Summer 2010 - be very careful who you hire to inspect for you
Don't be fooled by inspectors who advertise they are a professional engineer. Some are, but a lot of them are not and are using lapsed credentials, or are aeronautical or civil engineers and don't know any more about the electrical, plumbing or heating systems than you do! Unless you can find their active license on the Georgia Secretary of State's website, they are breaking the law in Georgia by calling themselves a professional engineer.
Stick with a professional, full time well rounded certified professional home inspector. Now, more than ever, you need the best inspector you can find. One who is very good, experienced, and a truly certified home inspector. Someone who can tell you if you're buying a dog or not. Someone who can tell you the true condition, good or bad, about what your buying.
That's what the Medallion inspectors do every day. We're good at what we do, and we've been doing it for a long time. We help our clients make informed decisions, and we are one of the busiest home inspection companies in Atlanta because we're good at what we do. Check what customers have been saying about us on www.kudzu.com and see for yourself.
But the market hasn't been as kind to other inspectors. Just like real estate agents, a lot of inspectors have been leaving the business recently. Maybe they were unable to stay busy, or they relied on real estate agents for their business - and now those agents are working at the mall. The problem is, before they leave the inspection business, they often make small changes to their business that hurt you but that you cannot see. For example, unable to make ends meet, some inspectors have canceled their liability insurance, while others have dropped their membership in professional associations that provide much needed training. And others have quietly changed from being full time inspectors into being part-timers - the last step before they leave the business. When they go out of business, you'll have no one to turn to when you need help the most.
New people are becoming inspectors, too. Builders and carpenters, electricians and plumbers, real estate agents and bankers, even people from other unrelated businesses who were downsized are getting in the business. They're buying business cards, opening fancy websites, buying dubious 'certified inspector' credentials on the internet, and marketing themselves in ways that lead you believe they've been around for a long time. Their wives sometimes answer the phone, and use misleading statements such as "...all of our inspections meet or exceed ASHI standards", which means they are not members of ASHI but want you to think they are. And, afraid to get on the roof, they'll tell you they can see everything from the ground with a pair of high powered binoculars. Baloney!
How can you protect yourself?
Be very careful. Ask the right questions. Check them out. Read their references. Talk to them. Get comfortable. If something doesn't feel right, choose someone else. .
- Are they full time inspectors?
-this is a full time job. How can they stay informed and experienced working another job during the week?- How many inspections have they done this year?
- It should be at least 350 or more each year, or they just aren't active enough to stay experienced up-to-date and informed - Do they have at least a million dollar general liability insurance policy?
- if their ladder falls on the seller's car, if they don't have it, you may be liable!- How willing are they to stand behind their inspection?
- most don't. We do!- Are they Code Certified by the ICC as a Residential Inspector?
- No other certification counts, especially from one of the internet based inspector associations. The ICC is the organization that actually writes the building codes adopted by the State of Georgia. Note: be careful - some guys buy a membership in ICC so that they can imitate being certified. If they say they are a 'member' of ICC, or CABO, their certifications probably aren't real. Call us and we'll check their credentials online for you. Be careful!- Are they a current Certified Member of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors?
-it means they perform their inspections according to the standards of practice AND adhere to the - Code of Ethics of the original and most respected professional inspector association in the country- Don't hire someone on the basis of price.
-The guy who is inexperienced, not busy, or has dropped their insurance has probably dropped their prices to an unbelievable level, too. Don't be fooled. If you are spending $100,000, $300,000, or more, the $100
lower price means nothing if they miss something that costs you a couple thousand to repair after you close.
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