Historically, the inspection services trade has gotten a poor reputation. People often denigrate inspection services because of bad past experiences. My sense is that this perception is not confined to Washington State but widespread.

What did inspection services do to cause such sour dispositions or even, in too many cases, litigation? The comments I have heard tend to cite inspectors that were just not that conscientious. The inspector seemed to be more interested in pleasing the agent than the customer, and consequently was too quick, overlooked issues, and produced shoddy reports.

The warranty home inspection is a rare bird to begin with, but I am wondering if it has become extinct. Inspection and a home warranty policy appear to be almost mutually exclusive, the buyer choosing one or the other but not both. It used to be that a home warranty policy was automatically offered upon opening escrow, and the buyer sometimes proposed to split the cost with the seller. My sense now is that the inspection is far preferable.

But a home inspection and warranty policy are not necessarily orthogonal. In fact, for new construction, one expects the general contractor to address, free of charge and for up to a year after closing, obvious mistakes and annoyances. The warranty home inspection is designed to generate a punch list for the new owner that is as complete as possible. For older houses, a home warranty policy to me still makes sense, whether or not it was inspected, if only to provide insurance against a spate of sudden expenses. And the inspector can help the buyer determine if any claims should be made before the warranty expires.

Usually a home inspection is part of a real estate transaction and takes one of three forms. The pre-purchase home inspection helps the home buyer determine whether his dream house might be a money pit and/or whether to renegotiate the contract to include specified repairs. The pre-listing inspection helps the home seller to discover and correct any problems in his house before placing it on the market. The third form is simply a home re-inspection, which is basically a follow-up to the first form after repairs are completed. All three forms can be extended (or limited) to include specialized evaluations, such as for the presence of radon, asbestos, and other hazardous materials or for poor air quality, although in most cases a pest inspection is automatically included. However, in this article we will focus on inspection types that are not associated with a real estate transaction.

These types of home inspection are at the owner's request, whose intent is to remain in the house. The first type consists of a reassessment of the house condition relatively soon after moving in. The second type is what is known as a warranty inspection. The third type is what I refer to as a home maintenance inspection. Let's look at these three types in a bit more detail.

A home re-inspection is a way to prove that defects identified in an inspection report have been properly repaired, that the conditions of the pertinent components or systems now pass muster. This verification home inspection is usually limited to those items specifically negotiated between buyer and seller that were to be corrected prior to closing. Naturally, it only makes sense for the client to hire the same home inspector he used in the first place, for otherwise he would be contracting (and paying) for a second complete inspection. The only real issue is whether or not the inspector charges an extra fee for this service.

The (main) home inspection, now a common contingency placed on real estate purchase contracts, is one of many tools buyers use to protect themselves from getting stuck with a money pit. Buyers are being very picky right now because (a) they can afford to be and (b) there is still a lot of market risk out there. I have had customers who terminated the purchase agreement because of what I considered significant defects but not serious enough to be deal breakers. I expect to see the verification walk-through and re-inspection to be utilized more often in the near future.

A home inspection is something most commonly ordered by a buyer as a kind of insurance policy and/or escape clause from the purchase agreement. Why would a home inspection (and especially its cost, however modest) make sense for the seller, let alone help him? The answer lies in making his property stand out above the rest, to make it as attractive as it can be. In tough times like today it is particularly important to do what it takes to command a reasonably high price in a difficult market. Let's see how this works.

A pre-listing home inspection is designed to take care of problems before buyers become aware of them. Some home inspector is going to assess your home anyway; why not beat the buyer to the punch in the spirit of full disclosure? This up-front posture is appealing and those interested in your house will assign it value. In a way, having an inspection ahead of time produces the same benefits as staging your home. It tends to avert disappointments such as drawn-out negotiations, contract terminations, and low-priced offers.

Bathroom plumbing gets a lot of wear and tear, and is the most likely place in the house for leaks to develop. That's why bathroom plumbing is one of the most scrutinized items on the home inspector's checklist. Moreover, much of the plumbing in the bathroom, particularly for the shower and bathtub, is inaccessible, so that if and when leaks do occur they can go unnoticed for a long time. This can result in unwanted moisture damaging wood and/or attracting infestations of wood-destroying organisms.

I inspect bathroom plumbing methodically, deliberately, and thoroughly because of this significance and these ramifications. I have completed proper training, been the recipient of invaluable mentorship, and picked up some plumber secrets along the way. Allow me to share my approach to inspecting a bathroom and all of its varied plumbing.

The home inspection trade sees many different kinds of clients, but the overwhelmingly predominant type is the homebuyer. The successful home inspection business is good at identifying its target audience and at marketing to it. Historically, the marketing target was almost exclusively the real estate agent, as his or her referrals were the only source of clients. This meant that the needs of the client were subordinate to the desires, whims, and dictates of the agent. Modern technology enables the home inspection firm to gear its marketing directly to the public, thereby gaining some independence from agents and allowing the home inspector to focus on serving the client primarily, who is, after all, paying him.

Most home inspection clients are motivated, if not by caution, by prudence. They want to avoid getting stuck with a money pit. But a home inspection typically helps the buyer in ways other than simply allaying fear. With his training, proper licensing, and insurance, the home inspector gives the client an idea of what to expect down the road, explains how to maintain and service the appliances and systems in his new home, and in general brings the homebuyer an assurance, a satisfaction, a peace of mind. Let's examine certain aspects of the business to see how this is accomplished specifically.

As a home inspector who wants to stay in business, I have a plan that covers important aspects such as marketing, advertising, and target audience, and I track performance to that plan. As a home inspector who cares about ethics and reputation, I diligently try to avoid compromising situations that could tarnish my name and/or result in a disservice for my clients. Unfortunately, these two goals or missions sometimes seem to be at odds. What keeps me going is the sincere desire to be not just a good home inspector but one the client trusts and who is recognized as an expert, an authority.

Traditionally, the home inspector relied exclusively on referrals from real estate agents. To keep the referrals coming, pleasing the agent was primary and meeting the needs of the client, secondary. Thoroughness took a back seat to precautionary measures not to "kill the deal." In a way, the agent really worked for the seller (whence his commission) and the home inspector really worked for the agent; neither put the client at the top of their lists. In my book, such did not deserve the label, "good." Fortunately, today's laws are stronger and opportunities exist to break the traditional mold. Let's examine some of the ways a home inspector can distinguish himself and earn that "good" label.

Roof repair is not my thing, but as a home inspector I am on the roof a lot. I determine whether roof repair is called for or is likely to be imminent. The Standards of Practice require me to traverse the roof during the course of an inspection, but there is an escape clause I can exercise not to traverse the roof provided I document the reasons. The number of incidents of someone (including home inspectors) falling off a roof and/or ladder is high enough to warrant erring on the side of safety. So when the roof pitch is steeper than about 8-in-12, or when conditions are bad (e.g., moss), I take precautions, opt out of traversing, and cite safety as my reason. (And then I inspect the roof using alternative methods.)

Whether roof repair, home inspection, or some other calling requires you to ascend a tall ladder, you can't be too careful. There are techniques one can apply to reduce the chance of accidents, and I'd like to share some of these here. Most of these techniques have to do with proper ladder use, but many of the principles can be extended to getting around on the roof for repair or other reasons.

The phrase "hot water heaters" used to mean big tanks with fires underneath powered by oil or gas. Now, hot water heaters may be gas- or electric-powered, may make use of new technologies, and are so varied in design and implementation that the homeowner often finds himself overwhelmed with options galore. In this blog article, I will try to put these numerous options into perspective.

The traditional tank hot water heaters are still what I as a home inspector most commonly see. But with the trend towards green buildings and energy conservation, I expect to see high efficiency implementations more often. These might be stand-alone hot water heaters with elongated heat exchangers and/or direct venting, or they might use heat pump technology (either wholly separate or in conjunction with a conventional tank). High-efficiency hot water heaters introduce new requirements, such as the need to drain condensate, but the savings is usually worth it.