Over the years, home inspector Chris Perry has made some eye-popping discoveries on the job.<\/p>\n
One house\u2019s 60-amp electrical panel was channeling 200 amps\u2014a fiery disaster waiting to happen. In another, the water pipes had been stolen for their copper. And he\u2019s seen more than one scorched water heater, a sign of potential trouble ahead, says Perry, a licensed inspector in Little Rock, AR, and author of \u201cThe Official Guide to Home Inspections: Knowing and Playing by the Rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
But aside from missing water pipes, here\u2019s the real problem: Not all home inspectors may have the chops to catch all the stuff that can truly mess you up.<\/p>\n
Of the roughly 30,000 US home inspectors nationally, those in about 15 states don\u2019t need to be licensed, according to the American Society of Home Inspectors, a trade association. Among the non-licensure states\u2014a group that includes California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio\u2014there\u2019s no official oversight over the industry. That\u2019s right. Nada.<\/p>\n
Several more states, including Alabama, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, require registration in lieu of licenses. Texas was the first to adopt a licensing law in 1991. Virginia will require licenses for inspectors starting July 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome states just require a very minimum. \u2026 You have to have a business license and pretty much that\u2019s it,\u201d says Frank Lesh, ASHI\u2019s executive director. \u201cIt really depends on where you\u2019re located.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minnesota is one state where it could pay off for wannabe homeowners to take a closer look at their inspectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the Wild West of home inspection: zero requirements,\u201d says Bob Day, a Realtor\u00ae who now operates a HomeTeam Inspection Service just outside of Minneapolis. \u201cYou yourself could be a home inspector tomorrow and charge somebody to go look at a house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, home inspections aren\u2019t required to buy a home, either, but most buyers prefer to get one to ensure they\u2019re not surprised by expensive-to-fix problems after closing. Those issues can be used as bargaining chips to bring down the prices of their would-be homes\u2014or even lead them to walk away from money pit purchases.<\/p>\n
Quality of home inspector licenses vary by state<\/p>\n
Just because most states license their home inspectors doesn\u2019t mean their standards are consistent. Some require 140 hours of training, a passing grade on the National Home Inspector Exam, and supervised inspections to become a bona fide professional. In other states, scoring a C- on the exam is good enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you hire someone to do an inspection,\u201d says Geoff McIntosh, president of the California Association of Realtors, \u201cit would be of some reassurance to know that they\u2019re qualified to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uh, yeah.<\/p>\n
And even if inspectors aren\u2019t required to carry credentials, that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing. Some groups, like the ASHI, offer training and certification programs that may meet or even exceed the standards of states that dole out licenses.<\/p>\n
What even licensed home inspectors might not catch<\/p>\n
Even great inspectors\u2014the ones with licenses and long track records\u2014won\u2019t find every flaw. So just because buyers are shelling out a few hundred bucks on a professional doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re guaranteed that everything in their homes-to-be is hunky-dory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just looking for red flags,\u201d says McIntosh. \u201cIn the course of that inspection, they will often say, \u2018This looks suspicious to me. I recommend that you get a specialist to evaluate further.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspectors typically focus on the major structural parts of a home (e.g., checking the roof for leaks and the foundation for cracks, as well as the plumbing, electricity, heating, and cooling systems). They usually limit their reviews to parts of the home they can see and easily access when they visit. That means they\u2019re not moving furniture around, cutting open walls, or taking apart furnaces.<\/p>\n
Also, basic inspections don\u2019t necessarily cover everything a homeowner might want to know about in a specific part of the country. So they may not be looking for things like, say, radon, a radioactive gas that can cause cancer that\u2019s commonly found in certain regions.<\/p>\n
How to inspect the home inspectors\u2014and find a winner<\/p>\n
Still, there are ways to increase the likelihood of picking a star.<\/p>\n
A common refrain among experts is the importance of buyers doing their homework. In some licensure states, prospective homeowners can look up inspectors through the licensing authority.<\/p>\n
In unregulated states, buyers can check with their local Better Business Bureau and read reviews online. They should also grill their inspectors about their experience and ask about their plan of attack for their potential new homes.<\/p>\n
Buyers can also ask whether inspectors carry errors and omissions insurance, a type of liability insurance that covers omissions or mistakes they might make. Day sees insurance as a sign of basic competence as an insured inspector has at least been vetted by an insurance company.<\/p>\n
Those hoping to close on a home can also ask about professional affiliations, such as membership in a prominent trade organization.<\/p>\n
Once an inspector has been vetted, that doesn\u2019t mean the buyer\u2019s job is done. The buyer should attend the review, ask questions, and secure a written report of the findings. Following the inspector around can amount to a private tutorial on the inner workings of the buyer\u2019s home-to-be.<\/p>\n
After all, \u201ca house does not have a \u2018check engine\u2019 light\u201d to alert its owner to problems, says ASHI\u2019s Lesh.<\/p>\n