When looking for a home inspector, you are bound to find a wide range of inspectors and prices. It can leave you wondering how to tell the difference between a good inspector and one that is less than ideal. One good way to tell is by the inspector’s sample report. Most inspectors have a sample report on their website, or will email you one if you ask. Here are a few things to look for on a sample report:
1) A computer generated report. In the early days of home inspections, inspectors would write down their findings on triplicate forms and give you a hand written report. Very few inspectors still do this anymore, but they do exist. Today, modern inspection reports are computer generated using software that has been specifically developed for home inspections. This makes the report easier to read and understand.
2) Photos throughout the report. These days 90% of home inspectors use a camera and insert photos into their report. But I recently was asked to inspect a home that had already been recently inspected, in part because the prior inspector did not provide pictures. In addition, there are some inspectors who do include photos, but put them all at the end of the report, or give them to you separately, leaving the buyer to figure out which comment goes to what picture. With modern software, an inspector can insert pictures throughout the report, so that comments and photos are together, giving you a much better idea of the situation regarding the home.
3) Narratives with explanations. Most inspection software allows an inspector to simply check some boxes, and then only add detail if there is an issue that warrants further explanation. While efficient, in my personal opinion it shortchanges the inspection report. Narratives, with explanations, give better detail than just a check mark.
4) A good length. A good inspection report of an average house usually ends up being around 30 to 50 pages, and sometimes more, depending on the conditions found in the house. People promising cheap, cheap inspections usually shortchange the process by only providing very short reports. In other words, you get what you pay for. I have seem some inspectors advertise a report must be at least 50 pages, yet, their sample reports often contain fluff just to push it out to that long. I do not see the need to fluff out a report just for the sake of length, but at the same time, if a report is too short, it makes you wonder what was left out.
By viewing a sample report, you can see if the inspectors style matches your expectations.
You may view an IM Home Inspections sample report here.