Know the role of home inspectors
Letter to the Editor
By Inman News, Monday, March 22, 2010.Re: 'What you see if what you get ...' (March 18)
Dear Editor:
I think Randy Britt got it backwards when he attempted to define what a home inspector does. A home inspection is to visually inspect readily accessible components of a home and operate the various components using the typical operating controls.
I would refer you to www.ashi.org or www.nahi.org for examples of the standards of practice. Over the years the National Association of Realtors has had a number of surveys and published articles on home inspections and the better-known associations governing inspectors.
A home inspector is not a part of the sales effort, as I have heard some Realtors state, but he/she is a valuable part of the sales process. When a potential buyer contracts for an inspection, that buyer is usually very serious about purchasing the property.
The inspector's job is only to make the buyer aware of the condition, safety and functionality of the property. That information is intended to assist the buyer in making the decision that is most appropriate based on the buyer's desires and resources.
Marshall Brown
Certified home inspector
Pillar To Post
Fargo and Moorhead, N.D.
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Submitted by Paul Howard on March 22, 2010 - 4:24am.
Marshall, that is exactly the way I, and many others that advocate for buyers, see it, too.
Paul Howard, Broker
NJHomeBuyer.com Realty
Cherry Hill NJ 08002
http://www.facebook.com/homebuyers
Submitted by randye britt on March 22, 2010 - 6:01am.
thanks for the replies. if i attemted to give a national definition of a home inspector then i apologize. the real definition lies in the contract or offer to purchase used by each mls which should lay out the definition and terms of the home inspection such as length of inspection,type and speed of replies, penalties for not responding in a timely manner and what is considered in that specific contract to be the duties of a home inspector. such as in our mls specific offer to purchase it reads " if such inspections( this is all the inspections requested not just home inspection) reveal defects which are not trivial, insignificant or obvious,..." we believe buyers should inspect the property,more than once,because they are the ultimate authourity, most inspectors and agents have a range of words such as "typical, usually, within range ,etc" the buyer has only one decision yes or no. also we in alabama deal with " caveat emptor" or buyer beware. this is the legal phrase which governs transactions here, also the real estate commission has determined that " as is, where is" places the burden solely on the buyer.so home inspectors are extremely important, we use a form at the time of purchase recommending a home inspection by a licensed,trained and bonded home inspector. yes in good ole alabama home inspectors go to school, have CEs,license and bonds that protects everyone and keeps the fly by night folks out of the inspection business.
Submitted by Barrett Powell on March 22, 2010 - 6:14am.
I think home inspectors are also a very valuable asset to sellers as well. I always encourage my sellers to have an inspection done. Nothing holds up a sale more than un-anticipated problems and repairs that could have been addressed before there was an offer.
Barrett Powell, Owner/Broker/Consultant
Southern Advantage Companies
RSA Software & Consulting
288 East Street, PO Box 1427
Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312
http://www.REMAXChatham.com
http://wbarrettpowell.wordpress.com
barrett.powell - Skype
wbarrettpowell@gmail.com
Submitted by Jessica F on April 7, 2010 - 12:32pm.
In my case, the purpose of a home inspector was to let me know that installing a 400 pound closet organizer on a shabby wooden floor is a really bad idea.
Submitted by Maria Hangman on April 28, 2010 - 5:51am.
A home inspector helps to check the readiness of the house to add any new component. They also help us to decide on interior design ideas that should be chosen very wisely.
Submitted by helmet veshdon on March 4, 2011 - 2:35pm.
Thank you very much for the time and effort put into this post. I have always wondered exactly what a home inspector does, and what types of things to look for in one.