What is a home inspection?

Home inspection is a visual inspection of the components of an entire house, both inside and out. The area typically covered in a home inspection is from the roof to the foundation outside, and the crawlspaces/basement to the attic inside, and all accessible areas.   A home inspection offers peace of mind and can provide a house with a clean bill of health or bring to light important problems which may be defects, safety hazards, or deterioration for example, that require attention and repair. A home inspector should work off a comprehensive checklist and will provide you with a report and recommendations.

Home inspection for home buyers:

Typically a new home is an investment for the future. Having your potential home inspected, whether it is new or used, prior to closing is a great way to protect your investment and most importantly, you and your family. A home inspection will bring to the table any issues with the house that requires action before the closing. Then, they can be addressed and the appropriate action can be taken such as the seller making the repairs beforehand, or negotiating on price so you can complete the repairs yourself.

Home inspection for home sellers:

Many homeowners have found that it is a good idea to have your home inspected prior to putting it up on the market. As a seller you will protect yourself from surprises before closing and will show full disclosure. If your home is inspected before putting it on the market and problems are found you will have the time to shop around and find a contractor to make the necessary repairs ahead of time rather than be rushed to do it before closing. You will have piece of mind going without a surprise before completing the sale of your home. 

All the above organizations have their own Codes of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Yet their websites only include their members, who pay fees and go through their specific training.  Property Inspection Directory includes home inspectors from all of these organizations, providing you with more inspectors from which to choose. The primary difference between our website and theirs is that the goal of their websites is to serve their home inspectors. Our goal is to serve YOU! Thousands of home inspections happen every day in the United States. To ensure that your home inspection is productive, we still suggest that you research potential inspectors. Even a quick background check via a search engine such as Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) or Google (www.google.com) may reveal interesting things about a potential home inspector. To find a  home inspector in your area, please click on your state, then your county or county near you.

The National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. (NAHI) was established in 1987 as a nonprofit association to promote and develop the home inspection industry. The mission of the National Association of Home Inspectors is to promote excellence and professionalism in the Home Inspection industry; to provide a standards of practice and a code of ethics; to educate its members; and to inform the public of the benefits and scope of a professional home inspection. NAHI now has over 2400 members in all 50 U.S. states and Canada.

CREIA

HIF