Recently I looked at a home as a possible buyer and remembered the changes in home inspections over the years.
When someone bought a home 25 or 30 years ago they would call their father, or a plumber, or a friend that is handy and ask them to come look at the house. They might turn on some faucets and the Air Conditioning and see what happens, but they had no real training, no system, and no written report. In the late 70’s some people started calling themselves “whole house inspectors”. At first anyone that wanted to call themselves an inspector could charge a fee and issue some sort of report, possibly without any qualifications at all. Texas started regulating and licensing them after a few years, assuring that everyone used similar forms and had certain education and qualifications. I didn’t know what to think at first, but when I bought my next home I really appreciated the detached viewpoint these professionals could provide.
A home inspector can tell you the current condition of the home and will often talk with you about what is dangerous and what is mostly just an update of code since the home was built, or an item that might just be cosmetic. To help prevent fraud or just conflict of interest, they are not allowed to preform repairs and so cannot give a good estimate of what a certain repair would cost. There is an exception made in the case of pest inspections, they are allowed to both inspect and treat for pests.
Some inspectors are more careful and present you with more detailed information. The best way to select a home inspector is by talking with friends that purchased a home recently and were happy with the quality of work done. Still Brothers also provides a list of local licensed inspectors and their contact information. It is always a very good idea to be at the home with the inspector, just like you would have gone with your father or friend. They will walk thru and around the home giving you advice on future maintenance and they will point out concerns that they will address on their written report.
