Here's a great comment a reader left on my post titled Six Problem Areas to Watch When Buying a Home. I commented that if we buy a new house I want to be sure and follow the inspector around and ask him questions. A reader responded as follows:
You definitely want to follow the inspector around. If you find a good one (get referrals) then they will point out things that will come in handy later. They may not necessarily be problem areas but things worth knowing. For example, when we bought our house last year, our inspector told us such things as: that the roof was fine but predicted how it would eventually wear down and what signs to look for to show that it was breaking down, the insulation level in the attic that was up to code but could be improved (and happy to report that it since has been!), improvements that could be made in the drainage system to take it from acceptable to top notch, and so on. In other words, you want an inspector that won't just verify that things work as they should, but will help you understand how they can work better.
Also, I'd shop around. Call at least three companies. It's hard, but if it's possible try to talk to the inspector directly to see if you can get a sense for how open they are. Your realtor should be able to give you a list, but you should also find out from friends or family who is (or isn't) recommended. When you call, make sure you find out exactly what they do and don't do beforehand. On ours, he didn't go all the way through the attic, just looked through the access panel. Same with the roof, he went on the first level but not all the way to the very top (he used binoculars for that). He also wouldn't turn the sprinklers on as there was still a slight chance of a freeze. We found that this was all pretty standard, but make sure you press them to what they will, and more importantly, what they won't do. They'll usually do those other things, but of course for more money, if those things are areas that you are concerned with, and it helps to know that up front.
Some good tips in here. I'm assembling a list of questions I plan to ask the inspector if/when we ever get a new house and I'll share those with all of you at some point.
If you happen to have a voice recorder, this would be a GREAT opportunity to use it.
Also our inspector took a lot of color photos which were included in the report PDF that was emailed to us the same day! So impressive, and so much different than when I bought a house nearly 10 years ago.
Posted by: Julia | July 29, 2008 at 07:11 PM
Great advice. I followed our inspector around and he pointed out lots of things to remember. How to operate the built-in humidifier, etc. I have had a number of conversations with other owners in our new construction condo building who didn't know how things worked because no one ever bothered to tell them or they didn't pay attention.
Posted by: J | July 29, 2008 at 10:20 PM
This is very true! When I recently purchased my first home I was referred to the home inspector who I used. This inspector owned his own business and he is a local person as well. He turned out to do a great job and paid attention to fine details. Another suggestion is at the time when the home inspector does perform the inspection it helps to have more eyes. More specifically make sure you are there, have your significant other or anyone else who will be moving into the new place attend the inspection, or even consider having your close family members or friends over to assist in pointing out various potential defects. Personally I had my parents, sister, and girlfriend over during the time when the house was inspected. If other people can't attend at the time of the inspection, take them to see the house and make a list of what they find. Be sure to present this list to the inspector when he conducts the inspection. Good luck!!!
Posted by: Cheapo | July 29, 2008 at 10:46 PM
One other tip- be prepared to be there for a long time. If the inspector schedules multiple (more than 2-3 per day) inspections in one day, he doesn't have enough time to thoroughly check your house out. We spent about 3-4 hours at our new house. Like Julia, we received a pdf copy of our report. We received ours on CD with a separate file for the pictures. I will definitely recommend our inspector to anyone. We now receive monthly e-newsletters with helpful hints and repairs for the house. I've worked with a couple different inspectors, and they have been awesome. (I'm in Atlanta if anyone wants a recommendation...)
Posted by: sahm | July 30, 2008 at 07:28 AM
I just had my new home inspected yesterday and the inspector was highly recomended by the realtor. He did a pretty good job it is a good thing I had purchased two other homes in my life so I knew what questions to ask. For what I was charged I got a great deal and also thankful that the sellers have taken great care of the house over the past twenty years.
Posted by: Big Boy | July 30, 2008 at 07:40 AM
We've been in our house for 5 years now and we actually had our original inspector come put this summer and give the house a check-up. With the housing slump we were able to negotiate a great rate and he was able to give our house a thorough going over without having the responsibility of having to provide a full inspection report. He found quite a few things that I'm hoping if we fix now, before they become a potential problem, it will save us a lot of money in the long run.
Posted by: MonkeyMonk | July 30, 2008 at 10:04 AM
I also suggest NOT having the realtor(s) present during the inspection. Their sole interest is having the deal close.
Posted by: Still Fixing It Up | July 30, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Our home inspector actually ASKED that I follow him around. He said that in his experience it was easier to explain/point out things while I was there instead of just relying on a report. Even though it had pictures of everything, I really think he was right.
Posted by: Aaron | July 30, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Ask how long they spend on a ______sqft home that has _______ amenities. 1hr minimum for even the smallest home is a must. Good Realtors go to the inspections too, to hear what needs to be asked for in the amendment to the seller, and to help the buyer understand what is going on. FMF has a separate post about dumping Realtor that did not know the "ropes". I am selling a home that is in almost the best condition it could be in, and the inspector came out and did a poor job at knowing the current building codes, and the potential buyer did not want the home, because it did not meet "current" codes (i.e. each year the rating on an AC has to be higher, the windows have to be better, etc...) Inspector put in his notes that it was not current code (no kidding, its not brand new) but the buyers Realtor did not feel like it was his place to tell the buyer that this is normal. I can't wait till the home has actual repairs that need to take place, that Realtor is going to have his hands full.
Posted by: Jason | July 31, 2008 at 07:06 PM