Why Home Inspectors are Valuable To You
As a real estate professional or home buyer/seller, you may ask yourself; why are home inspectors necessary? This short article will explain.
First, a bit of background about the home inspection industry, which began in the mid-1970s. Before this point inspectors were usually knowledgeable tradespeople or even family members, so standards were inconsistent or poor. People were unsure if they were buying safe homes.
By 1975, groups organized and created Standards of Practice (SOPs) and ethical guidelines. These important groups, CREIA and ASHI, along with InterNACHI have evolved to become important resources for US states for licensing standards, and have raised the reputation and quality of inspections across the county. Inspectors now are highly trained. Around this time there were court cases dealing with real estate corruption and fraud. A landmark California court case in 1984 (Easton v. Strassburger) about seller disclosure ruled that the duty of real estate brokers and agents was to inspect before selling. Today, most agents take responsibility seriously. Now, about 80% of residential real estate transactions have home inspections.
So, why are home inspectors essential? This question can be different depending on what role you play in the real estate transaction.
For Real Estate Professionals
Experienced inspectors know how to communicate with your clients, and not make a big deal out of little things, which can sell more homes.
Inspectors are neutral third parties who are hired by buyers and sellers, so the results of inspections are independent, which protects agents from liability.
Inspectors sometimes guarantee their work, which helps protects agents from liability.
Working with experienced inspectors increases the reputation of agents because the inspector's opinions are based on technical expertise.
Instead of hiring individual tradespeople for electrical, structural, plumbing, etc., inspectors provide expertise about all the areas, with quick results.
Agents, banks, and buyers/sellers all want safe homes. Before there were inspectors there were many more injuries, deaths, and overall many more homes were sold in disrepair.
For Home Buyers and Sellers
Inspectors work for their clients, the buyers, and sellers. This ensures that a third party (us) can give unbiased advice about the state of homes.
Experienced inspectors know how to communicate well, so complex issues can be explained with no jargon. Homes are safer.
Instead of hiring individual tradespeople for electrical, structural, plumbing, etc., inspectors provide expertise about all the areas, at a fraction of the cost.
Inspectors document (often electronically with pictures) the state of the home, so if repairs are necessary it can be reported with concrete evidence.
Inspectors play an important educational role since many prospective home buyers have little experience maintaining a home.
Inspectors are trained and licensed in New York state, and therefore have the expertise in evaluating homes.
Hire us for your next inspection. We are professional communicators with expert training.
Sources:
http://www.workingre.com/history-of-home-inspection-2/
https://www.creia.org/the-history-of-home-inspections