Consumers don't know how to phone-interview a contractor.

When you hire a babysitter do you ask for references, and find out where she/he lives?

Before you have surgery do you check ‘Healthgrades’ to see how long the doctor has been practicing?

So if you are buying a house, would you merely ask the home inspector how much is the fee, then try to find a cheaper inspector? Or just take someone’s word and hope for the best?

Well believe it or not, that is what happens a lot. I understand the need to try to bargain with a contractor to get a better price. But the cost down the road can be WAY MORE than you expect if your goal is to save $50 or $100 on a home inspection.

Just take a look on Nextdoor and Facebook and you will see story after story of consumers getting blatantly ripped off by unlicensed contractors who ask $5000 to get the ball rolling on a project. If you got ripped off was it because you didn’t do your homework?

You can find cheap home inspectors on Craigslist and pay $300 for an inspection. You can also hire an engineering firm and pay $1000 or more for a home inspection. Do you really need to spend that?

The biggest omission in my opinion when interviewing a home inspector is the consumer not asking about the background of the inspector.

Has the inspector worked in construction? Has the inspector installed footings under foundations that didn’t have one? Has he/she framed homes, roofed homes, wired homes, plumbed homes, installed kitchens and bathrooms in homes? Has the inspector replaced galvanized drain piping from the 1950’s that rusts internally and easily clogs up? Or replaced ungrounded 70 year old cloth covered BX wiring with dry-rotted rubber under the cloth jacket?

THESE are the questions you should be asking when you hire a home inspector!

Don’t be RIDICULOUS, call Meticulous Home Inspection. Since 2005, licensed and insured as always.

www.meticuloushomeinspection.com Cell: 631 902 6761. 160 plus 5 star Google reviews.