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Home Inspector

UltaruneUltarune Registered User regular
edited September 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
I'm closing in on purchasing a house and the threads I've read suggest getting an independent home inspector. Is there a national registry or some other way of vetting these home inspectors? I don't know any, or have an recommendations from friends, so it feels like there isn't really a reason to look elsewhere. I live in the St. Louis Missouri area if by chance someone has a local recommendation. Thanks for any help.

Ultarune on

Posts

  • matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Ask your realtor, they'll be able to recommend inspectors they've worked with in the past.

    matt has a problem on
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  • PandionPandion Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Yeah my realtor provided the home inspector for our house purchase. Make sure to save his/her report for your to-do list!

    Pandion on
  • The Crowing OneThe Crowing One Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Alternately, if you want an inspector that isn't attached to your realtor (who stands to benefit, sometimes, from mis-inspection) get in touch with either your local government or a non-profit which specializes in homeownership.

    The Crowing One on
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  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Whoa now. Don't ask your realtor. I mean, if you have no other choice sure, but c'mon guys. Think it through. The realtor wants to sell you a house. That's their goal. A good inspectors job is to notify you of all problems and warn you of anything that can or might be a problem in the near future. Do you see how these might conflict at times?

    Ulta. Tadah Honestly, it can be tough to find a great inspector. Don't be afraid to ask around. In fact, when you talk to an inspector, see if they will provide you with a few references, IE past inspections.

    I don't mean to scare you with this, it's just that I'm a custom home builder and I've seen good and bad out of inspections. I could reccomend a great guy out of Atlanta though! :p

    Anyways, cheers mate and let us know how it goes.

    A Dabble Of Thelonius on
  • matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    A Dabble Of Thelonius wrote: »
    Whoa now. Don't ask your realtor. I mean, if you have no other choice sure, but c'mon guys. Think it through. The realtor wants to sell you a house.
    No, your realtor isn't selling you a house, the selling agent is. They have just as much at stake for the house being inspected properly as you do. If you can't trust your realtor to recommend a good inspector, they shouldn't be your realtor.

    matt has a problem on
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  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Man, you can't trust a realtor farther than you can throw a damned volvo.

    Also, hey the realtor has a stake in it or it wouldn't be a job it would be a charity.

    A Dabble Of Thelonius on
  • The Crowing OneThe Crowing One Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    matthasaproblem wrote: »
    A Dabble Of Thelonius wrote: »
    Whoa now. Don't ask your realtor. I mean, if you have no other choice sure, but c'mon guys. Think it through. The realtor wants to sell you a house.
    No, your realtor isn't selling you a house, the selling agent is. They have just as much at stake for the house being inspected properly as you do. If you can't trust your realtor to recommend a good inspector, they shouldn't be your realtor.

    This really isn't the case.

    Both listing and selling agent receive a comission for the sale, and it is almost 100% of the time based on a percentage of the selling value.

    Anything that would drive the price of the home down, such as an inspection which reveals issues, also cuts the realtors' profits. It is, therefore, in the best interest of a buyer to find a well-respected inspector without ties to either the listing or selling agent in order to do a clean and impartial report on the condition of the home.

    It isn't unheard of, but rare, to find inspectors who are in cahoots with an agent. The realtor receives their commission, and a kick-back takes care of the inspector. Then your roof falls off.

    The Crowing One on
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  • TomantaTomanta Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The quality of inspectors can vary widely. My parents just sold their house and are working on buying another one. The guy that inspected the house they were selling was a moron (he stated, for example, that the shower did not have safety glass. The doors had 'safety glass' printed on it from the manufacturer!) It also took them a week to get a copy of the report.

    Contrasting that, the inspector(s) they hired for their new home were very efficient and thorough, and handed my parents the inspection report before they left the home.

    Tomanta on
  • matt has a problemmatt has a problem Points to 'off' Points to 'on'Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The Crowing One wrote: »
    matthasaproblem wrote: »
    A Dabble Of Thelonius wrote: »
    Whoa now. Don't ask your realtor. I mean, if you have no other choice sure, but c'mon guys. Think it through. The realtor wants to sell you a house.
    No, your realtor isn't selling you a house, the selling agent is. They have just as much at stake for the house being inspected properly as you do. If you can't trust your realtor to recommend a good inspector, they shouldn't be your realtor.

    This really isn't the case.

    Both listing and selling agent receive a comission for the sale, and it is almost 100% of the time based on a percentage of the selling value.

    Anything that would drive the price of the home down, such as an inspection which reveals issues, also cuts the realtors' profits. It is, therefore, in the best interest of a buyer to find a well-respected inspector without ties to either the listing or selling agent in order to do a clean and impartial report on the condition of the home.

    It isn't unheard of, but rare, to find inspectors who are in cahoots with an agent. The realtor receives their commission, and a kick-back takes care of the inspector. Then your roof falls off.
    Then you sue the inspector for not finding pre-existing conditions, or your insurance company does. Like I said, if you can't trust your realtor to recommend someone good, they really shouldn't be your realtor.

    matt has a problem on
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  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    Because lawsuits and repairs are easier than doing a bit of research.

    A Dabble Of Thelonius on
  • PandionPandion Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    The inspector my realtor recommended was very thorough and brought things to my attention that someone who was only interested in making a commission would prefer not be said.

    I can only speak from my experience but at least its a real experience and not some hypothetical. If you trust your realtor then you should be able to trust the inspector that realtor recommends.

    EDIT: I should also add that after living in my house for 3 years he was spot on in his report with what needed to fixed, watched and maintained.

    Pandion on
  • The Crowing OneThe Crowing One Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    matthasaproblem wrote: »
    Then you sue the inspector for not finding pre-existing conditions, or your insurance company does. Like I said, if you can't trust your realtor to recommend someone good, they really shouldn't be your realtor.

    Look. I do this for a living. I assist in homebuying and foreclosure intervention. I know what I'm talking about because I'm a professional that has exactly this sort of conversation with people for 40 hours a week. The I attend events where professionals from around the country get together and hash this stuff out.

    Your realtor's job is to sell you/sell your home. The same characteristics that make a realtor awesome are the ones that make their buddy inspector suspect. The motivation for a realtor is money, and in many cases they make money off of misrepresenting information and conditions. A good realtor will facilitate purchase/sale, and a good inspector will perform a thorough inspection of the home. These two agents are, many times, in opposition to each other.

    Trust your realtor to do everything they can to get you to buy a home. Don't trust them to look out for anything other than their commission. There are many, many awesome and trustworthy realtors out there, but there are also a horde of slightly crooked ones who are more interested in an extra $500 in the bank than your long-term well being.

    I think having a good, impartial inspection is less hassle than a lawsuit, but I may just be kind of crazy.
    Pandion wrote: »
    The inspector my realtor recommended was very thorough and brought things to my attention that someone who was only interested in making a commission would prefer not be said.

    I can only speak from my experience but at least its a real experience and not some hypothetical. If you trust your realtor then you should be able to trust the inspector that realtor recommends.

    I'm not saying that all realtors are blood-sucking demons, but why take a chance when you don't have to? The majority of realtors/inspectors are honest, but what if yours isn't? There's enough gray area and potential for mutual profit to make me, and my colleagues, always recommend an impartial inspector.

    I mean, what does a realtor have to lose other than commission money from a 3rd party inspection?

    The Crowing One on
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