ASHI defines it as:
The process by which an inspector visually examines the readily accessible systems
and components of a home and which describes those systems and components in accordance with the
ASHI Standards of Practice.
We feel it’s more important than that.
Quite simply, we feel its peace of mind. Peace of mind in knowing
the condition of your potential new home is what you can live with. We often tell our customers there’s
no such thing as a perfect house. If you’re looking for one then you may want to stop looking. During our
inspection, we review over 600 hundred items throughout the home. As much as we’re trained to
recognize construction and major system defects, there will most always be maintenance or upgrade
concerns. Know what you can live with and what you cannot. A seasoned home inspector can point out
the good and bad, the serious and the not so serious.
The home inspection is your opportunity to not only find deficiencies but learn about the house as well.
There are a lot of misconceptions as to what a home inspection covers.
First, a home inspection is not a warranty or guarantee that the home or parts of the home are in good
condition beyond the day of the inspection. A home inspection is simply a snapshot in time and cannot be
used to try to predict what might happen to the home once the inspection is completed.
The inspection report also should not be construed to be a code compliance inspection or an appraisal on
the value of the home. I don’t think it’s possible for a home inspector to discover every defect during a
two to three hour inspection. Some defects do not surface for months.
Secondly, a home inspector will use his best effort to try to discover those defects that can be found by a
visual inspection of the accessible areas. But, for example, if the owner covers a water stain on a ceiling
with fresh paint and does not disclose that the roof had leaked, the inspector most likely will not find the
stain unless it happens to be raining on the day of the inspection.
The main source of dissatisfaction with home inspectors comes from comments made by contractors.
Contractors may say, “I can’t believe you had this house inspected, and they didn’t find this problem”.
There are several reasons for these apparent oversights.
The Home Buyers Guide includes a section,
which better explains what to think about when things go wrong.
Who is responsible?
The seller, the inspector or both? The problem with the seller disclosure form is that
most sellers are not aware of some of the defects that they have. As far as they are concerned, the paint
that covered the stain was a proper repair. As far as the inspector is concerned, the stain was not present at
the time of the inspection.
However, if you have a major defect that was hidden by the sellers, they should be contacted to make
restitution. If the problem was concealed but could be easily discovered by a prudent visual inspection,
the inspector should be contacted.
If the defect or problem occurred after you bought the home. Then welcome to the wonderful world of
home ownership. Things break and need repairs. Granted, some inspectors are more knowledgeable and
thorough than others. There are good inspectors and there are cheap inspections.
The question usually is,
Did you get what you paid for?
Charles Cravens
Certified Home Inspector
Oklahoma License #0073
What Is A Home Inspection?
