Finding right home inspector key in spotting future headaches

TAMPA Dave Mantiones only regret is that he didnt hire a home inspector to keep an eye out from the time the foundation to his new home was poured.

I wish I could go back and spend the money to have the house inspected every step of the way, said Mantione, who recently had a house constructed in Citrus Park.

He did hire a certified inspector once he closed on the house and what home inspector Mark Cramer found was a sagging truss, followed by a haphazard repair job. Cramer also found that subcontractors had fastened the rain gutters to the drip edge of the roof, which, down the road, could lead to a costly leak repair.

These days, a vast number of homebuyers hire inspectors so they know exactly what they are getting. But not every inspector is created equal. In Florida, there is a licensing requirement for home inspectors, but virtually every contractor in the state was grandfathered in when the rules were set up in 2010. Special interests got involved and they basically opened it up to everybody, said Frank Lesh, executive director of the American Society of Home Inspectors.

Members of his organization must conduct at least 250 home inspections to become a member. They also must take and pass an inspection examination and an ethics examination to become a certified inspector. Our organization is the only one in North America that has a third party certified inspection test, Lesh said. Consumers can find certified inspectors by visiting http://www.ashi.org. There are about 60 in the greater Tampa Bay area.

Most inspections are conducted on existing homes. About 15 percent are done on new construction.

Its really incumbent on consumers to know what they are buying when they get a home inspection, Lesh said. The word certified is like the word Kleenex. Everybody uses it, but Kleenex is a brand name and you get a quality product with it. Same with certified inspectors, he said.

While plumbers, electricians and contractors may be legally entitled to call themselves home inspectors, it is rare they actually have the expertise to legitimately inspect a house for a buyer, he said.

The most important thing you can do when looking to hire someone is to look at a sample report from that inspector, Cramer said. They are available on the ASHI website. They will mostly look the same, but if you look deeper at what they are writing, you can see if that is the type of inspector you are seeking.

A good home inspector is searching for expensive future repairs, such as a roof that is near the end of its normal life span, water intrusion in wood frame walls and safety concerns, like too-steep or rickety staircases, Cramer said. The buyer is given an inspection report so the repair issues can be addressed.

Read the original post:
Finding right home inspector key in spotting future headaches