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Choosing a Kentucky Home Inspector

By Erby Crofutt, B4U Close Home Inspections www.b4uclose.com

How should you choose a Home Inspector?

While= other issues are equally important, the easiest way to cut to the chase is to ask= for a copy of the Home Inspector's co= mpleted Sample Report. Any inspector can buy a nice looking form or booklet. You want to see a = completed sample report.

The Home Inspection Report:

When the inspection is over, all you have is= the inspection report. Home Inspection Reports reflect the detail and professionalism of the Home Inspector. Make sure you ask for and rece= ive a sample report when deciding on what Home Inspector to use.

Is the report what you want?
Does it answer your questions?
Is it full of grammar, spelling errors and "fluff", or is it professionally written with useful information and guidance on how to = deal with the problem?
Are photos included to help you, the real estate agents, and repair/service personnel find the defect.

My Sample Report is not truly a sample. = ; It is an ACTUAL INSPECTION REPORT with the name and address removed to protect the client's privacy. However, the client is on my list of references.

Most professional Home Inspectors will provi= de an in depth narrative report While most professional Home Inspectors have moved to computer generated reports, some still use a pre-printed checklist with narrative commentary.

Which type of report on mold in the basement= do you want?:

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D
    Checklist Style:
D. Moisture Location:       = Normal  =    X Excessive      None:            Efflorescence present
            &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;     X Mold or Mildew present
            &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;         Delamination present

=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Narrat= ive Style:

Rating: Item: &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Commentary:
Defective Moisture Location: Yes. - There are signs of current moisture intrusion that need attention now. There are moi= sture stains located on the baseboard of the west wall by the pool table, the baseboard of the north wall in the basement bathroom and on the concrete bl= ock wall in the storage area/furnace room.

What appears to be mold or mildew is present. The identification of the organism(s) is beyond the scope of this home inspection.

My basic recommendation is: Get rid of the moisture source and clean up = the mold. Do not spend money on testing. However, review the below information and recommendations before deciding on = how to deal with this issue.

If, after reviewing the below information, you have additional questions or want further investigation, I recommend that you contact a Certified Industrial Hygienist, usually listed in the yellow pages under "Industrial Hygiene Consultants" to determine if there exists an ongoing climate for incubation or microbial contamination.

I also recommend that steps be taken to eliminate this climate.

Mold, mildew, fungus and other toxic organisms commonly occur in areas that show evidence of, or have the potential for, leaking, moisture intrusion and/or inadequate ventilation. Any area or item exhibiting such conditions c= an be a health hazard to some people.

There is a lot of controversy over the issue of mold and mold testing. Neither the New York City Department of Health or the Environmental Protection Agency recommend measuring airborne fungal levels. The EPA publication "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moistu= re, and Your Home" states "Is sampli= ng for mold needed? In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampli= ng is unnecessary." Money spent on testing is not available f= or cleanup.

I recommend that information from the following sources be reviewed prior to spending any money on mold testing. You may want to identify and revi= ew other sources of information.

United States Environmental Protection Agency information available on the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html provides a document titled "
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home"=

Various articles on the Building Science Corporation web site at: http://= www.buildingscience.com Click on the link "Learn More about Mold".

The New York City Department of Health Web Site at:<= br> http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/home.html
Use the search function for mold.

Professional Associations:

Some Home Inspectors don't believe in belong= ing to (as one inspector puts it) "all them dang associations". Legitimate professional Home Inspector's associate with other legitimate professional Home Inspectors (the same way other professionals associate wi= th their peer professionals). These organizations provide training and continuing education for the professional Home Inspector along with a forum= for their Home Inspectors to stay current with recent advances in the industry.= They also provide a meaningful code of ethics and a standard of practi= ce to guide the inspector.

The four, most pertinent to Kentucky, legitimate Real Estate Associations are:

Kentucky Real Estate Inspection Association (KREIA) www.kreia.org <= /o:p>
National Association of Certified Home Inspectors = www.nachi= .org
American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) &nbs= p; www.ashi.org
National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) &nbs= p; www.nahi.org<= span style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'>

There are other state home inspector associations that are equally valid for their state. A list of these can be found at:

http://www.kreia.org/inspectorlinks.html &nb= sp;

Other organizations exist, but the four above are based on a goal of bettering the home inspection industry. Some home inspection organizations merely exist as a for-profit certification mill (send us a ch= eck and you can call yourself a certified home inspe= ctor or a registered home inspector.) It is now very simple to do an inter= net search on the various organizations and determine the membership requiremen= ts.

Training and Continuing Education:

Inspection standards, construction standards, safety standards, generally accepted building practices and other issues change all the time. Is the Inspe= ctor making an effort to stay educated. Or are = they just ignoring the new and continuing with the old.

Experience:

This is the area that more Home Inspector's disagree on than any other area. Truth is there is no one particular = set of experiences that adequately covers ALL of the system's in and around the= home, how they work together, and how they age together. Once a person deci= des to become a Home Inspector, they must do a lot of learning and studying on systems outside their particular area of expertise. Look for continui= ng education in several different areas of a home's systems.. It's more important than any one set of background experience.

Some people with these experiences think the= ir experience is best for being a Home Inspector. My thoughts:

Engineers: =

There are many classifications of engineers. Electrical, Civil, Structural,= Mechanical, Marine, Transportation, Sanitary, H= ighway and Geological just to name a few. Ask them what their specialty is a= nd ask them to put their Professional Enginee= r's stamp on the line for the Home Inspection. Few will because their engineering specialty has little to do with residential inspection outside their specialty. Yet some market themselves as better qualified than = any other person, because they are an "Engineer".

"Yes, I had my home inspection done by a Structural Engineer. I had to repl= ace the furnace, the plumbing flooded the basement, and an electrical fire burn= ed down the garage, but dang, that ridge beam is in fine condition."=

Former Home Builder's:=

Well, Home Builders usually coordinate all the sub-contractors that actually build homes but how much actual building and installing does a home builder do. After the house is built, the builder moves on = to build other houses. They don't often stick around to see how the hous= es age. They seldom see the house again after the first year, unless they get sued for crappy construction.

&nb= sp;

Former Municipal Code Inspectors:=

Yes, they do (or s= hould) know the MINIMUM standards for their area of insp= ection expertise. But what does an electrical code inspector know about plumbing or heating or air conditioning systems.

Nothing is wrong with any of these or other specialties becoming Home Inspectors. But don't look to heavy at the past experience. Rely more on continui= ng education in several different areas of the home's systems since becoming a Home Inspector.

Pro= fessional Certifications: (Do they mean anything?)

From the organizations listed above, they do. I'm sure there are other organizations whose certifications also mean something. Just make sure you check the source of the certification, experience, training, and testing requirements= .

I could call myself a "Certified Home Inspector" and have a certificate to prove it just by sending $100.00 to a certain for profit organization. I could call myself a "Register= ed Home Inspector" by sending $75.00 to another for profit organization. As a matter of fact, early in my home inspection career I did receive a "certification" from such an organization. When I "figured it out", I used it to contrib= ute to the heating system of my home.

Use Home Inspectors who belong to valid associations, n= ot those who belong to an association formed by a Home Inspection School so their gra= duates can call themselves certified.

Some of t= he school founded organizations include:

AAHI - American Association of Home Inspectors
AIS - American Inspector's Society.

Gua= rantees:

A "good" marketing tool for the inspector, but seldom useful to the client.

If a Home Inspector offers a guarantee, ask to see a copy of it before booking= the inspection. Ask for references that have actually collected on that guarantee. Most of these "guarantees" are so riddled with l= oop holes, disclaimers, and not covered items that they are virtually worthless. In addition, while seldom disclosed, the guarantee usually disclaims items that do not "pass" inspection. Ask to speak= to some references that have had major systems pass inspection. All the inspector has to do to have the system not covered (and make the guarantee worthless) is to mark it unsatisfactory.

I offer two guarantees.

1. &nbs= p; I'll use all my experience, training, and common sense t= o do the best, most thorough inspection I can without any consideration of wheth= er or not the deal will go through. I work for my client's best interests in: educating them about the home they are considering buying; whether syst= ems are installed like they are supposed to be; and whether or not the home's systems are safe. I will provide a thorough, professional narrative report.

<= ![if !supportLists]>2.&n= bsp; = ; I will not find every minor defect in the home. My focus is on the big dollar items that cost serious money to repair or repla= ce.

REFERRALS & OTHER SERVICES:

·      =         Does the inspector pay a referral fee to w= homever referred you to them. Some real estate agents not only ask for this b= ut require it? (If you are an agent and don't believe this happens, call= me, I'll give you specific information.)

·      =         Does the inspector get paid a referral fee from or have a financial interest in the contractors he recommends?

·      =         Does the inspector offer to fix any of the problems found?&nbs= p; Professional Home Inspectors, even if they do Home Repair Work (and many do) won't repair a house they inspected within the last year.=

·      =         If the inspector offers other services, are they truly qualifi= ed to do so? Ask for their qualifications to provide these services.&nbs= p; Is the qualification a quickie from a lab that makes money doing the lab wo= rk for the inspector?

<= /span>

Find your Home Inspector at:

WWW.KREIA.ORG (502)-412-9699
WWW.NACHI.ORG   (800)-448-3942

WWW.FindAnIns= pector.us

Erby Crofutt owns B4U Close Ho= me Inspections (WWW.B4UClose.com ) in= Georgetown, KY, a= nd is a member of the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Real Estate Inspection Association. (KREIA). He conducts Home Inspections in Ce= ntral, Northern, and Eastern Kentucky.

<= /o:p>

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