5 Critical Concerns: Home Inspectors OC

What are the 5 critical differences between Orange County Home Inspectors and how to choose the right home inspector for you!

1. 

   MAKE SURE THE HOME INSPECTOR ORANGE COUNTY IS CERTIFIED:  Here in California, home inspectors do not need to be licensed!  Pretty much anyone can do it and there are no checks and balances.  Make sure your home inspector is a Certified Home Inspector.  For Example:  InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector designation.  The inspector would have had to complete an entire program to get their certification which consists of 300+ hours of training.  It's pretty in depth with completing courses on each topic, passing tests, passing the final exam and applying that knowledge to actual home inspections. See what is included in a professional home inspection?

2. IF YOU HIRE A LARGE COMPANY OR FRANCHISE:  Even though you think you are hiring an experienced inspection company with many inspectors, you may get a newbie or an inspector that may not be certified.  Make sure whomever gets assigned to do your inspection is certified and knowledgeable.

3. 

   MAKE SURE YOUR INSPECTOR USES CURRENT TECHNOLOGY:  With today's home inspections, there should be no reason why a moisture issue wasn't detected during the home inspection.  Every inspector should be using an infrared thermal imaging camera.  No excuses.  Some large companies don't because they don't want to invest in the cost of the camera for each inspector. Don't do it.  You're not getting a full inspection.

   1. Another tool is a drone.  With our roofs here in CA, it's not a great idea to actually get up on the roof and inspect it as it may break tiles as well as the inspector will not be able to walk the entire roof to check for defects with the chimney, flashing and gutters.  Every home inspector should have a drone to do a complete roof inspection. Again, franchises and larger companies usually do not include drones for their inspectors.
4. COMMUNICATION, PATIENCE, AND THE ABILITY TO ARTICULATE TO THE HOME BUYER:  Your home inspector should be answering any questions you have during and after the inspection.  Usually during the inspection, some home inspectors request the home buyer wait until after they are finished with the inspection to ask questions.  The home inspector will have a summary report ready to review with the agent and home buyer and will be able to articulate the issues in a calm, non-alarming manner.  Purchasing a home is a huge deal for people and understanding the condition is super important.  Your home inspector should be able to communicate in a fluid, intelligent, professional manner without making the buyer scared of common issues.

5. 

   THE HOME INSPECTION REPORT IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT TO THE HOME INSPECTION:  It may not sound paramount, but the home inspection report is as critical as the actual home inspection.  Many home inspectors do not provide a professional easy to understand report within a timely manner.  This means the home buyer and their agent will have to painstakingly go through the report and decipher issues on their own and may take hours.  Many reports are incomplete, use poor grammar and lack proper written thought.  You can ask for a Sample Report BEFORE you hire your home inspector to see what you will be receiving after your inspection.  This is highly recommended.  The report should be color coded and in a logical order.  Your home inspector will be able to discuss any questions about the report as well but many inspectors fail to do this in a timely manner do to time constraints or lack of customer service skills.

   1. You purchase transaction is on a "time is of essence" for the home inspection contingency.  This means you have a specific amount of time to inspect the property and respond to the seller with any requested repairs.  A good home inspection in Orange County will have your report written and emailed to you within 24 hours; however, most inspectors fail to do this.  Writing a great report takes 2-3 hours or more depending on the issues and size of property.  The home inspectors that usually work for franchises or multi-inspector companies are being rushed to pump out more inspections which doesn't leave time to do the reports timely and with quality.

This article was written by Suzanne Martin, Co-Owner of Coastal Property Inspections in Orange County CA. Home Inspector Orange County and the surrounding areas!

If you have any questions about home inspections in Southern California and would like to talk with the Owner and Certified Professional Inspector, Chris Knappett, please call directly at 949-396-9595.