Further to my last post on home inspector reviews (which has been my most read post), rather than looking for online reviews of home inspectors, why not conduct your own? The fact that you are looking for more information before making you decision means you are likely a fairly savvy client. There are a few things you can look at to qualify your inspector before making the arrangements for the inspection.
STEP 1: Was the inspector referred to you? If so, do you trust the opinion of the referring party? I have found that referrals are the strongest testimonials a business like mine can have. This is especially true if the person doing the referring has hired the inspector themselves. Not much is more convincing than a satisfied client.
STEP 2: Visit the inspectors website. Does the text seem to have been written by a preschooler? Ultimately the product you are paying for with a home inspection is a written report - it stands to reason that it should be written by someone who has a reasonable command of the English language and the written word. Not only should an inspection report be easy to understand, it should be impossible to mis-understand.
Also while on the website, be cautious of words like “certified” and “licensed”. Here in Ontario there are no regulations for home inspectors. Chances are that “licensed” means the inspector can legally drive a vehicle to the inspection. As far as “certified” goes, certified by whom? Some certifications carry more weight than others.
STEP 3: Speak with the inspector. Ask a bunch of questions. Get a feel for the inspectors competence and ability to communicate. Make sure you are comfortable with the inspector, you may be basing a very big decision on what the inspector tells you.
STEP 4: Ask the inspector for a sample report. You are paying for a report, you should have some sort of idea what you will be getting. Many inspectors will have a sample report available for download on their site (mine is at my report hosting service’s site). Compare the different inspectors reports. Again, make sure you are comfortable.
STEP 5: Find out the price. This is placed last for a reason, it should be the least important of the criteria. Generally, the clients who shop solely on price don’t hire me. While I don’t charge any more than the bulk of the other local inspectors, my prices are not negotiable. At least once a week I will get a call from somebody claiming that another inspector will do the inspection for less money. Saving fifty dollars on the inspection will seem like a pretty silly idea when the budget inspector misses a problem. I can guarantee that the missed problem will be worth way more than the money saved.
So, there you have it. If you take all the above points into consideration, you are well on your way to making an educated decision. Naturally, should you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I an be reached by phone: 519.818.9701 / 1.877.37MANOR , by email: brad@manorhome.ca , by the contact form on my website, or by leaving a comment below this post. As always, I look forward to hearing from you!
-Brad Manor, YOUR Windsor, Ontario home inspector.
) and that is fine. I am the first to tell you that my style of reporting isn’t for everyone - fortunately my clients like it!