How To Choose a Home Inspector

So you are buying a home and you need help choosing a Home Inspector. 
Whether you are in the Chattanooga Tennessee area or anywhere else in the United States the steps to finding the best home inspector for you are the same. Choosing a home inspector to perform your home inspection is a very important decision and should not be made hastily. This website is designed to give consumers basic information on how to choose a home inspector and how to verify certain aspects of a home inspector’s credentials. 

Start looking for a home inspector early. 
Do not wait until you have made an offer on a home before you begin looking for a home inspector. As soon as you are preapproved for a loan and are serious about buying a home then you should start the decision process on which home inspector is right for you. Begin by preparing a list of possible home inspectors that you will use to narrow down until you choose your personal favorite.  The best home inspector for you will not necessarily be the best home inspector for everyone. 

Your Home Inspector should match your personality. 
Home Inspectors are people and each has their own personality. Your home inspector should be a helpful tool in your home buying process and not an obstacle to overcome before you can move into the home you are buying. If you want to be present during the home inspection process and the inspector you are considering discourages your attendance then you should likely choose another home inspector. The same holds true if the inspector is insistent that you attend and your work schedule will not allow it. You want good information in the home inspection report that will make sense to you. If you are a detailed person then you should reject a home inspector that uses only a check box type reporting system. If you want to have the highlights stand out then you should reject a home inspector that does not have a summary in the home inspection report.

There are several places that you can get names of home inspectors in your area. 
Web Search
Web searches on popular search engines will typically produce an abundance of names that you can use to narrow your search. Ideally, you want to find your home inspector's name multiple times in multiple places before hiring the inspector to inspect your home. To narrow your search there are also Home Inspection Trade Association web searches and service provider web searches. Several links to these are provided on this page. For any inspector you are considering you will want to review their BBB rating and complaint history which are quick and free to obtain using the link provided also on this page.

Search the Web repeatedly. Of course you will search Home Inspection and the City to get lists of inspectors. You should also search the inspectors name and the City as well as searching the phone number of the inspection company on your list. Performing multiple searches will flush out valuable information such as an inspector working only part time, possible legal battles, online complaints as well as online praise for the inspector. While online, verify that the inspector belongs to the trade organization that they say they do by verifying membership on the trade organization’s website. 

Personal References
Personal references can come from from your Realtor or Mortgage person as well as your friends, relatives and co-workers. Don’t worry if your first list has five to ten names on it. You are looking to see which inspector gets repeated good reviews. Checking multiple sources will help you eliminate several of the extra names off of your list quickly. 

Ask your Realtor for a home inspection referral then take a few minutes to investigate those names before you select your home inspector. The Realtor will typically provide you with a list of three to five local inspectors and may tell you which inspector is their favorite. Ask the Realtor if there is any particular inspector, not on their list, that you should not use. Then have the Realtor explain the traits of the favorite inspector and the traits of the inspector you should avoid. Listen to the answers and decide if these traits have a bearing on your decision. 

Word of mouth is powerful advertising and useful in most cases. Combining your personal references along with a brief internet search for confirmation should give you a solid lead on an appropriate Home Inspector. 

Yellow Pages and Other Ads in print, radio or TV
While the Yellow Pages printed directory is still available in most areas, this is not likely going to be the best single tool for you to find a home inspector. Web searches and personal references should produce a sufficient list of names for you to choose the right home inspector. There are also occasional print ads for home inspectors as well as radio and TV ads for home inspectors but most home inspectors do not utilize these media outlets as they are rarely cost effective for a small home inspection company. 

Experience Counts
Use an experienced home inspector. Consider using a home inspector with no less than five years experience as a professional home inspector. More home inspection experience is better. Most businesses fail in the first five years and you want an inspector that will be around after you move into the home. 

Beware, new inspectors often embellish their experience with phrases like ‘over 15 years in the construction or inspection industry’ or ‘has been part of the community for 17 years’. Such phrases tell you nothing about how long a person has been a professional home inspector. Ask the direct question, ‘how long have you been a professional home inspector?’ Then spend a couple of minutes to verify this information is accurate. The BBB website www.BBB.org is a good place to check out this info. Cross off any inspector from your list that gives you misinformation, exaggerates or lies to you about their credentials. 

Reputation Counts
Reputation is Everything. Choose a home inspector that has a good reputation and that genuinely cares about the service they are performing for you. When you are preparing your long list of inspectors ask multiple sources for a good home inspector and a name of the inspector to avoid. Most likely the name of the inspector to avoid will come up over and over again. The name of the good inspector should come up two or three times if you get information from multiple sources. 

Knowledge Counts
Hire a home inspector that is knowledgeable and competent without being a 'know-it-all'. Your home inspector should value continuing education. If you are interviewing a home inspector that thinks he knows everything, odds are, he lacks the knowledge to understand that home inspection is a broad field of study that is constantly changing and evolving. Hire a home inspector that is smart enough to know the job and the limitations.

Consider speaking with or interviewing your Home Inspector before hiring them
Today it may be possible to perform all the research and gather all the information you need to hire your home inspector without actually speaking to the home inspector first. If not though, do not hesitate to pick up the phone or use email to speak directly with or interview a home inspector before actually hiring the home inspector.

This site offers some basic questions that you may want to ask a potential home inspector in a telephone or email interview. It is important to recognize that all home inspectors are human and that the home inspection industry, like most other industries, has true professionals and individuals that should be in another line of work. With a little effort on your part you will soon be able to tell the difference yourself and feel comfortable with your choice of a home inspector for your home purchase. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

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National Trade Association Links

American Society of
Home Inspectors
ASHI

International Association of Certified Home Inspectors - InterNACHI

 National Association of Home Inspectors
NAHI

State Trade Association Links

East Tennessee
Chapter of ASHI
ETASHI

Home Inspectors of Tennessee Association HITA

Business Ethics Links

Better Business Bureau

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