Home Inspectors...Who to Hire?

Question

Hello all!

I am under contract on my first house!  It is a duplex that my girlfriend and I are going to house hack..exciting stuff!!  My question has to do with hiring a home inspector.  There seems to be two different camps.  On one hand, hiring a general inspector is great because they will cover the entire house.  On the other hand, an inspector that has a narrower focus (i.e. roof inspector, termite inspector, structural engineer, etc.) might provide better insights on specific potential issues.

So I guess my question is this.  In your experience is it better to hire a general home inspector that is decent at a lot of things, or a home inspector(s) that specializes on one particular area?

Any and all responses are greatly appreciated!  Thanks in advance!

Best,

Chase Randolph

Aaron Poling · Answer

I suggest starting with a general inspector to begin with. If they pick out certain items that would require a more detailed inspection they will note it in the report. This will keep the cost down on the initial inspections, but still gives you protection if something is found.

I suggest using inspectors that are members of ASHI or NAHI. These are two trade organizations for home inspectors and both require certain guidelines for their inspections. It doesn't guarantee you are happy with your inspector, but at least gives some guidelines that the inspectors would have to go by.

Hope this helps! Thanks! Aaron

Richie Thomas · Answer

I'm an aspiring investor, not an experienced one, but what @Caleb Heimsoth and @Walter Aaron Poling rings true for me.    I can't imagine a situation where you'd only hire specialists and not the generalist.  It seems like a good idea to hire the generalist at a minimum.  I would hope that a competent general inspector would at least know enough about each component of the house, that they could refer you to a specialist (roof, foundation, etc) if they deemed it necessary.

Where I'd supplement the generalist with the specialist is when the former said they were genuinely unsure about the condition of a specific component which required a specialist's knowledge to assess.  I'm completely speculating here, but for example- they detected the presence of an underground septic tank in an area normally known for city sewer connections, and felt incapable of testing that specific component to their satisfaction.  Someone with actual inspection experience could likely debunk that example and/or provide a more realistic one.  But hopefully you get the point.

Some specialists provide a free cursory inspection to determine the scope of work needed, and this might therefore seem like a good way to get the best of both worlds.  But it's kind of like asking a barber if you need a haircut.

Remember that an inspector's job is *not* to catch any and all defects in a house, or prevent a buyer from purchasing a house with defects.  That's an unreasonable expectation.  Rather, their job is to conduct a reasonably thorough canvassing of the property, given the time allotted and the obstacles they encountered.  To repeat- they're only capable of catching defects that are observable without overcoming significant obstacles.  They likely won't catch a problem with the plumbing or electrical which is hidden behind the drywall, for example.

Lastly, remember that a home is a system, and how the components of a home system are working *together* is as important as how they're working by themselves.  Your HVAC may be brand-new, for example.  But if it's not working in tandem with the insulation, you'll find yourselves spending a ton on utilities during the hot and cold seasons.

EDIT- oh, also- congrats on getting under contract. :-).  Everything I read says house-hacking is a fantastic first step.  You're farther-ahead than most people (including me haha).

Caleb Heimsoth · Answer

@Chase Randolph hire the general home inspector and depending on the results, you can get more specific inspections if you think that’s necessary.

Chase Randolph · Answer

Thank you all for the great answers!!  I have a general home inspection scheduled for this Sunday, and am very excited to walk through with the inspector (should be a fantastic learning experience).  If he uncovers any problem areas or something that he does not feel comfortable tackling I am going to go ahead and hire someone with a narrower focus.

Again, thank you for the thoughtful answers, they played a role in this decision!  I'll post an update after the inspection...

@Caleb Heimsoth

@Walter Aaron Poling

@Richie Thomas

Home Inspectors...Who to Hire?

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