Insurance

Buying a home is a big deal. There is a lot of money involved as well as time and emotional energy. Home buyers can take months to find a home they wish to buy. When it comes time to select the home inspector to further examine the home there are important things to ask the inspector before hiring him or her.

First you want to ask if the inspector is certified or licensed. Not all states have licensing for home inspectors so make sure your inspector is licensed if required in your state or certified through InterNachi (the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors).

Second you will want to ask if the person is fully insured. Home inspectors should have both general liability insurance and E&O insurance (errors and omissions insurance). General Liability is for the event the inspector accidentally damages something, like the ladder falls on a car and bangs it up). E&O is for just in case the inspector misses something major like a huge foundation issue.

Third it is helpful to know how experienced the home inspector is. Many inspectors are part time. Some are full time inspectors who will personally conduct over two hundred inspections each year. Find out how many years the person has been doing inspections and approximately how many they have done the past year or so.

The fourth thing to ask the home inspector is the type of report they will provide to you. Is it a check list type report or is a computer used to write a narrative type report and does that report include pictures of the home inspection findings? Reports done on computer and that include pictures are often more detailed and easy to understand.

Be sure to consider all factors when choosing a person to conduct a home inspection for you. Also look for testimonials on the inspectors website to help provide valuable information on client satisfaction.