As a consumer and homebuyer you have a right to know exactly what a
typical real estate (home) inspection is. The following information should give
you a better understanding of exactly what your inspector will and will not do
for you during the course of his/her inspection.
First and foremost an
inspection is a visual survey of those easily accessible areas that an
inspector can clearly see. No destructive testing or dismantling is done during
the course of an inspection, hence an inspector can only tell a client exactly
what was clearly in evidence at the time and date of the inspection. The
inspectors eyes are not any better than the buyers, except that the inspector
is trained to look for specific tell-tale signs and clues that may lead to the
discovery of actual or potential defects or deficiencies.
Inspectors
base their inspections on the current Industry Standards provided to them by
their professional societies. These Standards tell what the inspector will and
can do as well as what the inspector will not do. Many inspectors give a copy
of the Standards to their clients. If your inspector has not given you a copy,
ask for one.
The Industry Standards clearly spell out specific areas
in which the inspector must identify various defects and deficiencies, as well
as identifying the specific systems, components and items that are being
inspected. There are many excluded areas noted in the Standards that the
inspector does not have to report on, for example; private water and sewer
systems, solar systems, security systems, etc.
The inspector is not
limited by the Standards and if the inspector wishes to include additional
inspection services (typically for an extra fee) then he/she may perform as
many specific inspection procedures as the client may request. Some of these
additional services may include; a woodboring insect inspection, radon testing,
or a variety of environmental testing, etc.
Many inspectors do not
test or inspect appliances, for many good reasons. Appliances can breakdown
almost immediately after the inspection and the buyer may hold the inspector
liable. There also has been cases where homeowners have switched appliances
with lesser quality units after the inspection. If your inspector does test and
inspect appliances you should keep in mind that any appliance can fail at
anytime, particularly if the units are several years old or older.
Most inspectors will not give definitive cost estimates for repairs and
replacements since the costs can vary greatly from one contractor to another.
Inspectors typically will tell clients to secure three reliable quotes from
those contractors performing the type of repairs in question.
Life
expectancies is another area that most inspectors try not to get involved in.
Every system and component in a building will have a typical life expectancy.
Some items and units may well exceed those expected life spans, while others
may fail much sooner than anticipated. An inspector may indicate to a client,
general life expectancies, but should never give exact time spans for the above
noted reasons.
The average time for an inspection on a typical 3
bedroom home usually takes 2½ to over 3½ hours, depending
upon the number of bathrooms, kitchens, fireplaces, attics, etc., that have to
be inspected. Inspections that take less than two hours typically are
considered strictly cursory walk-through inspections and provide the client
with less information than a full inspection.
Many inspectors belong
to national inspection organizations such as ASHI, NAHI, and SPREI. The
national organizations provide guidelines for inspectors to perform their
inspections. An organization such as the SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL REAL ESTATE
INSPECTORS, (SPREI) also provides educational materials and programs for its
members in order to provide a continuing education for professional inspectors.
Make sure that you as a consumer ask your inspector about his/her credentials
and affiliations.
All inspectors provide clients with reports. The
worst type of report would be an oral report. This type of report does not
protect the client and also leaves the inspector open for misinterpretation and
liability. Written reports are better and come in a variety of styles and
formats. The following are some of the more common types:
Inspectors differ on what they consider the best type of report. Some
prefer one over the other. SPREI recommends that the report be such that the
reader can fully understand the findings of the inspector and all of the
ramifications of such findings. In this case either #3 or #4 would suffice,
while #1 and #2 types of reports are considered less than adequate.
Four key areas of most home/building inspections cover the exterior, the
basement or crawlspace areas, the attic or crawlspace areas and the living
areas. Inspectors typically will spend sufficient time in all of these areas to
visually look for a host of red flags, tell-tale clues and signs or defects and
deficiencies. As the inspector completes a system, major component or area,
he/she will then discuss the findings with the clients-noting both the positive
and negative features.
The inspected areas of a home/building will
consist of all of the major visible and accessible electro-mechanical systems
as well as the major visible and accessible structural systems and components
of a building as they appeared and functioned at the time and date of the
inspection.
Inspectors typically do not provide warranties or
guaranties with their inspections and reports. Buyers should therefore not rely
on the inspection as any form of insurance policy against any latent, hidden,
concealed or future defects and deficiencies.
The following are also
some key items that buyers should remember and consider when reviewing their
inspection reports:
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