is your inspector qualified?
So how do you know if your inspector is qualified or even competent? Here's a couple of things to consider:
1. Are they a member of a professional association or organization? There are oodles of home inspector organizations. Most simply require a membership "fee" and some sort of obligatory, simple "exam". If you watch an afternoon of Home and Garden TV, you'll probably gain the knowledge needed to pass. Credible, more reputable associations have higher, more stringent entrance requirements.
I am a member of A.S.H.I.© - the oldest of all the organizations. Check out the A.S.H.I. website. Certified members have performed a minimum of 250 fee-paid inspections AND have passed a comprehensive exam. Also, the reports used to perform these inspections meet minimum criteria. If I want to maintain my membership, I have to have continuing education on a yearly basis.
With which organization or association is your inspector involved? What are the parameters for membership? Check out the details - you may discover some interesting information!
2. What is their background? Folks are entering this profession in droves. Most transition from the construction trades after they get laid off or are just sick of working for the man. Others just want to get out of the office for a change of scenery and a new career.
Knowing how to build something, or roof something, wire something, or even manage something is a good start, but an old-world craftsman or top-whip account manager does not a good inspector make.
To start, a competent inspector is a critical thinker, has at least a high school diploma, can communicate effectively, (read literate), and is a good people person. Furthermore, he or she would have experience in one if not multiple building trades, immerse themselves in the study of building science and stay up to date with current events in the construction world. If you want a cherry on top, he or she would be physically fit, (to get where some others don't want to get), and been inspecting for at least 5 years.
What's my background? All of the above and more. Call and we'll chat. . .
3. Are they insured? If you haven't read elsewhere on this website, a home inspector in this state isn't required to be insured or bonded. Any savvy business owner understands the importance of quality insurance.
The cost of quality insurance has skyrocketed in the past several years. A beginning inspector (or an inspector that has had multiple claims filed against him / her) may not be able to afford proper insurance.
Make sure that you are hiring someone with an errors and omissions policy and a professional liability policy. In my opinion, it shows they care enough about their business and their clients to protect everyone involved.
4. Are they a certified pest inspector in the state? OK this gets a little tricky. State law requires that if an inspector identifies anything on a home to do with rot, wood-chewing insects, or anything that causes rot or wood-chewing insects, they must be a licensed pest inspector. The Washington State Department of Agriculture - WSDA - issues this license.
So, a home inspector is not allowed to say anything about the obviously rotted bathroom floor, carpenter ants trolling across the living room floor, or even identify a plumbing leak unless he is a licensed pest inspector!! Oh, the genius of our legislators.
If you hire a home inspector that is NOT a certified pest inspector, you may have to hire a pest inspector for more money before the real estate transaction is considered "proper" and legal.
The moral of the story: make sure your inspector is licensed and certified as a pest inspector. You'll have your bases covered. Every inspection report should have a state-issued control number (ICN) visible on the front page of the report.
