9 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Inspector

Today Dave and Chris talk about questions to ask a home inspector BEFORE hiring them. You want your home inspector to do a great job, so be sure to do your research before hiring him or her! See the short list of questions below and listen to the show for all the details.

1. Are you bonded and insured?
2. How long have you been an inspector and how many inspections have you completed?
3. Can you provide references?
4. Can we attend the end of the inspection appointment?
5. What does your inspection include?
6. Can we see a sample of your inspection reports?
7. Do you have any special expertise?
8. Do you perform just inspections? Or do you also perform repairs?
9. How much do you charge?

Post Inspection Repairs: What to Request & Not Request

When you find the home you want, it's important to pick your battles with repairs requested post home inspection. We've seen many deals go sideways post home inspection when they don't need to! While it's nice for sellers to fix every small detail before you move-in, there's only so much sellers are willing to do, especially if the market is in their favor.

The purpose of a home inspection is to find out if there are severe structural or mechanical defects that will have a negative impact on the way a buyer can use their home. It's 100% okay to request repairs on items that fall into that category. In regards to other repairs, keep the requests below off your list if you really want to close on the home you love! 

Be sure to listen to the show to hear Robert and Dave weigh in on this list!

1. Avoid requesting repairs to any minor cosmetic issues: a deck that needs stained, a small crack in one bathroom tile.
2. Skip requests that ask the home owner to fix cracks in concrete floors. Concrete naturally settles and cracks without structure ramifications. If you see cracks in the walls however, be sure to review the inspection report to see if they have significant structural impacts.
3. Don't request any repairs that cost under $100. This will just make you seem really nit picky!
4. Leave off requests for repairs on any failed window seals. Be aware of these items when you see the home and account for how much it will cost to make repairs yourself in the offer you present.
5. Skip requests for loose railings or fixtures that aren't significant issues.