Home Inspection Articles | House Inspection News

It has always been considered to be both smart and practical for properties to undergo professional house inspections. It does not even matter whether you are selling or buying one. The report that comes with the inspection is important for assessing the true condition of the home.

Home buyers, in particular, will benefit much from having the property they are interested in be inspected. But although you would rely on these inspections to provide you with accurate information regarding the physical state of the property, you might be expecting too much.

So, what are considered to be reasonable expectations? Consider the following:

For starters, you should expect the inspector to be licensed. Usually, an inspector will need to have completed several hours of training before they are granted one.

Your inspector should be able to provide you with the document “standard of practice”, which contains a list if the things that will be included in their house inspections.

An inspection agreement in writing, which is signed by the inspector as well as the person who hired their services. The agreement should outline the limitations of the inspector’s liability.

Buyers should ask for the inspector’s “code of ethics”, a document that prevents the improper influencing of the inspector’s judgment. In New York, this document is usually provided by the professional organization where the inspector belongs to.

Expect the inspector to go through their list of things to inspect and have every detail written down in their report.
The written report should also be comprehensive since all information will be used as basis for the negotiation between seller and buyer.

Inspectors are not required to provide an estimate of repair cost in cases where they found deficiencies in the property.

They could only provide a recommendation or opinion especially if they are qualified to do so. Usually, they will refer you to another contractor who is more qualified.

You should expect a home inspector to be only interested in providing their services and not in the home sale process.

Always remember that only professionals should conduct house inspections and not rely on the untrained opinion of your friends or family. This way, you will be actually saving more money in the long term.

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Majority of the home inspection services being provided today have not yet to include energy efficiency issues. But with the growing demand for green homes, home buyers have started to become proactive when it comes to asking the inspectors questions.

Today, it is not enough that the home inspector you hire is licensed and considered to be a professional. You might want to look for one which is aware of the growing trend of energy-efficient homes. By hiring one, you end up saving more in the long run as well as doing your share in protecting the environment.

Among the questions that you should ask your inspector should include the following:

• Methods of increasing your home’s HVAC System in terms of efficiency. This includes checking for the installation date, efficiency rating and current condition of the system. Build up of corrosion or dirt can seriously affect the entire system’s efficiency.
• Ways to eliminate condensation between pane windows especially those are doubled.
• The right type of home insulation and where it could be placed. The home inspection services should include checking the existence of insulation and if it is up to code. Also, it is vital that the existing insulation cannot be penetrated by the outside humid air.
• Checking the home’s wiring system and determining if it was installed by a professional. Knowing how old your electrical system is also important as you may need to evaluate whether you will need to rewire everything to prevent ay incidence of fire.
• Shifting to a programmable thermostat
• Kind of paint to be used on the roof so that it will be more reflective
• Inspecting the plumbing and determining the kind of metal used as pipes.

Hiring a particular provider of home inspection services should be based on how they would address these particular concerns. It is important that the inspector is well-versed on all the “green” systems in a residential home, particularly newly-constructed ones. If you want, you can choose to accompany the inspector in order to have a better understanding of the entire process.

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Home inspectors in FL are currently not required to obtain a state home inspection license before conducting house inspections across the state, except in Charlotte County where only professionals in the building industry are allowed to apply for a house inspection license.

But by July 1, 2010, the approximately 3,000 house inspectors across Florida are expected to have obtained their state licenses. In addition to these inspectors, an increasing number of mold inspectors and mold remediation specialists are also expected to get their licenses.

However, many of these inspectors have been expressing their frustration at the way the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation has been preparing for the eventual licensing of house inspectors.

The home inspectors claim that it is now only eight months before July 1, 2010 and there are still no rules for inspectors to follow and there are still no licenses available.

In response, professional and business licensing officials explained that there was no money appropriated by state
legislators when they passed the bill for home inspectors in FL in 2007. They said that they are waiting for legislators to tackle the issue in their next regular legislative session.

In the meantime, the department related that licensing officers have been conducting sessions around the state, gathering input for licensing and inspection rules.

Several home inspectors and owners of home inspection businesses raised their concerns about expected licensing rules and exams. They said they have been conducting house inspections for the past several years and they are concerned that they will undergo the same procedures as the new ones without any home inspection experience.

One home inspection business owner said that he has conducted over 2,000 house inspections for over 14 years.
Some inspectors suggested that new home inspection applicants should get job training and complete at least 250 house inspections before they are issued licenses.

Building contractors, on the other hand, proposed that house inspectors should complete 8,000 hours of job training, similar to what they have undergone to obtain their contracting licenses.

Another issue raised by the inspectors is the grandfathering clause which was removed from the home inspection bill by Florida Governor Charlie Crist when he signed the bill in 2007.

Grandfathering allows existing house inspectors to gradually comply with the licensing rules.

As the licensing officials are gathering data, they assured home inspectors in FL that their main goal is to ensure the safety of homeowners and not to put any home inspector out of business.

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