Home Inspector: Should Your Real Estate Agent Recommend One?
You’re looking for a home. You think you found “THE ONE”. Now, you need a home inspection. Where do you start?
We recommend you start with the advice of your agent. If you like your agent, if your agent is working hard for you, we hope that you feel you can trust your agent to recommend a home inspector.
What Your Agent Knows About Home Inspectors
A brand new agent might not have much experience with local home inspection experts. But agents with years of experience typically maintain a list of reputable home inspectors. CTR Home Inspections is on many realtors lists, we’re proud to say!
Agents typically walk with clients when inspectors do inspections. Because of this, realtors witness first hand the effort, quality and thoroughness, or lack thereof of an inspector.
An Inspection is Key to your Realtor’s Work and World
A qualified home inspector is key to a realtor’s world. Agents want to do right by their clients. Fair or not, an inspection that misses a serious defect only reflects poorly on everyone involved. Agents want their buyers to have full disclosure and be fully informed. Plus, agent stake their reputation and their income of referrals from happy clients.
A Home Inspection
Negative findings from a home inspection don’t necessarily mean a deal is off. Often, an item that needs attention can allow for the buyer’s agents to negotiate repairs or cash credits. Only when there is a serious and costly defect do realtors advise buyers to walk away from the deal.
What to Expect from a Home Inspector
Agents know you should expect a complete written report, of 20-50 pages, depending on the size of the home. The report should be objective and free from opinion or editorial comments. The reports should detail specific elements of the home. The report should offer generalizations or personal opinion. And it must not give price estimates for repairs.
Making that Home Inspector Choice
First, we suggest getting 2-3 names of home inspection companies. When you get the names, call or email the inspectors. Some questions include
1) Are you full time and certified.
(Yes, CTR is full time and certified. Click to read more.)
2) How long have you worked as a home inspector?
(We have over 12 years experience. Click for our credentials)
3) What do you include in your inspection?
(Click here to see what’s included in CTR Home Inspection)
4) Look at their websites to read more, read testimonials, see their certifications, take a look at the equality of their reports.
(Click here to see what’s included in a CTR Home Inspections report)
5) Call the home inspector and talk. See if their communications skills are good, if they are easy to understand and make you feel comfortable.
(Give us a call. Our clients say communication is one of our best assets.)
7) Talk about cost. The inspector should be able to give you this information upfront. If not, move on to the next name!
In the end, you, the home buyer, make the decision to hire your home inspector. We understand it’s a big decision. And for us, it’s a big responsibility. At CTR Home Inspections, we take this responsibility seriously and will work hard to make our inspection report a valuable, tangible and meaningful experience for you.
If you’re a Realtor looking to contact CTR, please click here.
