The subject of home inspections has come up numerous times recently, and it's
good to discuss things that impact the real estate business. I have three companies I use to do home inspections. Each one does a good job, and I have a lot of confidence in each one. With that said, I don't have a lot of confidence in home inspections in a much broader way.
What I've seen in the past decade is that the home inspection business has grown quickly like many facets of the real estate business. But, few have the ability to torpedo a deal like a home inspection. Not all home inspectors are equal. Personally, I don't use any that haven't had some time in the construction trades. Why? I want the inspector who is working on my sale to know what it takes to build a house.
Today, I did the follow-up on a listing of mine that had an unbelievable home inspection. I read through the report and I was sure they gave me the wrong one. The report listed hundreds of things (only a minor exaggeration) that needed to be improved. I protested right away because I know this house. It's a great house. It does need some maintenance, but it's not ready to collapse like the report would have a terrified buyer believe.
I went to the property today to review the electrical recommendations. Most of the problems were listed as safety concerns. What I found was that all of the key things they pointed out were incorrect. The things they noted as wrong were actually right, and they sited problems as safety concerns which were incorrect also. As a Virginia state electrical contractor with hundreds of homes under my belt, I know what goes into a house and I know the code. If an inspection report mistakenly reports a dozen issues in the electrical segment that are incorrect I wonder how many items in the other areas are incorrect?
I always tell my clients that home inspections are good to have, but remember that most home inspectors are generalists. Far too many inspectors have never worn a nail apron, built a house or worked in any of the sub-contracting trades. They will give an overall view of the house based on a textbook understanding of what it takes to build a house, but if you want a detailed inspection of a potentially problem area, hire a professional in that trade. That's not to be offensive to my home inspector friends, but this inspection report just confirmed that analysis. It was wrought with errors, but a home-buyer doesn't know that, and most agents don't either.
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