Inspect the inspectors
. . . before making a selection!

Imagine you’ve found a great new home and made your Offer To Purchase. What sort of guarantee do you have that what you see is what you’ll get? These days, most real estate contracts allow inclusion of satisfactory professional inspections as a requirement for completing the purchase.

You wouldn’t select a doctor by opening the Yellow Pages and blindly pointing to a listing, and you shouldn’t be uninformed in your choice of home inspector, either. After all, this is a huge purchase, and you shouldn’t place your trust in just anybody’s hands.

The real estate agent will be able to recommend reliable local inspectors, but you’re still faced with making the choice. What are some questions to ask?

Ask about the inspector’s experience in construction or building maintenance as it relates to his or her qualifications. Don’t be afraid to request a sample report, so you can judge if the job will be done in a thorough and detailed fashion. Also ask for references – and call them! This is an excellent method of verifying the quality you can expect.

Finally, understand that even the best inspectors experience oversights, so kindly ask about their policy in such cases, and to what degree they are liable. Remember that no home is perfect, but be sure that you don’t get any nasty surprises after you’ve completed your purchase!