Home Inspections

          Home inspections are advised, but have your own checklist, understand what will be on that home inspection report before you hire your home inspector, and know what services the home inspector will actually provide.
          We always encourage our buyers to hire a home inspector.  This is done after an offer has been accepted by the seller, and during the inspection period.  In our standard Arizona residential purchase contract, the default for inspection period is 10 days, yet that can be changed, with agreement of the buyer and seller. 
          Recently we were told by an individual that they believed the only purpose of a home inspection was to give the buyer leverage for reducing the price of the property.  Apparently they had a bad experience with an inspector, which had failed to discover roof defects on a property they had purchased.  They then went on to say the home inspector had no insurance, and could not be held responsible for the home inspection oversight.
          Their comment got me to thinking, yet did not change my mind on the necessity of a home inspection.  The way our contracts are written in Arizona, the purpose of an inspection is not to reopen price negotiations. After a buyer makes an inspection, they can either request the seller make repairs, cancel the deal, or continue with the purchase.
          Since I don’t know the intimate details of that individual’s inspection, I can only proceed with advise for future inspections.  In Arizona, home inspectors need to be certified with the state, bonded and insured.  Before hiring a home inspector, verify they are certified with the state.  And just because an inspector is licensed with the state, it doesn’t mean the buyer should not ask questions before they hire an inspector.  What is their experience, training? What do they actually inspect?
          We always encourage our buyers to hire their own inspectors, don’t let the seller’s pay for this service.  A homebuyer wants the inspector in his/her employ, not in the employ of the seller.
          There are times a buyer may want to hire a specialist to inspect certain items, such as the roof, air conditioning or mold.  Yet, whomever the buyer hires, it is essential that the buyer communicate his or her needs, and never assume the inspector will be checking out everything the buyer feels is important.
           When hiring any service, understand exactly what that service will be providing, up front, rather than assuming one thing, and then being disappointed when something else is delivered.