SIMPLE FACT: A home inspection is not a property inspection: I have never in all my years in the Home Inspection business met a property inspector. Just what are they?, are they a surveyor? Do they even exist? Seriously if a client was buying an empty lot they would not call us.
The real problem with the misleading term “property” inspector is that the clients naturally enough often think we are going to inspect everything on the property. Sometimes the Real Estate Agent will aid and abet this idea with off the cuff statements to their clients like oh they inspect everything! Statements like this may be well intentioned but in fact they are promising more than we can deliver.
GOOD FACT: You as a client can put yourself in a more informed position. Ask your inspector what Standards of Practice they use? This will alert you to what the inspector does and does not do. The inspector should be able to direct you to a website or hand you a hard copy of their Standards of Practice. If they start to hem and haw you know what to do…find and inspector that uses recognized Standards of Practice.
REALLY BIG FACTS: Most States require Inspectors to use specific Standards of Practice and many States require inspectors to be licensed. On the other hand understand that some States do not require licensing or provide a way for an inspector to get licensed so at a minimum look for their Standards of Practice to determine what they do and equally important what they do not do.
Many Home Inspectors belong to Organizations that have Standards of Practice their members must use. Organizations like these- American Society of Home Inspectors, Californian Real Estate Inspection Association and National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. This is not a complete list. If you are interested or need to know more there are links for these particular organizations in the sidebar below the Blogroll.
Just one more observation to bug you “property” inspectors out there. Didn’t you kind of notice that the organizations so many of you belong to do not recognize that you exist? It is not the American Society of property Inspectors, or the California property Inspection Association or the National Association of property Inspectors, I’m just saying… Quit confusing people.
In Home Inspections VS Property Inspections Part 2 we will discuss some items often found on (properties that have homes on them) not inspected during a typical Home inspection. Items you might of assumed we would inspect but do not.
{ 0 comments… add one now }