector
The seller had removed five-inch baseboards and replaced them with four-inch baseboards, exposing a one-inch paint line around the room, and the buyer's home inspector told the freaked out buyer that the home had been flooded.
The unknown factor in most real estate transactions is what the home inspection will reveal. That’s why it’s often a good idea for the seller to obtain a home inspection before putting the home on the market. A pre-inspection gives the seller time to fix things that could kill the deal before getting an offer. But most sellers don’t want to spend the money. Besides, the buyer will be advised to obtain a home inspection regardless of the information provided by the seller. While I offer the suggestion to my sellers, I don’t beat my head into a wall over it.
However, if the buyer unwittingly hires a bad home inspector, nobody can rely on the report. Because there are good home inspectors and lousy ones. So how can you be relatively assured that your inspector is qualified? You start by hiring a reputable inspector . . . read more about Bad Home Inspectors.
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Comments
This is a great article. We often see inexperienced home inspectors commenting on issues they have no business commenting about. Or worse inflating the issue to sound important during an inspection. Your article points out that this particular inspector takes an inexperienced baseboard installation issue and turns it into a major flood cover up. We also believe that all sellers should have their home inspected prior to placing the home on the market. This allows the seller to repair any minor repairs before the buyers cheap inexperienced home inspector shows up and displays his or her great wisdom and kills the deal. It is a known fact that most issues uncovered during the processes of a home inspection are for the most part minor however; there are those rare instances where serious issue are uncovered. We believe the last place you want a serious issue uncovered buy the home inspector is at the time contracts are being signed by the buyer.
Thanks for a great article.
James
HomeNetDirect
When ever bringing anyone in your home to do anything it is important for people to do as much research on that person or company to find out if they are worth it. Usually best to work with someone recommended whenever possible.
The MOST important step in any home inspection is picking the right inspector. I would only use a current, or retired, general contractor or building inspector. They may be a slight bit more expensive, but as you can see from the nightmare scenario above, it may be the best insurance you ever buy.