What Should I Ask The Home Inspector?
Do you know the questions to ask on a home inspection?
When most buyers think about questions to ask a home inspector, it’s usually about things before they hire them.
Questions like:
- How much do you charge?
- What exactly do you look for?
- How long will the inspection last?
While these questions before picking a home inspector are essential, so are the questions to ask during and after the inspection.
House inspections are often an intense experience for home buyers. You know it’s coming. You know it’s necessary.
But you don’t know what the inspection will find—and you don’t know if what the inspector uncovers will make it difficult or impossible to buy the home you have your heart set on.
No wonder home buyers (and sellers) are constantly stressed out when it’s time for the home inspection.
Fortunately, in most situations, you will find that the home inspection is just one more moderate challenge to get the home of your dreams.
The report will almost certainly contain information you don’t want to hear. However, most of the things home inspectors find are manageable and can be dealt with appropriately with a cool head and some basic negotiation skills.
In one way, you are quite lucky—you have access to the internet and articles like this one, where you can find valuable, helpful information on what you can do to navigate the home-buying process.
Questions to Ask a Home Inspector Before The Inspection
Before hiring an inspector, there are questions you should have answered first. Here are some essential questions to ask home inspectors before hiring them.
Are You Licensed and Insured?
While it is unlikely most people will be duped into picking an unlicensed inspector, you want to double-check nonetheless. You may also want to ask if they have additional qualifications, such as being ASHI certified.
ASHI stands for American Society of Home Inspectors. To be ASHI certified, you need to go through additional rigorous training.
What Will You Be Looking at During The Home Inspection?
If you have never purchased a home or gone through the inspection process, you’re unlikely to know what takes place.
An excellent home inspector will cover their procedures. As a buyer, having a home inspection checklist can be helpful to ensure they cover all your potential concerns.
What Doesn’t The Home Inspection Cover?
Home inspectors can’t look at everything when they are inspecting a property. For example, don’t expect them to look behind walls or areas that cannot be accessed.
Quite often, inspectors will also flag items that could be potential issues. They will suggest you have additional experts identify if there is genuinely a problem.
It is essential to know there are potential issues an inspector could miss.
How Much Will You Charge For The Inspection?
How much a home inspection costs is an essential question. However, don’t let it be the ultimate factor in who you choose. Your home purchase is a significant investment. You will usually get what you pay for regarding inspections.
Do you want to save a couple of hundred bucks vs. having critical problems missed? Probably not! Keep the home inspection cost in perspective.Click To TweetHow Long Have You Been a Home Inspector?
Like most things in life, experience matters. The longer you have been in the business, the better you will be at your craft. If you asked most inspectors, they would tell you they are much better now than when they started.
The same thing would apply to a real estate agent or someone else in the real estate industry.
How Long Will The Inspection Take?
The time it takes to complete a home inspection will vary depending on a few factors. Some of them include the type of property, the square footage, and whether it has a basement or crawlspace.
You want the inspector to be as thorough as possible. For a larger home, you should expect 3-4 hours. A couple of hours is usually sufficient for a smaller house or condo.
Can I Attend The Home Inspection?
If a home inspector does not want you present for the inspection, that should be a red flag. Home inspections are an educational process where you learn a lot about the property.
Great home inspectors take the time to explain things to you about the property. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem but explaining how something functions appropriately. The best inspectors will provide guidance about the proper maintenance of significant systems.
Do You Have a Sample Inspection Report?
Getting a copy of an inspection report ahead of time can be helpful to see. It will allow you to determine if understanding issues pointed out by the inspector are clear.
Are the reports typed, or does the inspector have messy handwriting? Are the significant issues redlined, so they are easy to understand?
Now that we have covered questions to ask a home inspector before signing up let’s examine them during the inspection.
Ideally, you will gain insight into the home that you would not have had otherwise, the intel you can use to make an informed decision before you make a final choice about whether to buy the home.
Questions to Ask a Home Inspector During The Inspection
The questions to ask on a home inspection are likely to be the most critical while it’s being done. There is nothing better than a first-hand experience with a home inspection.
From my thirty-seven years of experience as an agent, I can tell you the home inspection report will seem very different than being present.
If you don’t attend the inspection and only see a report, you will likely think you bought a lemon. Home inspection reports tend to look ominous. Inspectors are covering themselves well, so even minor issues seem substantial.
Being present helps you understand issues large and small.
What Do You Mean?
As inspectors walk through the home, they will point out potential problems.
When unsure of the terminology, the best home inspectors will carefully describe the issue. They will let you know the ramifications if the problems are not rectified.
It would help if you never were afraid to ask inspectors questions you’re unsure about.
Is This a Significant Issue?
Exceptional inspectors do not blow problems out of proportion. They explain the downsides of the issue. If the problem isn’t substantial, they don’t make you feel like the property is terrible.
Every business has bad apples. In the home inspection industry, it’s when the inspector hopes you don’t buy, and they get a second or even a third inspection out of you.
In most cases, the issues discovered will not be deal breakers. No house is perfect, and many have the same problems.
Do I Need to Be Concerned About The Cracks in The Foundation or Floor?
When you see a crack, you have every right to be concerned. However, most cracks found in foundations are not problematic. You’ll find that most are non-structural hairline cracks.
A structural crack, on the other hand, is a significant concern. A home inspector will point it out and likely recommend a structural engineer look it over.
Cracks in basement floors are not structural and are nothing to worry about unless they let groundwater into the home.
How Many Years of Life Are Left in The Roof?
A roof is one of the most essential components in any home. It makes sense you would want to know the life expectancy. Roofs can be expensive to replace.
An idea of the age will allow you to budget for a roof replacement.
Are There Any Structural Defects?
One of the concerns any buyer should have is structural problems. It’s essential to question the inspector when they raise any structural concerns.
For example, if the inspector mentions that a portion of the house sill is rotted, you need to know if it’s significant. Is there any imminent danger? Is it a significant job to repair? What will it cost to cure this problem?
It is similar to finding out how problematic cracks are in the foundation.
How Should The HVAC Be Maintained?
As I mentioned, home inspections can be an educational process. Depending on the system type and fuel used, the inspector will likely explain what you need to do.
For example, when the filters need to be changed.
Should I be Concerned About The Water Staining in The Ceiling?
This is an example of one of the perfect questions to ask a home inspector. Depending on where the stain is located is likely to determine if it is a significant issue or not.
If the stain is directly over a bathroom and not wet, one of the kids probably left the shower curtain open. However, it becomes more problematic if the stain is somewhere water penetration, such as an ice dam.
The inspector will likely ask you to investigate further will the owner.
Your Job is to Remember The Inspection vs. The Report
You may discover that what the inspector told you at the inspection somewhat differs from what you see on the report.
In fact, after selling real estate for the past thirty-seven years in the Metrowest, Massachusetts area, I can tell you this happens quite frequently. Almost always, what you hear in person sounds less threatening than what you see in the report.
Home inspection reports often make it seem like you buy the lemon nobody wants. Take a deep breath and relax. You are probably dealing with a home with the typical problems of most properties.
Unfortunately, some inspectors will cover their asses to the extreme in home inspection reports. More than likely, the house isn’t going to collapse around you.
I’ve written about the disconnect between what the home inspector says in person vs. what he puts in the report. It shouldn’t happen, but it does.
The bottom line is you have a right to learn as much as you can about the home before handing over a check. The home inspector should be happy to help you with as much information as you need (as long as the questions you ask are ones that they are qualified to answer).
If you look at the inspection report and feel like you understand it all, look again. The best time to pick the brain of the inspector is right now, after the inspection has been completed, before you give the seller your money.
If you can’t come up with any questions, run the report by your Realtor and get feedback from them. You will be glad you took advantage of the inspector’s first-hand knowledge of the home later—whether you buy it or walk away from it.
Questions to Ask the Home Inspector After the Inspection
1. Can You Explain This to Me?
Unless you are a home inspector yourself, chances are there will be some parts of the inspection report that you do not fully understand.
It is normal to need some clarification when you get the report, even if you were there for the inspection and already asked a lot of questions (which hopefully you were because there is no better way to understand the state of a home than walking through it with a qualified home inspector).
The report could take a day to arrive, and the inspector may explain things differently than they did in person.
When you get the report, please review it and write down any questions or points of clarification you need. Then give the inspector a call and ask for help with your questions.
2. How Big a Problem is This?
Part of what makes home inspection reports so unnerving to home buyers is the level of detail they contain.
Home inspection reports can be up to 50-100 pages long, depending on the number of issues with the home.
The report will probably contain numerous pictures and detailed notes from the inspector.
It can all be overwhelming and leave you feeling like the home is a complete wreck.
Try not to let the amount of information in the report get to you.
With most homes, only a few significant issues need to be addressed sooner rather than later, or that might make someone back out after a home inspection.
It may be hard to decipher which items are of grave concern and which are less problematic. That is why you should talk to the inspector and get clarification.
Remember that the inspector is not qualified to tell you whether the seller should be responsible for fixing something.
They can only tell you if a problem is severe enough to make you pause before purchasing the property.
Your agent is the best qualified to help you decide how to handle severe problems with the home and to help you determine if a home is right for you. Understanding how to negotiate after a house inspection is essential for both the buyer and seller.
Keep in mind the purpose of doing a home inspection is not to create a punch list you hand to the seller to make the home perfect. Buyers must understand the house inspection determines if there are serious structural or mechanical issues.
Here are some tips on what not to ask the seller to fix after the inspection. These are considered unreasonable inspection requests.
Buyers should understand there are no mandatory fixes after a home inspection.
3. Do I Need an Expert to Look at This Problem?
A home inspector is a generalist. They know how to spot issues and potential problems but are unlikely to be seriously trained in all areas of home repair.
However, the home inspector should be able to tell you if it would be a good idea to have an expert come in and examine an issue.
For instance, electricians are qualified to diagnose electrical problems and estimate the cost of electrical repairs.
You want to call in experts if the inspector advises you. Your real estate agent will use the repair estimates to negotiate with the seller.
You may seek to have the seller take care of repairs before purchase or to get concessions from the seller for future repairs.
4. Is This Problem Normal?
If you get an outstanding inspector, they will take the time to explain if a problem is something you should worry about or is a common issue. Unfortunately, many home inspectors don’t take the time to do this.
What comes out of the inspector’s mouth can sometimes be terrifying if you have never bought a home. It is one reason I recommend that real estate agents attend home inspections.
It is part of an agent’s job and can also be a sounding board between the client and inspector.
For example, the inspector says, “I found two double-tapped wires in the electrical panel, and it’s a safety hazard.” You can often then see the fear on the buyer’s face.
A real estate agent can then say something to the inspector like, “how often do you see this?”
The answer, of course, is that it happens pretty frequently. While it should be addressed, it’s not a big deal.
These kinds of situations take place throughout a home inspection. Many issues will be presented while you are there. Some inspectors are great communicators. Frankly, others are piss poor.
Some inspectors will intentionally scare the shit out of a buyer so they don’t buy the home.
As mentioned, in every business, there are good and bad people. In the home inspection industry, a lousy inspector will want you to back out of the sale so that they get you to hire them for an inspection on another home. Sad but true.
The seller is left with putting the house back on the market. You potentially could be missing out on a great place.
5. Can You Advise Me on Things I Should Fix When I Move Into The Home?
This is one of the more essential questions to ask a home inspector.
There may be some home repairs that should be taken care of pretty quickly after you move in.
Problems like leaking pipes are not ones you should ignore.
Waiting for too long to get these repairs might put you in a bad position in the future—causing damage to your property and increasing the cost or inconvenience of getting the repairs.
Your home inspector should be able to point you toward the repairs that would be best done when you arrive at your home.
Please take note of what they say and do your best to address the problems promptly.
That way, you can enjoy your new home without stressing about issues you know need to be fixed but are avoiding.
It also always makes sense to repair things that will bring the highest return on investment in selling.
Problems That Should Be Addressed When Buying a Home
Here are some of the most common home inspection problems that should be addressed before moving in:
- Mold – mold should always be dealt with immediately, especially if you have any health problems.
- Lead paint – when you have children under six years old living in a house, it should be removed. Lead paint removal is a federal law.
- Radon is a health hazard when exposed to it over a long period. You should always have radon remediated to safer levels when they are found to be high.
- Any severe structural or mechanical defects.
- Any safety hazard that could cause physical harm to you, your family, or guests.
Other Home Inspection Resources Worth Reading
A home inspection is one of the most significant hurdles in a real estate transaction, so buyers and sellers must be highly educated about them. Here are some additional home inspection resources worth checking out.
Preparing for a home inspection – see what sellers can do to prepare for a home inspection. There are lots of little things that can and should be addressed before an assessment takes place.
Final Thoughts on Questions to Ask a Home Inspector
As you can see, there are many critical questions to ask home inspectors before, during, and after a home inspection. If you have questions or want my opinion about something inspection related, feel free to reach out.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed these questions to ask on a home inspection.
Additional Helpful Home Buying Resources
- What to do after buying a home – Luke Skar provides helpful advice on things to do after a home purchase.
- Only hire licensed and insured contractors – Conor MacEvilly explains the necessity of ensuring your contractors are insured and licensed.
Use these additional resources to make excellent decisions when purchasing a house.
About the Author: The above Real Estate information on questions to ask the home inspector was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 37+ Years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.