That question may have entered your mind at some point in your life. Certainly when you were getting ready to purchase your home you might have thought it prudent, maybe your realtor suggested it to you or possibly your mortgage company required it. While some people would never dream of making such a huge investment as buying a home without having a professional and certified home inspector, others feel they either possess enough general knowledge about homes, or construction in general, as to make hiring an inspector unnecessary. Some may even have a relative or a friend in a particular trade that makes them even more comfident in their decision to forgo an inspection.
In this age of do it yourselfers and weekend warriors, there certainly appears to be a greater understanding of the basics when it comes to homes and their maintenance. However, along with this new found knowledge and eagerness comes a little more misunderstanding or improper gauging of ones own limitations. There are some jobs that are certainly within the reach of any above average amateur, such as installing a new faucet, painting a room or even replacing an existing ceiling fan. There are other jobs best left to a professional, such as patching a roof, installing a new GFCI breaker in an electrical panel or servicing a heating system. The point here is that although someone may be marginally competent in one or more trades, that in itself doesn't bring them up to the level of a qualified home inspector with the vast array of knowledge that they must posses in order to stay current within this ever evolving field. This also doesn't even touch on the topic of new building codes, which are forever in flux and which require ongoing education for the inspector to stay abreast, even if they don't perform code inspections. There are some methodologies, such as installing deck flashing, that simply didn't exist years ago, and which were learned perhaps only by tragic circumstances after they occured.
So why do you need a home inspector, and when? It is not an exaggeration to state that a qualified home inspector has probably saved more lives and properties from serious, even life threatening, hazards than any other trades person or entity. When during the course of a home inspection, the inspector views an unsafe electrical connection in a crawl space of a home (which was perhaps performed years ago by an eager and "handy" neighbor, or even a relative), it is his or her moral duty to not only inform their client, but also the home owner as well, of the imminent danger uncovered. A qualified home inspector can save a typical client (or homeowner) untold thousands of dollars by simply drawing their attention to a serious structural crack in a foundation wall, which if repaired now would save them from having to perhaps jack up the entire side of the house to repair it later, after the crack has immigrated to other areas and which will now significantly increase the costs. Another example would be a roof which is nearing the end of its intended or manufactured "life", which if left alone instead of being replaced, could wind up being the direct cause of tens of thousands of dollars worth of interior damage inside the home! When you consider that a typical home inspection on a $200,000 home may cost approximately $475.00, you are spending only about 1/4 of 1% of the value of the property for such thorough and invaluable information! Where else can you receive such a return on investment? The answer of course is nowhere!
Can a home inspector help out a home owner who is just looking to know what needs to be done in order to properly maintain their home? Absolutely! The inspector can give the homeowner an itemized "to do" list which will also prioritize the repairs or improvements needed, from most urgent to least. An inspector can be a great ally of a recent widow whose husband took care of everything around the home and who is now left to fend for herself. A home inspector can be contacted by a homeowner who was recently given an apparently outlandish estimate for repair by a contractor to fix some roof flashing and who does't know whether the problem really exists, or if it does in fact exist, whether the estimate could even be considered reasonable.
The certified home inspector's job is to provide a general overview of the home. They usually have a working knowledge of many components of the home, as well as a few of the building trades. Their knowledge must be broad, compared to a particular tradesperson who may be a professional, or be competent, in one field only, such as a plumber. They need to know alot about many things, something akin to a "renaissance" man or woman. They can be compared to a general practitioner physician. Your general practitioner physician can help you with just about everything that may be bothering you, in other words typical concerns, pains and ailments. But when they encounter some abnormal condition out of their field of expertise, or something which warrants another opinion, they refer you to a specialist, such as a cardiologist. Home inspectors are exactly the same. They are your "general practitioner" who can handle just about everything that comes their way, but when they encounter something beyond their capabilities, they advise you to seek out a professional in whatever trade or field is applicable.
In closing, there are numerous reasons to contact a certified and professional home inspector. Whether you are looking to purchase a home, already own one and are looking to put it on the market, or are simply looking to learned more about maintaining the one you have, you should call a qualified home inspector. Knowledge is power and the more you know about a particular house, whether you are buying it or even if your own one already, the better position you'll be in to make informed and rational decisions regarding its maintenance, care or whether you should purchase it.
In this age of do it yourselfers and weekend warriors, there certainly appears to be a greater understanding of the basics when it comes to homes and their maintenance. However, along with this new found knowledge and eagerness comes a little more misunderstanding or improper gauging of ones own limitations. There are some jobs that are certainly within the reach of any above average amateur, such as installing a new faucet, painting a room or even replacing an existing ceiling fan. There are other jobs best left to a professional, such as patching a roof, installing a new GFCI breaker in an electrical panel or servicing a heating system. The point here is that although someone may be marginally competent in one or more trades, that in itself doesn't bring them up to the level of a qualified home inspector with the vast array of knowledge that they must posses in order to stay current within this ever evolving field. This also doesn't even touch on the topic of new building codes, which are forever in flux and which require ongoing education for the inspector to stay abreast, even if they don't perform code inspections. There are some methodologies, such as installing deck flashing, that simply didn't exist years ago, and which were learned perhaps only by tragic circumstances after they occured.
So why do you need a home inspector, and when? It is not an exaggeration to state that a qualified home inspector has probably saved more lives and properties from serious, even life threatening, hazards than any other trades person or entity. When during the course of a home inspection, the inspector views an unsafe electrical connection in a crawl space of a home (which was perhaps performed years ago by an eager and "handy" neighbor, or even a relative), it is his or her moral duty to not only inform their client, but also the home owner as well, of the imminent danger uncovered. A qualified home inspector can save a typical client (or homeowner) untold thousands of dollars by simply drawing their attention to a serious structural crack in a foundation wall, which if repaired now would save them from having to perhaps jack up the entire side of the house to repair it later, after the crack has immigrated to other areas and which will now significantly increase the costs. Another example would be a roof which is nearing the end of its intended or manufactured "life", which if left alone instead of being replaced, could wind up being the direct cause of tens of thousands of dollars worth of interior damage inside the home! When you consider that a typical home inspection on a $200,000 home may cost approximately $475.00, you are spending only about 1/4 of 1% of the value of the property for such thorough and invaluable information! Where else can you receive such a return on investment? The answer of course is nowhere!
Can a home inspector help out a home owner who is just looking to know what needs to be done in order to properly maintain their home? Absolutely! The inspector can give the homeowner an itemized "to do" list which will also prioritize the repairs or improvements needed, from most urgent to least. An inspector can be a great ally of a recent widow whose husband took care of everything around the home and who is now left to fend for herself. A home inspector can be contacted by a homeowner who was recently given an apparently outlandish estimate for repair by a contractor to fix some roof flashing and who does't know whether the problem really exists, or if it does in fact exist, whether the estimate could even be considered reasonable.
The certified home inspector's job is to provide a general overview of the home. They usually have a working knowledge of many components of the home, as well as a few of the building trades. Their knowledge must be broad, compared to a particular tradesperson who may be a professional, or be competent, in one field only, such as a plumber. They need to know alot about many things, something akin to a "renaissance" man or woman. They can be compared to a general practitioner physician. Your general practitioner physician can help you with just about everything that may be bothering you, in other words typical concerns, pains and ailments. But when they encounter some abnormal condition out of their field of expertise, or something which warrants another opinion, they refer you to a specialist, such as a cardiologist. Home inspectors are exactly the same. They are your "general practitioner" who can handle just about everything that comes their way, but when they encounter something beyond their capabilities, they advise you to seek out a professional in whatever trade or field is applicable.
In closing, there are numerous reasons to contact a certified and professional home inspector. Whether you are looking to purchase a home, already own one and are looking to put it on the market, or are simply looking to learned more about maintaining the one you have, you should call a qualified home inspector. Knowledge is power and the more you know about a particular house, whether you are buying it or even if your own one already, the better position you'll be in to make informed and rational decisions regarding its maintenance, care or whether you should purchase it.
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