I recently reread the inspection report for the house my wife and I bought last January. The experience was strangely comforting.
The report is far more thorough than I remembered, and its 42 pages read like a road map of the little home that I’ve spent the last 18 months renovating. The inspector, Mike Brancato of MJB Inspections in New Jersey, caught dozens of minor issues that otherwise might have taken me months to address (and in some cases even to notice), such as a missing strike plate on the front door and loose gutters at the eaves. Each issue was accompanied by a photograph and a suggested course of action.
Happily, he found no major problems with the house’s critical systems — roof, wiring, plumbing, HVAC, foundation. We bought the house confident that it wasn’t a wreck and that none of the repairs we’d need to make would come as a surprise.
That sense of confidence — even if it’s the confidence to walk away from a bad deal — is what a home inspection is for. But not every inspector is as meticulous as Mr. Brancato. If you’re considering buying a home, there are questions you’ll want to ask your inspector, from basic qualifications and experience to all the things they don’t inspect for.
Here’s how to get a good one.
Begin with your state’s standards of practice.
Prospective home buyers should first familiarize themselves with their state’s standards of practice, said Lisa Alajajian Giroux, a Massachusetts-based home inspector and the incoming president of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). These typically include the requirements for becoming a licensed home inspector in the state, a code of conduct and ethics, and a list of conditions that every home inspection must assess.
Think of that list as a jumping-off point for your inspection, rather than a blueprint; it is the least your state requires, not the limit of what matters. Compare what’s on it to the conditions in the home you’re having inspected, and make your own list of what’s missing. (Ms. Giroux gave the example of fireplaces. They are not addressed in the Massachusetts inspection standards, which she described as “very minimal.”)
Don’t overlook the basics.
As you begin speaking with inspectors, ask how long they have been in business and if they will share a list of referrals. Also ask to see a sample inspection report for a home similar to yours to get a sense of what it will include. (The more thorough an inspection and its report, the more expensive it will be.) Confirm that you’ll be allowed to accompany them during an inspection — if they decline, it’s probably best to move on.
Aside from preliminary questions about how much inspectors charge for their services, ask about their specific experience with the things that might concern you about the home. Are they trained to assess the condition of a swimming pool? A solar array? An unfinished basement? If not, do they have relationships with specialists who are?
“You really have to interview your inspector and make sure you’re getting exactly what you want,” said Ms. Giroux.
And, of course, confirm that they hold a license or professional qualification.
The licensing process varies from state to state. In New York, for one, inspectors must have a certain level of training and pass an exam to earn a two-year license. Be aware, though, that not every state issues licenses or maintains standards of practice. In these states, inspectors can earn credentials from private certification organizations based on their training and experience. (To become ASHI-certified, for example, inspectors must submit 50 fee-paid inspection reports that they produced for clients; five of the reports are then drawn at random and assessed for accuracy and adherence to the organization’s code of conduct.)
Be an active participant before, during and after.
When walking through a home you’re considering, keep a critical eye (and a critical nose) open. Make a note of stains on walls and, especially, ceilings: They may indicate plumbing or roof leaks. Give a good sniff: A mildew smell may indicate a dampness issue. Shake handrails to see if they’re solid. Run the faucets. Flip the light switches. Take photos if you’re allowed to, and take notes no matter what.
Bring anything that catches your attention to the attention of your inspector, either ahead of his or her visit or during it. One client of Ms. Giroux’s alerted her that he’d noticed a stain on a ceiling beneath a bathroom, but it had been painted over before she arrived for the inspection. “I put an infrared camera up against it, and you could see that round circle that my client saw four days prior.”
When your inspector points out an issue of concern, don’t hesitate to ask for a deeper explanation. The inspector may be willing to suggest a timeline or prioritization plan for repairs. Also ask about the age of the roof and of major appliances, like water heaters and furnaces — even if they are working fine. These things typically have estimated life spans, helping you plan for future replacement. HVAC equipment, in particular, requires regular maintenance even if it’s new; your inspector may be able to outline what you’ll need to do to keep it running well.
Codes of ethics may forbid your inspector from offering cost estimates for repairs and referrals to contractors, so if you know you will be renovating, “you might bring your contractor at the same time,” said Emma James, a Corcoran agent in Brooklyn who specializes in townhouses. If you’re not that far along in your planning, ask your agent to enlist a contractor who’s familiar with homes like the one you’re considering.
Inspections typically do not cover anything not readily visible and accessible. Uncovering concerns like termite damage, old wiring inside walls (even if the electrical panel is modern), and buried oil tanks (in older homes that once had an oil furnace) will require separate, specialist checks. Ask your agent and inspector about common troubles in your area; they may be able to recommend local services that provide assessments.
You’ll be taking in a lot of information. When you receive the inspection report, don’t be surprised if it contains things you don’t fully recall, and don’t be shy about requesting a quick conversation to refresh your memory.
Trust others, too.
Home inspectors are not there to weigh in on whether you should buy a home, but to provide an objective assessment of its condition. That isn’t always enough to base your buying decision on. There are other people to consult.
After my own home inspection, I called my dad, who has renovated multiple homes, to get his thoughts on what the report revealed. I also asked my real estate agent to put my report in context with reports that other clients had received on similar homes in the area. Their input helped my wife and me decide to go through with the purchase.
Ms. James will occasionally draw on her experience to halt what she feels is a looming disaster. In one instance, an inspector revealed that what looked like a solid ceiling was a skylight that had been boarded up and tar-papered over. “If someone’s prepared to do that, it kind of says volumes about the quality of the build,” she said. “I texted my buyers and said, let’s wrap this up — you’re not buying this house.”
Another time, a seller refused to let her clients get the roof inspected at all. A definite red flag.
“You know, buyers get giddy and they’re so excited,” Ms. James said. “But you have to hear the bad stuff as well, and then decide if you want to proceed.”
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