Friday, October 23, 2009

Is your home inspector certified?

By Mark Smith

Home Inspection is required whenever you want to buy or sell a residential home. I would say that home inspection report is one such report that can bind the trust between buyer and seller. And probably this is the reason that Escrow services do not close until the home inspector has had his way round the property.

There is no doubt that a home inspection report is one of the most significant pieces of information document that you should possess before your buy transaction goes through. If done correctly and as per the ASHI standards, it will give you peace of mind and prevent any frauds. However, before going in for home inspection you need to perform some due diligence.

So, you may be wondering how to go about selecting a professional home inspector given the factor that home inspections vary from one State to another. As a rule, you need to make sure that the home inspection company or the home inspector you intend to hire for your home inspection must possess certain valid and genuine abilities of home inspection. So here is how I will look for a home inspection company in my State:

a) Your friends, family and close references may have worked with a home inspection company that they may have liked. If you talk to your social group, there is a strong chance you may come across a good home inspection company and given the fact that you are getting this information from a trustworthy source your efforts in validating or checking authenticity of a home inspection company are not needed.

b) A home inspector that you choose must be certified. By being a certified home inspector, he will ensure that home inspection is carried out as per the ASHI standards.

c) I must say that ASHI or the American Society of Home Inspectors has defined an exhaustive Standards of Practice which are collectively called ASHI Standards of Practice. As a residential home owner or a potential home owner, I need to see if my home inspection report follows and includes all caveats mentioned in the ASHI Standards.

d) Finally, I am going to see for myself an original Home Inspection checklist of the company I wish to hire. The reason is that home inspection comprises of so many subjects that it will be wise to say that one must know what is going to be inspected and what all will form the report of home inspection.

Now, I know that this entire activity will take me a couple of hours, but the time will be well spent in dealing with a certified home inspector that follows the ASHI standards.

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