In my own personal experience, I have had home inspections and used home inspectors exactly twice, and both times I should have hired a hit-man instead. On both occasions there were problems that were not brought to my attention and should have been before I purchased the houses. In both cases, I had to replace heating and cooling systems and in one instance, a very expensive roof as well.
Their modus operandi (my choice of criminal words is no accident here) seems to be that if they turn whatever it is on and it works, or if it isn’t falling down on your head, it is functioning. But that is not exactly fair, nor is it true. Repair people later told me that they (inspectors) only go to school for a few hours to get certified, and that any professional who would have looked at my heating and cooling system would have seen that it was more dead than alive. And I paid $500 dollars for this useless evaluation each time.
The reason this situation exists is because most home inspectors are referred to potential homebuyers by the real estate brokers selling the property. They are encouraged to minimize conditions and not dwell on the “negative aspects” so that a quick sale and subsequent commission will occur. This leads me to conclude that unless you find a home inspector who is independent and not connected with the realtor involved in the sale, keep your distance and your money. The test for radon must be done; pay just for that, if you must.
It is also important to note that according to the “Inspector Guidelines Manual,” home inspectors connected with the relocation industry are told to “nit pick” their findings for relocation companies. Under the provisions of the Consumer Fraud Act, the knowing concealment by a home inspector of any material fact about any real estate is unlawful. The Home Inspection Law, which is intended as a watchdog against biased home inspectors, has been in effect since 2001 in the state of Pennsylvania.
In spite of all this, don’t use them unless they are either related to you or owe you a special favor.
Caveat, caveat emptor.
Do YOU have experiences with home inspectors that you would like to share?