Choosing the Right Inspector For You.

With the growing real estate market, home inspector numbers have risen dramatically and competition for a piece of the consumer pie is fierce. For the buyer considering home inspectors, the path toward making a choice is littered with slick advertising, discount coupons and word of mouth warnings about inspectors who are too expensive, too slow, too picky and so on. Now more than ever it's time for due diligence when considering a home inspector. 

The first step is to understand that hiring an inspector is not like looking for the best price on a new car, so whatever you do, don't let fees alone guide your decision. Because Washington doesn't  have requirements to become a home inspector, be sure to ask about training, background, experience and credentialing. Ask what the inspector does to stay current. Inquire about professional affiliations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors, the National Association of Home Inspectors, and the American Institute of Inspectors, to name a few. Explore the association websites and check to make sure the inspector is a member in good standing. The websites will generally offer information about how to interview an inspector so you can also get a better idea of what questions to ask. Find out what it takes to be certified by that association and look over their Standards of Practice. Also be certain the inspector will be providing a pest inspection and is licensed to do so, as is required by law. Inspection reports which do not provide a pest (WDO, Wood Destroying Organism) report are not legal for the Real Estate transaction.

The following association web sites will help you along the way:

ASHI               American Society of Home Inspectors                          www.ashi.org

AII                  American Institute of Inspectors                                    www.inspection.org

NAHI              National Association of Home Inspectors                      www.nahi.org

To check on whether or not the inspector is licensed as a Structural Pest Inspector go to the WSDA website at agr.wa.gov/PestFert/LicensingEd/ListStructuralPestInspectors.asp 

Larry Stamp AD BS RREI

Cameo Home Inspection Services

Olympia, WA