Selecting a Home Inspector
Article By Jim Oezer of National Property Inspections in Racine, WI
Questions to ask when interviewing a home inspector.
- Are you State Registered ?
- Are you fully insured with general liability and errors and omissions?
- Are you a member of W.A.H.I. ( Wisconsin Assoc. of Home Inspectors ) ?
- How long have you been inspecting homes ?
- What is your experience before home inspecting ?
- Do you do this full time or part time ?
Why is it a good idea to have a home inspection ?
- Largest investment you will probably make in your lifetime.
- Could save you $100’s to $1,000’s knowing the condition before purchase.
- Inspectors are a third party person giving a non-biased, professional opinion.
- Choosing the correct professional inspector to help in analyzing your home for visual structural and mechanical defects, we help ensure that your dream home will be the ideal home for you.
What does an inspection cover?
- Items that are covered can be found on the W.A.H.I. web site http://www.wahigroup.com/ and click on “State Standards ” and the State requirements will be listed that the Home Inspectors must be following, but not all follow the requirements.
- Some of the items include but not limited to structural, mechanical, windows, roof, siding, grading, kitchens, bathrooms, and many more items.
What role does an inspection play in negotiating with a seller?
- We are trained to find all kind of items to be repaired or replaced, the purpose of inspection is to go through the home and find all things that need attention whether small or large items. We are not attorneys or real estate agents, these people are trained to help in the negotiation stage. Basically, for negotiations we are looking for major items that need major repairs that affect the price of the house such as roofs, and also safety items such as gas leaks.
How long does an inspection take, what are the Costs, and who pays for the inspection?
- Most inspections take 2.5 hours to 3.0 hours depending on size of home and age of home.
- The typical costs are between $ 275.00 and $ 295.00
- The buyer typically pays for the inspection at time of the inspection.
For More information about Jim Oezer and National Property Inspections, visit www.wihomeinspection.com
