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Home Inspections - "Ten Things You Need to Know"
Written by Mr. Gregory J. Bertaux, P.E., Copyright
2009, Isle Management Corporation
1. Home Inspectors
In Florida home inspectors are totally unregulated. There are no laws,
regulations, or requirements of any kind for a person to be a home inspector,
and anybody can claim to be one. Shopping for the cheapest inspection will get
you the least qualified and least experienced, uninsured individual. Having your
home, the largest investment of your life, inspected by an unqualified
individual is a huge risk, you will live to regret. Also, if a person says they
are a licensed home inspector in Florida, it is a fraudulent claim. A person may
hold some other type of license, and you should verified that, if such a claim
is made, it needs to honest and open.
2. Florida Association
of Building Inspectors (F.A.B.I.)
Every professional, full-time and reputable home inspector in Florida is a member of
F.A.B.I. It is an organization specific to the special requirements
in Florida with
the highest standards of quality and professionalism, and is a non-profit
organization run by its members. It is very hard to become a Registered
Professional Inspector (RPI) with FABI; the
entrance exam is a psychometric evaluation and very difficult. A person must
have excellent comprehension, technical knowledge, language skills, and
analytical skills to process information and draw conclusions. Inspectors who
are unable to pass FABI's entrance exam usually join other organizations that
merely collect an annual fee and issue a certificate. Many organizations claim
their inspectors have a certain level of training or experience. However, those
requirements are never verified. FABI requires verification of training and
experience before admission, and FABI requires continual education every year.
When considering who to hire for your home inspection, only consider an RPI with
FABI. The annual fee to be a member is $300, and annual training
requirements require at least five days per year and cost about $2,000; not
cheap like other organizations.
3. Franchises & Websites
In the U.S. there are dozens of companies that offer home inspection
franchises. The prices range from five to thirty-thousand dollars; most are
around $12,000. The sole objective of those companies is to make money selling
franchises, not ensuring their franchisees are competent. Anyone can buy a
franchise. However, it does not make a person more professional or
knowledgeable. The franchise company provides the owner with generic brochures,
business cards, uniforms, and even a canned website. Do not be mislead by the
nice appearance of those items. Consumers must verify the competency and
veracity of their inspector. Some inspection firms employ inspectors for a low
dollar-per-hour rate to maximize profits. Other companies are located far away
from your town, but will take your order for a cheap inspection, then farm it
out to a local unqualified inspector for a reduced fee. Avoid being a victim.
Be sure to verify the name of the person who will provide your inspectioin, and
talk with him directly in advance. Confirm their qualifications, experience, and
insurance.
4.
Liability Insurance
Less than 15% of home inspectors are insured for home inspection or any form
of professional liability. It is a huge risk if your inspector does not carry
insurance. By law and in the text of real estate purchase contracts, Buyers are
responsible for the actions of their home inspector.. Should your inspector be
electrocuted, injured, or cause damage to a home, you, as the client, are
liable. Please know it is very easy to accidentally scratch a car in a garage,
or drop a ladder on a new Mercedes; it does happen. Also, if your inspector is
not insured and misses, or overlooks a major issue, like a failed foundation,
the client (buyer) has no recourse for damage after taking ownership of a home.
Be sure the inspector you hire is insured for at least $250,000 under the each
of these specific areas: Home Inspection, General Liability, Errors & Omissions,
Personal Injury, Termites, and Pools.
5. Inspectors referred by real
estate agents:
It is most prudent to work with real estate agents who are certified Realtors,
and who work for a brokerage that is a member of the local Realtors Association.
Many times home buyers look to their real estate agent for a referral on who to
hire for a home inspection. A professional agent will either decline to say who
should be hired, or will provide a list of inspectors to contact. If an agent
only gives you one name, or says this is who we always use or he has the
cheapest prices, that is a red flag. Some unscrupulous inspectors ensure they
always give a glowing report for the agent that referred a client to them.
Remember, only you, the client should decide who performs your home inspection.
Inspectors who are a member of FABI are bound by a rigorous set of Standards of
Practice and Code of Ethics. A fiducial obligation exists with an FABI inspector
to always look after his clients needs first. Inspections should be thorough,
and reports must be kept confidential and only be given by the inspector to
their client, NOT to a agents or a home sellers.
6. Termite Inspections
Florida law requires every termite inspector to be an employee of a Licensed,
Insured and Certified Pest Control Operator (CPCO) and carry a state issued I.D.
card with them during an inspection. Always ask to see it. A termite inspection
is actually a Wood Destroying Organism (WDO) inspection. The name is important
because the inspector needs to look for more than just termites.
Be aware, many home inspectors and pest control companies offer cheap
inspections just to get into your house. Then, they may say you need a chemical
treatment or a warranty bond. Thats where they make their money. Treatments
cost several hundreds of dollars, and warranty bonds can cost several thousands
of dollars. Most individuals selling those items are also working on commission.
Inspectors who try to sell you an additional service or repair based on their
inspection should not be relied upon. The offer creates a conflict of interest,
and is reprehensible. Less than 20% of home inspectors are authorized Termite
Inspectors. To verify a persons credentials as a authorized WDO inspector,
visit Floridas Department of Agriculture website: www.floridatermitehelp.org,
and on the left menu click on Licensed Pesticide Applicator Search, wait a
minute and a small window will pop up. Enter the persons name and click
search for the results.
It is common when you hire a home inspector who also offers to provide a cheap
termite inspection, that one of their friends shows up, who is an authorized WDO
inspector, but who also gives part of the fee back to the home inspector! Now,
who can you trust, and what will you do when you are told they found evidence
of termites in the attic, and you need a treatment?
A trustworthy home inspector will only inspect, and NOT try to sell you
additional services. A quality termite inspection adds about two hours of time
to the overall inspection and reporting process. All WDO inspections require a
separate report, state form #DACS13645, that is required by law, and which must
be provided to the client. Additionally, the inspector must post a sticker in
the house inspected indicating the CPCO company, the inspectors name, and the
date.
7. Pool and Spa Inspections:
Many homes in Florida have a pool or spa, or both. In those cases, most home
inspectors will offer to inspect them for an extra fee. Be aware there are NO
industry standards for what is included with a pool inspection. Most home
inspectors have no idea what to look for, or how to interpret various issues,
like shell cracks, safety requirements, primary drain hazards, filter
conditions, etc In fact, most home inspectors simply walk around a pool and
then look at the mechanical and control systems without truly understanding
what issues to look for in piping, valves, wiring, and controls. A proper pool
inspection takes 30 to 60 minutes. Some professional inspectors will dive a pool
with snorkel and mask to examine items below the water line such as drain
covers, suction outlets, condition of the pool finish, etc For a pool
inspection, only hire a trained professional knowledgeable in pool construction
and operations. Your inspector should be a Certified Pool Operator
(CPO); the training costs about $600, takes three days, and is only provided by
the National Swimming Pool Foundation.
8. Wind Inspections
Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspections
To receive discounts mandated by law on a homeowners insurance policy, every
homeowner should order a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection. It is
commonly referred to as a wind inspection. Insurers will only give the
mandated discounts if the inspection is conducted by an authorized individual.
In many cases, insurance agents or underwriters do not inform their client, the
homeowner, about the savings opportunity in Florida; generally you save between
$300 and $1200 per year. But think about it, reducing your insurance premium is
not in the financial interest of an insurance company.
A wind inspection is only valid if conducted by a licensed Professional Engineer
(P.E.), registered architect (AIA), Licensed General Contractor (GC) or a state
authorized wind certification entity (WCE). The person holding the license
must perform the work, not their employee or associate. Many inspection forms
get rejected because they are conducted by unauthorized individuals. Note: in
mid-2008, the state of Florida revoked authorization to 60% of its previously
authorized inspectors due to negligence, fraud, and failure to comply with
training requirements. Some inspectors were using the wind inspection process to
sell new roofs, storm shutters and windows at inflated prices, for which, the
inspector received a commission! The typical cost for a wind inspection is $150.
The inspection requires special training and specialized tools. It takes about
45 minutes and requires evaluation of 8 major structural items that are beyond
the scope of any home inspection. Only hire properly licensed and insured wind
inspector, and ask to see their license. They should provide the completed
2-page form to you at the time of the inspection. Be sure to keep a copy; it is
valid for 5 years, should you change insurance companies, it will still be
valid.
9. Mold Inspections
Mold is a microscopic organism. It exists in every home, car, office, and
building. There is no state or federal standard that defines what constitutes a
high or low level of mold. Anyone offering a free mold analysis should not be
believed. To know what type or quantity of mold exists in a home, air samples
and possibly surface swabs must be taken and submitted for laboratory analysis.
A visual inspection for mold is impossible, it requires a microscope. Even
areas that are very suspect to have mold, must be sampled and verified. Mold can
be a problem and yet have no visible manifestations. There are more than 100,000
species of mold known to exist; some more harmful than others. Only laboratory
analysis can tell what type of mold is present in a home, and its concentration.
If any home is tested for mold, it will be found. However, that does not
necessarily mean it is a problem.
Different people have different levels of tolerance for mold. In general, the
young, the elderly, persons having allergies, and persons with respiratory
difficulties are more susceptible to issues with mold. You can visit www.EPA.gov/mold
for much more information.
If mold is a problem in a home, it can be remedied. However, the company hired
to test for mold before and after remediation, should never be the same company
hired to do the remediation or clean-up. That would be a conflict of interest.
10. Inspection Reports
Second in importance, only to an inspectors knowledge and experience, is the
quality of the report a home inspector provides to his client. A high-quality,
professional report should be narrative, comprehensive, and include all findings
with color photographs. Most cheap inspectors provide only a simple checklist
of items left during the inspection. A quality report requires time to write and
effort to prepare. Professional inspectors normally provide a digital report via
email by the end of the next business day. A typical single-family home will
have a report that is 20 to 30 pages in length, with an summary. Also, a quality
inspector will make themselves available for follow-up questions or phone calls.
For your consideration, Greg Bertaux is:
1. A Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) with 23 years of experience
2. A state authorized A7 termite (WDO) inspector, who does NOT offer treatments
4. A nationally Certified Pool Operator (CPO)
5. A member of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA)
6. A member of the International Code Council (ICC)
7. A registered professional inspector(RPI) by the Florida Association of
Building Inspectors (FABI)
8. A member of Building Officials Association of Florida (BOAF)
9. Insured by Lloyds of London: home inspection, general liability, Errors and
omissions, pools, termites
10. A state authorized Wind Inspector, with a 100% money back guarantee
11. An inspector who provides narrative reports with color photographs
12. The founder and owner of Isle Management Corp., www.IMHomeInspector.com that
is not a franchise operation
13. Service oriented and committed to your total satisfaction
14. On the board of directors, Vero Beach Rotary Club
15. Corporate sponsor Vero Beach Museum of Art
16. Corporate sponsor McKee Botanical Gardens
17. Corporate sponsor Riverside Theatre
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