4 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Home Inspector
One of the first things you need to do after having an offer accepted on a home is to get a home inspection. This will be your only chance to hire a professional that will walk through the home and let you know of all the potential problems you could run into after buying it. Since after a home inspection is one of the few times you can walk away from the home and still keep your earnest money, you want to make sure you are getting your money's worth out of the inspection. Be sure to ask if the home inspector will do the following things.
Will the Inspector Bring an Infrared Camera?
A big mystery when buying a home is what is between the walls in terms of insulation. Unfortunately, you can't exactly open up the walls before you buy the home to look. It is worth asking if the home inspector will use an infrared camera to tell you how good the insulation is. This can help raise a red flag if the inspector finds very little insulation in the wall since you'll need to improve it yourself or pay for it with higher heating and cooling bills.
Is the Inspector Certified?
It is a good thing to know if your home inspector has any certifications that can make them stand out among other home inspectors. Being a certified electrician, plumber, or roofer means that your home inspector is going to be able to look at these areas more critically than somebody that is not certified. However, certifications are not necessary to give you a high-quality home inspection
Will the Inspector Go Into the Attic or the roof?
One thing you want to ask about is if the home inspector will actually go into the attic and look around. While you do not know for sure if it will even be possible based on the amount of insulation in the attic, know that some inspectors will not go into the attic or simply peak around with a flashlight and look for signs of damage.
Also, if the inspector is not going to inspect the roof from the inside, find out how detailed they will get on the outside. Some home inspectors will actually walk the roof and look for potential damage, such as missing or loose flashing. Others will climb up with a ladder and look from the edge.