When the homebuyer has found the right home, they will need to get a home inspection. It is critical to find a quality home inspector to understand the condition of the property before making this important investment. It can be confusing and hard to know where to start the search for a professional home inspector.

If a homebuyer is using a real estate agent or company, chances are likely they have local home inspectors, who they recommend for you. Be sure whoever you contact is a certified inspector with NACHI and/or ASHI. It’s an additional bonus if he or she is also a licensed pest inspector and radon tester inspector too. Lastly, the homebuyer should verify that any potential home inspector hired holds a valid state license, if required by their state. As a side note, all ASHI members must be licensed to join the association in these states.

A key important part of the home inspection process between the inspector and the homebuyer is also communication. When homebuyers contact potential inspectors, they will get a sense of how communication goes between them. The homebuyer will want to find candidates that they communicate well with, in order to get the most out of their home inspection and report.

Lastly, experience and expertise are crucial in home inspectors. Every home is different and requires the home inspector to adapt to and analyze every situation he or she encounters. Be sure to search for experienced and certified inspectors, with many years of experience and alot of good reviews posted online as well. Just a reminder that for home inspectors, this is predominantly like a second career for many of them. This industry attracts people from careers like military, engineering, real estate, home remodeling and improvement and construction, so those prior careers should also be taken into account when choosing a home inspector with alot of experience.