Anyone who has ever bought a home will tell you that one of the most important things that you can do when you find a home that you’re interested in buying is to have a home inspector come through and do a thorough inspection on it to make sure that there aren’t any hidden surprises waiting for you when you take possession of it.
An inspection, as most people are aware of, can show you were there are any problems or potential problems with a home that you might not be able to discern yourself. It is vital that you hire an inspector to do this job for you, unless of course you’re a certified inspector yourself.
While your agent will often recommend the name of a home inspector to you, it is preferable that you hire someone that you find on your own to do the inspection. Because the price that the home sells for determines the amount of commission that your realtor will receive, there is a benefit to them if their inspector quotes a higher value on the home. If the realtor actively endorses an inflated quote from the inspector that they recommend you use, then the arrangement is probably not just unethical but also illegal. A shady inspector might also inflate quotes out of a feeling of obligation to an agent who sends them business as well; without ever being asked to.
While it’s unlikely that your agent is trying to gouge you for a bigger commission, to avoid any chance of conflict of interest coloring an inspector’s results, it is recommended that you hire someone not connected to your realtor at all.
Make sure that when you hire an inspector that they are actively looking for problems, not just giving you a surface glance inspection. To properly inspect a home, the inspector needs to move things around, climb up on the roof, and go into the attic and basement. If you’re concerned about the quality of your inspection, make sure that you are at the home when the inspection is going on to make sure that it’s actually valuable to you.
When it comes right down to it, a good inspection from a reputable inspector can make a big difference to how much you pay for a home and even if you bid on it at all. Do yourself a favour and take the time to look for an inspector that comes with good references that aren’t just from a realtor.
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