There are many questions I get asked before and during a home inspection. Here are the top 10 myths about home inspections I hear frequently.
1) The Seller will fix or credit the cost of everything the inspector finds
While a home inspection report can be used as the basis to request repairs or credits, the seller is under no obligation to fix anything. Further, the asking price of the home may already reflect the seller knowing a house is not perfect. Any repairs, credits or price changes should be discussed with your real estate agent.
2) The house will remain in the condition reported on
A home inspection, while highly detailed, is a view of the condition of the home at the time of the inspection. But just like your mechanic may say your car is fine does not mean you the car will not eventually need repairs. A home needs care and maintenance. Regular use, weather, earthquakes and time can and will change the conditions of the home.
3) A home inspection is the same as a termite inspection.
In California, a home inspector can not comment on the presence or absence of termites. Certainly, a home inspector will point out evidence of wood deterioration or obvious insect activity, only a licensed pest inspector can comment on the type of organism causing any damage. A home inspector and a pest inspector also have very different protocols and standards when inspecting a home. A pest report and home inspection report can often have very different findings.
4) A VA or FHA loan require a certain type of home inspection.
A VA or FHA loan requires a certain type of appraisal, which has a small over lap with a general home inspection. But the home inspection itself does not change based on the type of loan the buyer may be getting. A home inspection is much more detailed than basic questions a VA or FHA loan underwriter will ask.
5) I should shop around for the best price for a home inspection
Home inspectors come in a wide variety of experiences and qualifications. You are spending anywhere from a 1/3 of a million to several million dollars on a home, do you really want to trust such a large purchase to the cheapest home inspector you find? Of course not. You deserve to have your home inspected by a quality inspector. See here for more on a cheap home inspector vs a quality home inspector.
6) I should hire an inspector with the most experience
Maybe. Experience is certainly a quality one should look for in an inspector, however, number of years in the business does not always equal quality. Technology changes, safety standards change, and inspection reports evolve. Unfortunately, some people get stuck in the past, and I have been hired to redo inspections to bring the report up to modern standards. Other companies “bait and switch” and advertise how much experience the owner has, but then send out someone else to do the actual job. In the end, what really matters is the quality of the report. See my previous article 4 Things you Must See in a Sample Report
7) A home inspector must have a license.
The truth is California has no home inspection license. Most people do not realize this. But even in states that do have formal license process, a license is usually only a bare minimum. After all, a drivers license does not make everyone a good driver, a marriage license does not make everyone a good spouse. In every profession, there are good apples, bad apples, and those in between. Again, in the end, what matters is the quality of the report. See my previous article 4 Things you Must See in a Sample Report
8) A home inspector is all I need
A home inspector that does a general inspection will examine the home in detail. However, much like a doctor may examine you when doing a general physical, and then recommend you see a specialist for your heart or lungs or other issue, a home inspector may also recommend specialists based on evidence found during the inspection. Some items may not be visible during the inspection. In addition, California state law prohibits home inspectors from giving engineering advice. Geological conditions are beyond the scope of a home inspection. Some other inspectors are not as comfortable looking at solar panels or swimming pools as IM Home Inspections. Not only is it important to pick an inspector who does a quality job, it is also important to understand a home inspection may only be the beginning.
9) The city inspector passed the home, so I don’t need a home inspector.
City inspectors, due to their extreme workload, usually only spend 5 to 20 minutes on site inspecting a home. They usually do not carry tools or test functionality. They rarely, if ever, get on a ladder or examine a crawl space in detail. They usually just walk through, see if it passes an eyeball test and move on to the next home. It’s not that they don’t care, they just usually have too much they have to do in a single day. A private home inspector will spend at least two hours on site, if not much longer (see How Does a Home Inspection take) as well as use tools to examine aspects of the home in much more detail. Even new homes that have passed all city inspections can have issues waiting to be discovered.
10) The Real Estate agent and the inspector are in cahoots
This is a common story that agents only recommend inspectors who will “pass” a house without pointing out any flaws because the agents just want to close the deal. I have found this is largely not to be true. Ethical agents are perfectly ok if the inspector uncovers serious issues, because ethical agents do not want to be sued later on for selling a bad home. Ethical agents also want what is best for the clients. Ethical agents also know that finding a serious problem does not automatically kill a deal, because for every problem uncovered, there is a solution waiting to be found. No house is perfect, and every inspection report is going to have something in it
That said, there are some agents who have used me once or twice and then never called me again, so perhaps there is some truth to the stories they only want an inspector to “pass” a house. On the other hand, there are also a handful of agents I would prefer if they do not ever call me again.
Book your Home Inspection now by calling 818-298-3405.