1: Are you a member of any professional organizations?
2: What CODE certifications do you have?
3: Where did you receive your certifications?
4: How much continuing education do you participate in each year?
5: How long have you been performing home inspections?
6: How long should my inspection take?
7: Do I need to be present at the home inspection?
8: What type of report do you provide?
9: Can I call you if I have additional questions after the inspection is completed?
10: How much will my inspection cost?
1: Are you a member of any professional organizations?The Georgia Association of Home Inspectors (GAHI) has the most rigorous membership requirements of any professional inspectors association in the United States. Numerous groups, associations and societies exist that require only payment of the membership fee and possibly an initiation fee while others require that the inspector attend the organization’s training.
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A CODE certified home inspector’s credentials can be verified at ICC’s website: http://www.iccsafe.org/e/certsearch.html. This site allows you to search by the inspector’s last name.
The most qualified inspectors should have either the Council of American Building Officials (CABO) One and Two Family Dwelling Inspector Certification or the International Code Council® (ICC) Combination Residential Inspector Certification as a minimum. However, some inspectors obtain only the residential building certification (omitting the plumbing, electrical, and mechanical sections) and then pass themselves off as code certified. These are certifications issued by an independent third party organization and are recognized as requiring significant professional knowledge in residential construction codes to obtain a passing score.
The word “certified” does not necessarily indicate CODE certified.
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The Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) and International Code Council (ICC) are the two model code organizations that provide the requisite certifications for inspectors in Georgia.
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The minimum should be 20 hours per year in classes designed to further enhance the home inspector’s knowledge of new codes and building practices.
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While it is useful to gauge the experience level of an inspector, this question is not as important as verifying the qualifications and certifications stated in point #3 above. A untrained home inspector who has done thousands of inspections that do not conform to a stringent Standard of Practice may not be equivalent to several hundred inspections that are performed properly by a well trained CODE certified inspector.
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The inspector may ask you for some information about the home you are purchasing before answering this question. Generally, inspections take at least 2 ½ to 3 hours for a small home while larger or significantly older homes can take much longer. Some factors which may affect the length of the inspection include the age of the home, size, general condition (i.e. distressed properties will require more time), and the presence of a basement or crawlspace..
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Most inspectors will want you to participate in the inspection if you have time. Being present for the inspection will give you a better understanding of the condition of the home. At a minimum it is beneficial to be present for at least the last hour.
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Some inspectors may provide a handwritten on-site checklist / summary report with comments. Others might offer an on-site, computer-generated report or one that is provided after they return to their office. Beware of a very brief report (i.e. one to two pages) or one that consists of only checklists. Some reports may be extensive, but contain a considerable amount of generic information that may not be specific to your home.
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The answer should be YES!!! Most good inspectors rely on referrals from satisfied clients for future business. Answering follow-up questions is a great way for them to stay in touch with clients.
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This is a question best posed at the end of your interview with the home inspector. The inspector may ask specific questions about the number of heating and cooling systems, or whether or not the home has crawlspace or basement. These factors may affect total cost. Generally, home inspections cost between $300 and $400 for a basic three bedroom, two bathrooms home. Larger, more complicated homes and homes more than twenty years old may be more expensive to inspect. Bargain priced inspections may result in rushed and incomplete inspections. Important elements such as crawlspaces, attics and electric panels might be missed. Generally, veteran inspectors will quote higher prices as they have more experienced and may often need more time to perform a thorough inspection. More knowledge does not necessarily result in quicker inspections.
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