_{How Much  Does A Home Inspection Cost?}

If you are in a hurry (and this is your only question you have concerning Home inspections)  Please call me at 616-772-7217 or 616-403-1595 with as much information about the house as you have available to obtain the cost of your home inspection. If you have a few minutes, I suggest you read this entire page about the differences in Home Inspection pricing.

The cost of a Home Inspection will vary vary based on the following information: 

• Size of the home
• Age of the home
• Foundation type: Crawl Space, basement, or Slab
• Number of Bathrooms
• Number of Air Conditioning? Heating Systems
• Outbuildings or recreational facilities included or not included in the inspection
• As I service a large area, the distance to travel toget to the property may also play into the cost

Please call me at:  616-403-1595                         

Additional Home Inspection Pricing Information    

 Many clients and realtors feel that a home inspection is the same no matter who you hire (or don't hire if you're planning on using a friend or relative who is pretty "handy" around the home) since no matter how much you pay for a can of beans  or where you buy it, you still get a can of beans. Same quality, same taste, same appearance.  

That maxim does not hold true when buying an opinion. And let's face fact, a Home Inspection is just the Home Inspector's opinion (and the inspector's ability to communicate that opinion)  of a particular house. Hopefully it's an expert opinion based on knowledge, education, training, experience, and ability to communicate, but still just an opinion.

If a $25 or $50 difference in the price of the Home Inspectors opinion is more important to you than what the opinion is based on (knowledge, education, training, experience, ability to communicate, type of report received, etc) and how much money that opinion can save you, then stop reading after this paragraph, Go to the Yellow Pages, look under Home Inspection, and call each one asking just one question. "How much do you charge"? Don't waste your time asking any other questions or listening to the Inspector explain the level of service. Just call them all and then select the cheapest. 

Just remember, "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."  (Author unknown).                        

If you Don't want the  cheapest or least experienced, please read further. 

Can you trust your realtor's recommendation? Usually yes, if they give you a list with several Inspectors on it instead of just two or three names. Just remember, they don't get paid if you don't buy the house.

What should be more important to you than $50 or $100 difference in price is what the Home Inspector bases the opinion on and how they communicate their opinion to you, the client.

Ask the following questions regarding qualifications and cost apply. My answers will follow.

• What kind of report do you provide and how will it be delivered?
• What is your background?
• What is your training and continuing education? 
• Do you belong to any Professional Associations?
• Does the inspector pay a referral fee to whoever referred you to them?
• Does the inspector get paid a referral fee from or have a financial interest in the contractors he recommends?
• Will the inspector offer to fix any of the problems he found?
• If the inspector offers other services, are they truly qualified to do so?
• Now it's time to ask "How much do you charge".

* What kind of report do you provide and when is it delivered?

Any Inspector can buy a nice looking form or booklet, do you want a 5 page, delivered on site checklist report with a few scratch mark comments, which is what the cheapest inspector's use. Or would you prefer a complete 20-30 page (on average), typed, narrative report, with digital photos, full of pertinent and educational information that you'll feel confident taking to the negotiating table for real estate purchase.

The latter is what will be provided to you from Homeguide Home Inspection.

* What is your background?

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

* What is your Training and Continuing Education?

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

* Do you belong to any Professional Associations?

Some Home Inspectors don't believe in belonging 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 with their peer professionals). NACHI (National Association of Certified Home Inspectors) provides training and continual 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 practice to guide the inspector.

*Does the Inspector offer any "Guarantees"?

A "good" marketing tool for the inspector, but they are 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 they have actually collected on that gaurantee. Most of these "guarantees" are so riddled with loop 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.

My promise to you

1. Choosing the right home inspector can be difficult. Unlike most professionals, you probably will not get to meet me until after you hire me. Furthermore, different inspectors have varying qualifications, equipment, experience reporting methods, and yes, different pricing. One thing for sure is that a home inspection requires work, a lot of work. Ultimately a thorough inspection depends heavily on the individual inspectors own effort. If you honor me by permitting me to inspect your new home, I quarantee that I will give you my very best effort
2. I'll use all of my experience, training, education, and common sense to perform the best, most thorough inspection I can without consideration of whether or not the deal will go through. I work for my clients best interests in: educating them about the home they are considering buying. You will know whether or not the homes systems are safe, whether systems are installed like they are supposed to be, by providing a thorough, professional narrative report which includes digital photos. I'll verbalize as I go so if there are any questions I'll try to answer them to give you a better understanding of the home.
3. I am not looking for every minor defect in the home. My focus is on the big dollar items that cost serious money to repair or replace.

* Does the inspector pay a referral fee to whoever referred you to them?    Home

Should this take place? I belong to NACHI and according to the NACHI code of ethics this could compromise the inspectors report. This should never occur but you hear of it more often than you would like. For example, some real estate offices publish a magazine displaying the homes they are featuring. In the magazine they sell ad space to independent contractors. If someone doesn't pay to have their ad in their magazine they won't use them. Is this a form paying off the realtor to get referals? You decide.

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

It happens often. I belong to the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and this is a perfect example of why Professional Home Inspectors have a Code of Ethics to abide by.

* Will the inspector offer to fix any of the problems found?

Being a NACHI member in good standing I follow their Code of Ethics. Which states that a Professional Home Inspector, who also does Home Repair (and many do) will do not work on a home they have inspected within the last year..

*If the inspector offers other services, are they truly qualified to do so?

Ask for their qualifications to provide for those services. Is the qualification a quickie from a lab that makes money doing the lab work for the inspector?

* Now it's time to ask, "How Much Do You Charge?"

The cost of a home inspection from Homeguide Home Inspections varies based on the following information:

• Size of the home
• Age of the home
• Foundation type: Crawl Space, Basement, or Slab
• Number of bathrooms
• Number of Air Conditioning? Heating Systems
• Type of garage
• Outbuildings or recreational facilities included or not included in the inspection
• As I service a large area, the distanced I have to travel to get to the property may also play into the cost.

Please call me at 616-772-7217 or 616-403-1595 with as much of the above information as you have available for my price to inspect your new home purchase. Or you may contact me at dcboss@sbcglobal.net

 You need to learn as much as you can about the condition of the property and the need for any major repairs before you close, to minimize unpleasant surprises and costly repairs afterward. Now is the time to schedule a thorough professional Homeguide Home Inspection.                                                                         

 Do your family, yourself, and your wallet a favor...get a home inspection.

 The investment in a Homeguide Home Inspection will help get you into a safe and happy home instead of a Money Pit.

Important Note:

 This may be the biggest purchase of your life! You've recently been crunching the numbers, negotiating offers, adding up closing cost, shopping for mortgages, and trying to get the best deals. Don't stop now. Don't let your friends, family, a minimally trained inspector, or anyone else talk you into skimping here. NACHI certified inspectors perform the best inspections by far.

A (NACHI certified inspector) earns their fees many times over. They do more, they deserve more. Do yourself a favor, get the quality inspection you deserve.

Call Homeguide Home Inspection and make an appointment now. Get a certified Home Inspector, you won't be sorry that you did.

Phone: 616-403-1595     or    dcboss@sbcglobal.net                  Return Home