Our Top 5 Things To Know About A General Home Inspection
In a real estate transactions there are several things the buyers should be getting done, one of those things is to get your home inspected. These are the top 5 items we came up with. Getting your home inspected in California? There are several things to consider when looking for a company to preform your home inspection, like are they certified, know what is being checked (you can always ask for a sample report), do they preform ancillary inspections (and which ones they may recommend for your new home), are they insured, and what is included in their inspection.
#1 – California Is An Unlicensed State For Home Inspectors
This means that when looking for a home inspector your going to want to find a home inspection company with inspectors who are trained and certified through either our state organization CREIA, or one of the two larger organizations like InterNACHI or ASHI. All of our inspectors are InterNACHI Certified Property Inspectors and all trained by an InterNACHI Certified Master Inspector. Anarumo Inspections has a minimum requirement of continuing education for their inspectors of at least 40 hours a year. The 3 above associations require 30 hours or less yearly.
#2 – What Is A Home Inspection
A home inspection is a visual and non-invasive examination of the home. Home inspectors are preforming an inspection by their Associations Standards of Practice. Some things to know about inspections.
- Home inspections are non destructive!
- You must get a written report
- Inspectors look for material defects
- Home inspections are not “PASS” or “FAIL”
- California home inspectors can only make recommendations, we can not force or require the other party to do anything.
#3 – What Is Not Part of The Inspection
Things that are not part of an inspection.
- Inspectors do not give you a homes value, that is the appraiser
- Ancillary inspections like listed in section 4 below
- Inspectors are not required to know or cite codes, this is the local municipalities job.
- Inspectors do not give you a homes value, that is the appraiser
- Home Inspectors are not doing a “Code Compliance” inspection
#4 – Ancillary Inspections To Consider Adding To Your Inspection
Since a home inspections follows a set Standards of Practice (SOP), Not all inspectors or inspection companies can preform other ancillary inspections like:
- Mold Inspections and Testing: From CAR SBSA Form (Mold is often undetectable from a visual inspection, a professional general property inspection and even a structural pest control inspection.)
- Level 2 Chimney Inspections as Recommended by the National Fire Protection Agency
- Pool & Spa Inspections
- Sewer Inspections
- Septic & Well Inspections
- Environmental Inspections
- Pest & Termite Inspections
- Fire Hardening & Defensible Space Inspections
#5 – Insurance
We carry errors and omissions insurance (A.K.A E&O Insurance), General Liability Insurance, and workman’s comp insurance. These sound like they would be a mandatory thing to carry, however its not required for the solo inspector to carry any of these 3 and workman’s comp insurance is only required if you have employees.
#6 – What Is Included In Our General Inspection
We will cover the roof, foundation, plumbing (like sinks, toilets, showers, tubs, and dishwashers), windows/doors, electrical (wiring type/material, breakers/fuses, amperage, open grounds, and more . . .), water heater, gas meter, & HVAC (heater, air conditioning, and ducting). What we included that others charge extra for are an irrigation (sprinkler) inspection and thermal imaging inspections.
Book your inspection now by calling 310-925-6664 or book online here.