California's home inspection industry has been busy lately busting myths about home inspections because consumers too often hold misguided beliefs about the service.
Errant thoughts about when a home inspection is necessary, who should perform it and how it should be conducted, can lead to hazardous conditions left undiscovered and undisclosed, litigation and deals gone sour -- all of which can cost big bucks.
A professional home inspection gives a home the once over from the foundation to the rafters and generates a report that details the condition of a home's major components.
Inspectors don't rip into walls, take apart appliances or dive into the swimming pool, but virtually anything you can see, a professional home inspector can inspect with a trained eye.
Here are the myths and the facts that dispel them, according to the California Real Estate Inspectors Association (CREIA) and other sources.
Myth: An inspection isn't needed as long as a qualified person tells you the condition of the property.
- A qualified professional inspector, licensed in states that require it, or otherwise certified by a respected trade group, or both, will inspect your home and report findings in a written document. A checklist of items inspected along with a narrative of his or her findings provides the best documentation. Some reports also may include an action list of items needing attention and digital photos to illustrate the findings. The report is a formal, final, and factual declaration of what was discovered about the property the day the home was inspected. The document overshadows spoken claims that come with no documentation.
Myth: A termite inspection is all you need to know about a home you're buying.
- Termite inspections, chimney inspections, structural inspections, environmental inspections and a host of others may be necessary and important to get the best inside knowledge of a home's condition, but they are not home inspections. A professional home inspection will address the overall performance of the accessible structural elements, the functionality of the major systems, and some safety aspects of a home and its various components. Herein lies another value of a home inspection. Should the inspector find evidence of termite, chimney or structural problems he will recommend an inspector qualified for the specific look-see.
Myth: You only need a general contractor to do a home inspection.
- Some states forbid general contractors from performing both home inspections and corrective home improvements on the same property because there is the potential for a conflict of interest. A general contractor certainly has the background to be a good professional home inspector, but don't confuse someone who works primarily as a general contractor with a home inspector, unless he has been licensed or trade group-certified in the home inspection field. An inspector certainly needs to know facets of the building trade, but he or she must also recognize and evaluate patterns of deterioration and wear affecting building structures and mechanics. An inspector maintains an applied knowledge of plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and fire safety issues for structures of all ages and has a general idea of building codes in effect when a particular home was built. Those aren't necessarily the callings of a general contractor.
Myth: An inspection report is a seller's repair list.
- While the seller can choose to use the inspection as a repair list, unless the buyer and seller agree to such a contingency in the contract, the seller is under no obligation to make repairs, especially if the home is sold "as-is." The only exception is when a home inspection turns up conditions law mandates must be cleared before the home is sold. The home inspection lets the buyer know what he or she is getting for the money -- before signing on the dotted line. With that knowledge, the buyer not only protects the investment, but perhaps gains some negotiating points, based on the condition of the home.
Myth: A home sold "as-is" does not need an inspection.
- If you, as the buyer, don't get an inspection, you won't know what the "as-is" is. "As-is" merely indicates the seller, within the realm of the law, has decided not to make repairs, upgrades or other improvements before selling the home. Many states require the seller to disclose known defects or other conditions that could affect the value or salability of the home, but, unless law also requires repairs, upgrades or certain code compliance before the sale of a home, or the contract stipulates such action as a contingency, the seller is under no obligation to make repairs.
Myth: New homes don't need inspections.
- This is perhaps one of the greatest myths of all and potentially the most costly.
Two years ago, Consumer Reports' "Housewrecked," based on scores of interviews with home owners, builders, inspectors, industry representatives, government officials, and lawyers, reported that as many as 15 percent of all new homes sold -- 150,000 of them a year nationwide -- had a serious defect.
This summer, indicating new home quality has worsened since then, Quality Built, a risk management services firm from San Diego, CA, reported on data collected on 20,867 single-family and 11,128 multi-family homes by hands-on independent inspectors trained to identify high-risk construction defects.
Quality found that 41 percent of the homes examined in 27 states, constructed by more than 900 different builders, revealed building envelope problems, a potential moisture intrusion and mold problem; 34 percent had framing and structural problems, including missing connections, a potentially deadly condition in rough weather or during earthquakes.
Homes in western states were of higher quality than those elsewhere, but the study was a big myth buster.
New homes often are far from perfect.
Unfortunately, builders often won't let you hire a private inspector to inspect the home, during the phases of a home's construction, at several times when inspectors say such an inspection would be most beneficial. Builders argue consumers have no rights to the property until they sign on the dotted line; that they (builders) could be liable if you or your inspector is injured on the job site and, in one argument that's holding less and less water -- municipal inspectors and builder-hired third-party inspectors are doing their job.
Home inspector trade groups are attempting to work with builders to get beyond the construction zone gates with specialists trained in new home inspections to perform "in-progress" inspections.
Once a home is built, many conditions can become hidden, insidious defects that won't show up until you need the home to perform at its best.
For that reason, whenever possible, a buyer's representative should inspect a new home as it is being built, so any defects can be corrected before the home becomes the kind of house of cards Quality Built turned up far too often.
