The Plumbing Pipe Advocate is pushing for a home inspection team of experts instead of one inspector to do the job. While their point is well taken, it opens a new conversation about what a home inspector should know, what home inspections should cover, and how many experts are really needed in a general home inspection.
If system experts become the norm, home inspections could become unaffordable. That could encourage buyers to skip inspections altogether. But with proper training, a certified home inspector can perform a thorough job and guide buyers to experts who can give more in-depth information.
General Home Inspections Cover the Basics
Home inspections are general by nature. The certified home inspector checks systems inside and outside the home to find defects that can affect the value of the home, homeowner safety and potential big-ticket repair or replacement items.
As it stands now, a certified home inspector prepares a report, which arms buyers with information. From there, customers can elect to hire a system expert for specifics, such as whether the roof, plumbing or electrical system requires replacement or repair and the costs associated with it.
A Team of Experts Could be Costly for Home Buyers
The hovering question now is where does it end? Every home is made up of numerous systems, none of which are cheap and any of which can affect the home’s safety and value. If homeowners need to hire a plumbing pipe expert on the front end, should they also hire a licensed electrician, a roofing expert, an HVAC technician, window installers and more?
The truth is that certified home inspectors are educated about every system in a home. The inspection service is affordable and designed to inform customers about bigger problems that need the attention of a specialist. If home inspections evolve from general to an intensive investigation of every home system, many buyers may skip cost-prohibitive inspections altogether. Sellers and agents would almost certainly voice concerns, as well.
Currently, home inspectors give buyers information that lets them decide whether to call in a system expert.
More Education Makes a Certified Home Inspector Valuable
No one could reasonably argue that more information about such a major investment is a bad thing. Home buyers are arguably savvier now than they ever have been. So this is a golden opportunity for home inspectors to step out ahead of the curve, get more education and deepen their well of knowledge.
In states where it’s not required, home inspector education and certification offers credentials that help you stand out as a leader in your market. Where education is required, regular continuing education courses and taking the initiative to learn more about major home systems lets you provide a better service and help buyers keep costs down.
The Plumbing Pipe Advocate is onto something. Buyers need to know what they’re committing to at the closing table. Unfortunately, the discussion could easily spread out to include experts for every system in a home. If that happens, what is currently an affordable, valuable service could become an exhaustive event that buyers either can’t pay for or choose not to.
At ICA School, our education program is designed by professional home inspectors to prepare you for the real world. We go beyond the home inspection education norm to include valuable resources on mold, radon and air quality plus 20 additional ebooks on septic systems, termite inspections and more. We also include three modules on plumbing.
Enroll now and start beefing up your skills for a more marketable home inspection business.
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