Are Home Inspections Ever a Waste of Money

There is a lot of negativity in the real estate world about home inspections. Why would you pay upwards of 400 dollars for an inspection that you could perform yourself?Why do the reports always recommend a qualified professional to evaluate noted discrepancies?Why aren’t home inspectors capable of fixing the problems find?This article is written to answer these questions and help rid home inspectors of their negative stigma.

Why pay someone upwards of 400 dollars for an inspection you could perform yourself? A house is a fully functioning system comprised of smaller complex systems and the simple answer is that the average homeowner cannot perform the inspection his/her self.A home inspection typically includes a thorough inspection of structural components, the exterior, the roof, the plumbing, the electrical, the heating system(s), the cooling system(s), the interiors, insulation and ventilation and fireplaces.A home inspector is trained to see signs of potential damage that the average homeowner will not see.More importantly, a home inspector can spot the safety hazards in a home that are easily overlooked by someone not educated in these matters.The best way to know if you are buying a lemon is to hire a trained professional to inspect your home.

Why do the reports always recommend a qualified professional to evaluate noted discrepancies? Aren’t home inspectors qualified professionals? To answer the question I will relate it to something everyone is familiar with; our family doctors.General practitioners are the “gate-keepers” of health care delivery in the United States.When your head or stomach hurts do you immediately go to a neurologist or an oncologist?No.You head over to your family doctor who will EVALUATE you and then RECOMMEND you to a specialist.The same is true of home inspectors.Home inspectors are general practitioners and the “gate-keepers” of home maintenance delivery in the United States.It is fully within the rights of a home buyer to have as many specialists inspect their home as they want, but it is in their best interest to hire a Home Inspector first.

Why aren’t home inspectors capable of fixing the problems find?Most home inspectors are “Do-it-yourself” fanatics and could most definitely fix most of the discrepancies they find.However, when a home inspector becomes a contractor, his inspections are no longer objective.A home inspector stands to gain nothing from what he puts in his report except knowing that he is protecting you.This would not be true if thought you would hire him to fix your house.A home inspector who will not repair anything he finds is a good home inspector.You should be suspicious if a home inspector offers to repair something for a price.Furthermore, most home inspectors belong to either ASHI, NACHI or NAHI and follow their code of ethics.All of these codes of ethics bar their inspectors from performing any repairs on a house they inspected within the last twelve months.In short, a home inspector can fix most of the problems he finds but a good one will not.

By Juan Jimenez

Providing the best home inspections for Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Goochland, Hanover, Powhattan, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Prince William counties.