Inspect The Home Inspector Carefully
During the purchase of a home, a home inspection is performed by a home inspector who analyzes visual facts and comes up with conclusions based on what he or she observes. It is not an exact science and takes at least a decade or two of experience in order to perfect the trade. Perfecting the trade simply means ‘narrowing the margin of error’. In New Jersey, a home inspector must be licensed in order to inspect a home. The state requires 140 hours of class time and 40 hours of fieldwork as the bare minimum to obtain a license. Smart home buyers realize these requirements are the minimum and carefully select home inspectors who exceed the minimum requirements.
Smart home buyers do not have to pay for the home inspector’s education when expensive-to-repair items are not found during the home inspection as they should be. Home inspecting may look like a profession that can be easy to get into but what will happen after receiving the license is unpredictable. Most of the learning involved comes from actually working in the field and getting expensive to cure claims from home buyers. It can be very challenging because homes do not come with manuals. What the owner of the home tells the home buyer or home inspector may not be accurate due to the fact that he or she is focused on selling the home for the most amount of money.
In many ways, learning how to be a home inspector is a matter of trial and error. Having the ability to take a lot of criticism from those who were expecting a high-quality review of the home they have purchased, as well as homeowners who wish that the inspector was not quite so thorough. The purchase of a home is the largest investment most people will make in their lifetime. It is a very serious business and should never be taken lightly. To perform home inspections requires a mindset whereby the stress of worrying about losing real estate agent referrals can NOT cloud the home inspector’s judgment.
It is a fact that the most experienced home inspector will have the ability to reduce his error margin by detecting even unusual flaws because of having seen it many times before, as well as seeing similar attempts to cover up problems and issues. These experienced home inspectors get the most jobs and often charge more for their experience.
Something to consider when actually hiring a home inspection is your ability or desire to pay for and deal with problems that were missed during the home inspection that shows up later on. If you are looking for the cheapest home inspector, chances are increased you’re going to end up with problems that were missed and/or owning a home that is a money pit. If you are looking for the best home inspection you can rest assured you will end up with a house that you will also value as an investment.
This does not mean that the most expensive home inspectors are the best, just that price should not be a primary factor in determining who you are going to hire. Feel free to ask the home inspector questions, such as how long he or she has been in this trade, if they are familiar with the location where the house is and if they are familiar with the type of home you will be buying. For example, you will require someone with experience in dealing with a house perched on a hillside if that is the type of home you would be interested in.