Hiring the right home inspector is a big deal when you’re a home buyer. While you want the process to keep moving forward, you also don’t want to rush the inspection or choose someone who is subpar. As you go about hiring an inspector in the Austin, TX, area, our crew at TLC Home Inspections urges you to ask these five questions first.
1. What are your credentials?
If the home inspector doesn’t have the proper certifications or other credentials listed online, be sure to ask whether he or she is licensed, insured, and properly trained. Don’t hire someone who doesn’t meet minimum Texas requirements.
2. Tell me about your experience.
Training and credentials are important but so are years of experience. Find out how long the inspector has been doing the job and whether it’s been in your area.
3. What do you cover during a home inspection?
Home inspectors are required to cover specific checklists, governed by the State of Texas’s Standards of Practice. Make sure that what they cover (and to what extent) is in line with Texas law. If a home inspector goes above and beyond, give him or her bonus points.
4. How long do we have to wait to get the inspection report?
It’s good practice to have a detailed inspection report to the client within 24 hours. At TLC, we follow this timeline, delivering our customers a comprehensive inspection report including photos. If an inspector plans to take longer than that, you may want to keep looking.
5. What happens if we find issues after we move in?
Each inspection company handles this question a little differently. Just make sure that they don’t respond with an emphatic, “Too bad!” However, it’s also important to remember the scope of any home inspection. While inspectors do their best to catch areas in need of repair, their main concentration will always be the major systems and “big dollar” fixes you need to know about. However, many inspection companies like TLC do offer some added protection with our 200% Guarantee.
Hopefully, these questions will give you confidence in hiring the right home inspector. If you want to put our team to the test, by all means, contact us at (512) 515-3686. We’d be glad to answer all your questions and schedule your inspection.
photo credit: public domain via pixabay
