Home Inspector Interview Questions

Ask your questions in the order of importance to you. 
Most people recognize that a home purchase is a large investment and that you really want the best home inspection for your money and not necessarily the cheapest home inspector. If experience is truly more important to you than cost then ask those questions first. 


1. How long have you been a professional home inspector and how many inspections have you performed?

Reputable home inspectors will gladly tell you how many years they have been a professional home inspector and exactly how many inspections they have performed. Avoid inspectors that do not track how many inspections they perform as most inspectors take great pride counting each inspection in their career. Would a baseball team hire a ball player that did not know his batting average? The average inspector nationwide will perform about 250 inspections per year. A busy inspector can complete over 400 inspections per year. The number of years as an inspector and the number of inspections per year should correlate. For example, around my 20 year career mark I had completed 6000 fee paid home inspections or 300 inspections average per year. For me the first several years were slow because in my area most people did not know what a home inspection was. For the last ten years I have completed around 400 inspections per year. Every day I know my life time inspection number, year to date number and month to date number.

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. 


2. Are you specifically experienced in residential inspection?

Related experience in construction or engineering is helpful, but it is no substitute for training and experience in the unique discipline of home inspection. If the inspection is for a commercial property, then you should ask about commercial inspection experience as well.


3. What does your inspection cover and what standard of practices do you follow?

The inspector should ensure that their home inspection and report meet all applicable requirements in your state. The home inspection should also comply with a well-recognized trade organization standard of practice and code of ethics. You should be able to request and see a copy of these written standards ahead of time if not already available at the inspector's website. Ask any questions you may have about the standards of practice or code of ethics. If there are any areas you want to make sure are inspected, be sure to identify them upfront.


4. Do you maintain membership in a professional home inspector association?

There are many state and national associations for home inspectors. The inspector should belong to the trade organization for the Standards of Practice that they follow but they do not have to belong to it. Request to see their membership ID, and perform whatever due diligence you deem appropriate. Links are available to major trade organizations on the Home Page of this website. 


5. How long will the inspection take?

The average on-site inspection time for a single inspector is three to four hours for a typical single-family house; anything significantly less may not be enough time to perform a thorough inspection. Additional inspectors may be brought in for very large properties and buildings or additional longer inspection appointment times may be scheduled. Ask the inspector how many inspection appointments per day are performed. Most will perform two. Some areas three inspections are possible. If the inspector takes four or more inspections per day you likely need to look for a more thorough home inspector.


6. Do you participate in continuing education programs to keep your expertise up to date?

Your home inspector should value continuing education. Their commitment to continuing education is a good measure of their professionalism and service to the consumer. This is especially important in cases where the home is much older or includes unique elements requiring additional or updated training.


7. What type of inspection report do you provide and how long will it take to receive the report?

Typically a home inspection report will be a narrative type or a check box type. With computerized reporting systems, I personally, would not accept a check box type home inspection report but you can decide what works best for you. Reputable inspectors will provide sample reports on their website. Ask to see home inspection report samples if not readily available and determine whether or not you can understand the inspector's reporting style and if the time parameters fulfill your needs. Most inspectors provide their full report the same day or next day after the physical portion of the home inspection is completed.


8. Will I be able to attend the home inspection?

Even if you are not able to attend the home inspection this is a good question to ask. An inspector's refusal to allow you to attend the home inspection should raise a red flag. The same holds true if the inspector is insistent that you attend and your work schedule will not allow it. Attending the home inspection is good use of your time if you are interested in learning more about the home. Attending is unnecessary if you are not planning to be interactive during the inspection appointment time. Regardless of your attendance, you will need to read the entire inspection report to better understand the inspected property.


9. How much will it cost?

Costs vary dramatically, depending on the region, size and age of the house, scope of services and other factors. A typical range might be $300-$500, but consider the value of the home inspection in terms of the investment being made. Cost does not necessarily reflect quality


10. Do you offer to do repairs or improvements based on the inspection?

Some inspector associations and state regulations allow the inspector to perform repair work on problems uncovered in the inspection. Other associations and regulations strictly forbid this as a conflict of interest. You should choose a Home Inspector that will not be offering to perform repairs that are discovered during the home inspection.