A home inspection is an examination of the major components of a house, in order to determine their overall condition. This is usually done when a person finds a home they are interested in buying, although at times, someone who is planning to put their house on the market will have one done to better inform them on what will need to be done prior to listing it.
A professional home inspector is, undoubtedly, the first choice for this task. The home inspector is a generalist with an exceptional working knowledge of the components of a house, and how they interact with one another.
Chances are, Uncle Louie, the contractor is a specialist in one of the trades. However, will Uncle Louie be able to determine if the furnace is expelling combustible gas into the room? If so, will he also be able to determine if the electrical service is properly sized?
Most home inspectors began working in one of the trades. The difference is, a professional home inspector has also been trained in all systems of a house. He has been trained to observe and determine “cause and effect”, proper clearances of components, and how to determine if something is just not operating correctly.
When choosing a home inspector, it can be very tempting to get locked in on the cost. After all, one size fits all, right?
Wrong.
Unfortunately, as with any profession, there will always be that 10% who want to flood the market with their, “We can do the same for less!”. The question you want to ask yourself is, “Why?” A Yugo and a Cadillac are both cars, but are they the same? There’s a reason someone will focus in on their, “lower price” and usually it has to do with quality.
Many different factors determine the cost of a home inspection, such as, size of house, age of house,...
Clearly, the cost of a service is (and should be) a consideration when making any kind of a purchase. But don’t assume that all home inspectors are alike. Make certain the one you choose has the knowledge and experience to provide you with the information you deserve.