The Inspection Situation

The basic house hasn’t changed much in the past 100 years. It has a foundation, walls, roof, plumbing, heating and electrical systems, windows and doors. What’s changed drastically are the building standards and materials used to construct that house and, in recent years, the extended time many properties have sat inactive and in disrepair due to the foreclosure problem and economic downturn.

With those uncertain variables in play, it’s critical to have a professional home inspector when going to buy a home in today’s market.

“A home inspector in the early 1970s didn’t have to concern themselves with lead-based paint or asbestos – those materials had yet to be deemed unsafe,” says Reggie Marston, president of Residential Equity Management Home Inspections in Springfield, Va. “In the early 1980s, no one was concerned with radon gas or anti-tip brackets on stoves. In the early 1990s, mold was not on everyone’s high priority list, and composite building materials were just starting to be installed.”

Those are just a handful of the myriad problems that today’s home inspectors need to be cognizant of when examining homes, which have more complicated components and systems built into them than in years past.

Ask Kurt Salomon, 2011 president of the American Society of Home Inspectors what the biggest issues his brethren are discovering nowadays and he’ll provide a lengthy list of hidden hazards and overlooked flaws – from improperly spaced balusters on railings and defective garage-door safety features to bolted- or painted-shut windows that reduce the number of fire exits in a residence and residual chemicals found in a house that had been used as a secret meth lab.

Yes, checking staples like the HVAC system, wiring, roof and foundation is essential, but 21st century home inspectors also have to be on the lookout for window seals that go bad after 10 years, rotten door thresholds due to inadequate awnings over the outside of the door, the presence of bacteria that can cause sickness, and even an infiltration of bedbugs in certain areas of the country. The rash of repossessed homes has only made their jobs harder.

“Since many foreclosed properties have been closed up for many months, even years, water damage, mold growth and deteriorated wiring inside wall cavities goes undetected until the home inspector starts the inspection,” says Gene Burch, certified microbial inspector for RTK Environmental Group, Stamford, Conn.

“The purpose of a home inspection is not to assemble a list of normal wear-and-tear or cosmetic items but to identify the home’s most pressing problems to be addressed in an effort to save the buyer money in the long run,” says Salomon. “Even if the seller is not going to fix or compensate the buyer for problems revealed in a home inspection, the buyer will still benefit from having the knowledge of defective or unsafe components and systems.”

According to a recent poll conducted by ASHI, nearly 90 percent of all American homeowners surveyed believe home inspections are a necessity, not a luxury; 72 percent of respondents agree the home inspection they had when they purchased their current primary residence helped them avoid potential problems with their home, and 64 percent indicated they saved a lot of money in the long run as result of their home inspection.

Susan Aviles, broker with Aviles Real Estate Brokerage in Mount Pleasant, S.C., says that she would never recommend that a client forego a home inspection. Ideally, the seller should have a home inspection completed prior to listing the home. Skip this step, and you risk losing a potential sale.

“You should always have a home inspected, regardless of the age of the structure and appearance, since many home improvement projects have been undertaken by do-it-yourselfers and there may be many code violations,” Burch says. “Even a brand new home may have faults due to cost-cutting by builders in an effort to raise profit margins.”

When shopping for a home inspector, choose one who not only meets state licensing/certification regulations (currently, 37 states require licensure; visit www.ashi.org for more details), but who also has several years experience and comes highly referred by someone you know.