1. Get a Home Inspector With Lots Of Experience.
It takes a full time inspector at least 50 inspections to start to develop the eyes, ears and nose for hunting down problems. Part-time home inspectors simply don’t have the time in the field to develop that radar. Be sure to ask how many inspections the inspector conducts annually and how many years he/she has been doing them. A quality full time home inspector conducts between 300 and 400 inspections annually – blind inspectors conduct 50 to 100 inspections annually. Conducting 300-400 inspections each year requires extensive referrals, by prior clients, lenders, real estate agents and others — so there is a much greater chance the inspector is NOT blind!
All of the inspectors at Mountains to Sound Home Inspection conduct 300- 400 inspections annually and are required to go through our comprehensive 10 Week Training Program even after becoming state licensed!
2. Education & Training:
Did the inspector attend one of the top home inspection schools, or did he complete a correspondence course, or have his brother in law, Bubba show him how to inspect?
Upon completion of the inspector’s formal education did he complete a 10-week comprehensive training program? Or did the inspector learn on the job at the Buyers expense? If the inspector is a one-man operation, then who is checking the quality of the inspector’s work? Engineering and technology in today’s home is becoming more sophisticated all the time. Comprehensive continuing education and training is a must!
All inspectors at Mountains to Sound Home Inspection have CE requirements that get met and reports and procedures and reports are constantly evaluated!
3. The Inspection Report
The top home inspectors in today’s business don’t produce handwritten reports. PDF reports are also now outdated! A professional inspector will provide a Web-Based, Interactive Report. Technology has evolved where you should expect to receive photos you can blow up and videos of items discovered during the course of the inspection. The report should be easy to read with specific categories like to help you prioritize which items should be addressed first.
The report should not contain repair costs or action plans for repairs. Professional home inspectors inspect — they don’t repair! An inspector that makes repairs should always be avoided due to the conflict of interest inherent in that situation.
Ask for a sample of an inspection report so you’ll know what you can expect for your time and money. After all, you are the client!
Mountains to Sound Home Inspection completes each report in an app which allows us to produce the report immediately and review it with you on our laptop! Ask us for a sample report!
4. How Long Has The Inspection Company Been In Business?
Is the inspection company locally owned and operated or are they some far away faceless corporation or franchise where no one is monitoring and evaluating the quality of their work? If you are dealing with a multiinspector firm, how long has the inspection company been in business? Does the inspection company have dedicated employees serving as customer service representatives to schedule appointments and provide any needed follow up assistance?
Mountains to Sound Home Inspection is Locally Owned and Operated with staff to help with your needs. We have thousands of satisfied clients all across the Puget Sound!
5. Ask To See What Other Home Buyers Have Said About The Inspector.
Quality Professional Home Inspectors ask their client’s to give feedback upon completion of the inspection. Professional Inspectors want to know what they are doing right, as well as what might need improvement. If the inspector can’t or won’t provide client referrals, he might be blind in more ways than one! Ask for reviews and testimonials from their past clients.
Mountains to Sound Home Inspection is the Puget Sound’s top rated inspection company online, with 100’s of 5 Star Reviews from happy clients. 5 Star Service is what we want for you too!
6. Ask Your Lender For A Referral To A Quality Home Inspector.
The lenders sole interest in the transaction is seeing that YOU get a quality home that’s right for you and your family!
