Since your home is probably the biggest investment you will ever make in your life, do you think it is wise to “price shop” for an inspector? Would it not make more sense to interview your potential inspector with the following questions?

1.) WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME A HOME INSPECTOR?

What would you rather hear your potential inspector say, “I sold insurance for the last 20 years”, or, “I worked in construction for 20 years. I worked on new homes and remodeled homes.”? Now I am not saying that someone who sold insurance cannot be a good inspector. Nor am I saying that someone with construction experience will automatically make a good inspector, but let’s face it, the experienced construction worker will have the “hands on” advantage.

2.) HOW MANY INSPECTIONS HAVE YOU COMPLETED?

You definitely need to hang up if the inspectors says, “You’re my first one!” All kidding aside, do you really want a “new” inspector for the biggest investment of your life? I realize that we all need to start somewhere, but if the inspector is new he should be accompanied by an experienced inspector. One who has completed 250 inspections.

3.) DO YOU INSPECTION ALL OF THE OUTLETS AND WINDOWS OR JUST A “REPRESENTATIVE NUMBER”?

Why is this so important? The inspector is NOT required to test every outlet and window in the house, only a “representative number”. That means if there are 6 outlets and 3 windows in a room the inspector only has to test ONE outlet and ONE window. A good inspector will test ALL of the outlets and every window when accessible.