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PROVO — Getting a home inspected before closing is routine for finding out what might be wrong with the house you're buying. But how do you know which home inspector is right for you?
In Utah, there are no licenses, regulations and standards for home inspectors. Anyone can hang up a shingle and say, "I'm a home inspector" and start inspecting — that's all it takes.
The typical home inspection costs $200 to $500. So, with no standards, how do you know you're spending your money on a qualified inspector?
Garth Haslem has been a home inspector for more than 20 years, and he recently inspected a condo for Ethan and Julie from Austin, Texas, looking for a home in Provo.
“(There are) no regulations at all on a home inspector,” Haslem said. “None.”
He said that's allowed some inspectors to try to get away with laziness, incompetence and even outright fraud.
“A bonehead inspector, he told the homeowner that they had mold up in the attic and he and his cousin would fix it for $5,000,” Haslem said. “They had their realtor call me. I went up there and what they had was pine tar.”
Haslem said incidents like that give the industry a black eye: “Anybody with a business card and a headache can be a home inspector,” he said.
So how do you find a good one? Haslem said they should be certified. While Utah has no licensing requirements, national certificates are available.
Inspectors certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors must:
- Pass written tests
- Perform at least 250 paid inspections
- Continue taking courses Other trade groups have similar thresholds. Plus, Haslem said a home inspector must be comprehensive. If one tells you he or she can inspect the home in 45 minutes, walk away, he advises. “I tell people between two and three hours,” he said.
A thorough visual survey takes time, he warned.
Haslem also recommended choosing a home inspector who wants buyers to tag along for the inspection. It helps the inspector, he said, and it helps buyers by having things explained to them.
“My best protection is to have the buyer with me so they understand how hard I worked, what I looked at, how I describe what the issues are, what the mountains and mole hills are and are not,” he said.
“It’s a lot more helpful to the buyer, and actually for me, than to have someone call me up a week later and say, ‘Well, what did you really mean by there’s a spot in the carpet?’” he said.
