The Importance of Hiring a Qualified Home Inspector
Just like in any other profession, there are also qualified and unqualified professionals in the Sydney building inspection business.
It can be difficult identifying a good home inspector from a not so good one. The regulations are different from state to state in Australia, crazy i know!
In areas where regulations are not too strict about home inspections, anyone can pose as a home inspector. You surely would not want to pay fees to home a inspector that was a panel beater last month. Dont laugh, it happens. Worse case, if you are selling your home, you might actually jeopardize your transaction because the home inspector screwed up.
Home inspection can be a tedious and disciplined process. It is not like somebody can walk into your house and run a quick visual check. If that was the case, you could do the task yourself. But luckily, that's not what it is. There are many factors and aspects that need critical, experienced and detailed attention. This is the reason why professional and well qualified inspectors are needed.
Here are a few scenarios that demonstrate the need for an experienced an professional home inspector.
First, in a vendor inspection scenario, suppose you are about to sell a house. If you have hired an unqualified and/or inexperienced inspector, he might just breeze in and see if there are very superficial and obvious minor damage. So then the inspector may give you a report saying how great your house is for selling. Then the buyer gets his own experienced and professional you're up the proverbial. You might even be accused of trying to influence inspection results, which in you're trying to sell your house - especially in a tough market - benefits nobody, especially yourself.
Second, some inspectors carry on like they know it all, instead of calmly and efficiently pointing out minor and major problems they like to show their "expertise" and over blow things.
They may look at certain areas of the house and state a need for maintenance or repair, though in reality, it's not required. In one example a home inspector was asking for a repair or even a re-construction of the roofing, whereas in reality, it was in perfect condition, old but with only very minor issues. i was called in to reinspect. Luckily. A good inspector will treat the condition of the components of a house as a comparison to houses built in the same style and age as the one being inspected.
The biggest problem with this- beside wasting you money in maintenance and or further reports - a buyer would go running from your sale and consider buying another property instead.
Third, your home inspector might not be certified, experienced or insured, depending on the state you're in. In some states there are regulations regarding certification of home inspectors, in others hardly any. So ask for relevant experience, proper insurance and a quick rundown of what is inspected. And make sure the report has your particular details on it. If it doesn't you have no legal comeback.
Lastly, you might be aware that your home may already need repair and maintenance. You need to disclose this, or fix it if its major. Otherwise its caveat emptor. Buyer beware.
If you know there are issues with your house, share these with your real estate agent and the property inspector if he's working for you.
In the end, take care hiring a property inspector whether you're buying or selling. Not all inspectors are the same. You could save a lot of grief hiring only the qualified, experienced and certified one. Try asking for a referral from your agent or a friend or relative. If they had a good experience, you most likely will as well.
Author Credits ::
Written by Wayne Black
Inner West Property Inspections
Phone: 0418408766
info@innerwestpropertyinspections.com.au
Inner West Property Specialists