Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Inspector, Part 1

If you’re considering purchasing a new home and want to confirm that it’s both safe and free of possible health or physical risks, the pros at Aerolite Consulting are here for you. Our home inspections are both thorough and professional, and we offer areas like asbestos, meth and radon inspections that many real estate agents and companies don’t.

Like with any contractor or specialist you hire, you should be spending some time researching your best options when it comes to home inspections. We highly encourage this due diligence – we’re so confident in our services and our reputation that we know your research will lead you right back to us, and our services will keep you coming back in the future. But for anyone who hasn’t experienced our high-quality service just yet, this two-part blog will go over some of the important questions you should be asking of any home inspector before hiring them.

Are You Bonded and Insured?

You might think this is an automatic “yes” from any home inspector, but you’d be very surprised how many are not insured. All employees should have worker’s compensation programs set up for accidents or other possible issues – if they don’t, you might be found liable if an incident occurs. Before any home inspection technician or company sets a foot onto a property or begins any work, ensure they have the proper insurance coverage.

Do You Have Robust References?

Businesses like ours draw a lot of value from word-of-mouth, and if a competitor in the space is lacking here, it likely means something. Start by asking around to friends and family who have undergone home inspections in recent years – ask them which companies they’ve used and how they felt about the services provided. Important areas include whether technicians arrived on time, whether the entire home was inspected, and whether the inspection and subsequent report both matched the stated goals and was worth the money spent.

In addition to in-person references, we’re happy to provide a wide catalog of our previous work, including in similar properties to yours. And finally, we have robust and positive Google reviews – consider these as well when assessing any home inspector.

Do You Perform Repairs, or Just Inspections?

While most home inspectors like ours simply give reports based on what we find, there are others who also offer to repair many of these issues. And while we can assist you with certain areas here, including radon mitigation, we don’t generally recommend that this be done by the same company. This is because conflicts of interest can arise due to buyers who can’t tell the difference between optional upgrades and vital, necessary repairs.

Can I Come Along?

If you want to tag along for the home inspection, be sure to ask about this in advance. Not all inspectors will do this, and in many cases it will depend on the exact inspection being done.

For more on the important questions to ask a prospective home inspection professional, or to learn about any of our home inspection services, contact the pros at Aerolite Consulting today.