Looking up a professional home inspector for a couple of clients of mine in two different cities ended up being a lot harder than I originally expected. In fact I was completely surprised by the results of my search.
My first method of searching was by using Google and just typing in the name of the city and home inspector. This did result in some listings but I was amazed that there was no clear listing of a home inspector that dominated the search. The results were intermingled with home inspection schools and training sites, how confusing for a first time home buyer this would be.
The only item that I was interested in looking for was the Home Inspectors qualifications page. This is where most professional home inspectors list their training, courses, experience and time in the profession. I was surprised by the fact I could only find one site where there were any qualifications that I would consider as being relevant.
The most qualified inspector that I found had information on his site which indicated they had more than the advertised inspector. This meant that although you were looking at one individuals qualifications you could possibly have your inspection performed by an inspector who had no qualifications listed. CAVEAT EMPTOR - BUYER BEWARE, so along with a referral I added the caveat that they request the services of the inspector advertised, just to be on the safe side.
Home inspectors who are new to the industry frequently take many online courses and proudly list these courses on their web sites. NACHI is one of the largest Home Inspectors Associations and has quite a number of these courses available to their members. Un-fortunately these courses are quite basic and most can be completed and certificate printed in less than an hour. There are lots of Logo's and Stickers that rookie home inspectors stick on their sites to lure in the un-educated clients.
There are many areas where a Home Inspector should be able to supply qualifications prior to you agreeing to a home inspection. First is the number of courses he has taken, and more importantly, does he have any government or other Professional Association Courses? As stated before a list from one association is more of a red flag than assurance. The Building Code, Electrical code and the Construction Guide for Housing are the main books used for guidance in my inspections.
Most Provinces in Canada have no regulations regulating home inspectors. This puts the onus onto the home buyer who is then responsible to ensure that the prospective home inspectors qualifications are adequate to protect their investment. When you are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars you have to look past a professionally designed website to find qualifications that actually mean something and will count when it comes to protecting your investment
My first method of searching was by using Google and just typing in the name of the city and home inspector. This did result in some listings but I was amazed that there was no clear listing of a home inspector that dominated the search. The results were intermingled with home inspection schools and training sites, how confusing for a first time home buyer this would be.
The only item that I was interested in looking for was the Home Inspectors qualifications page. This is where most professional home inspectors list their training, courses, experience and time in the profession. I was surprised by the fact I could only find one site where there were any qualifications that I would consider as being relevant.
The most qualified inspector that I found had information on his site which indicated they had more than the advertised inspector. This meant that although you were looking at one individuals qualifications you could possibly have your inspection performed by an inspector who had no qualifications listed. CAVEAT EMPTOR - BUYER BEWARE, so along with a referral I added the caveat that they request the services of the inspector advertised, just to be on the safe side.
Home inspectors who are new to the industry frequently take many online courses and proudly list these courses on their web sites. NACHI is one of the largest Home Inspectors Associations and has quite a number of these courses available to their members. Un-fortunately these courses are quite basic and most can be completed and certificate printed in less than an hour. There are lots of Logo's and Stickers that rookie home inspectors stick on their sites to lure in the un-educated clients.
There are many areas where a Home Inspector should be able to supply qualifications prior to you agreeing to a home inspection. First is the number of courses he has taken, and more importantly, does he have any government or other Professional Association Courses? As stated before a list from one association is more of a red flag than assurance. The Building Code, Electrical code and the Construction Guide for Housing are the main books used for guidance in my inspections.
Most Provinces in Canada have no regulations regulating home inspectors. This puts the onus onto the home buyer who is then responsible to ensure that the prospective home inspectors qualifications are adequate to protect their investment. When you are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars you have to look past a professionally designed website to find qualifications that actually mean something and will count when it comes to protecting your investment
About the Author:
Want to find out more about Barrie Home Inspections, then visit www.guaranteedresidentialinspections.com/ site. Buying or Selling visit Angus Real Estate Sales Persons for your needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment