YES!

Too often I have had buyer’s tell me they think a home inspection is a waist of money or I’m getting a home warranty, so I don’t need a home inspection. OR, my Dad, Brother, a friend of a friend can look over the home for me, and then, after the closing, I get a call from the buyer all upset because the first hot day of the year, the A/C stops working, or the water heater quits, stove stops working - you name it, it has happened.

Think about it, this is probably going to be the biggest investment you will ever make. To spend $250 - $300 for a home inspection is well worth it for the peace of mind alone. Would you rather spend $250 - $300 now and find out the roof is in bad shape, and now negotiate the cost of a new roof into the deal, or save the cost of the home inspection to apply towards the cost of a new roof ($3,000 - $5000) six months to a year down the road? Anything a home inspector finds, can be used as a negotiation tool to get the home for a lower price, or even give you an “out” should you find something extremely wrong with the home.

Using your Dad, your Brother or doing it yourself is not a good idea either. Family members have an emotion connected to you buying this home. Is your Dad, your Brother or are you trained, licensed and bonded to do such an inspection? Remember that this is not your home yet. If they should step through the sheet rock while crawling around the attic, are you ready to pay the bill to fix the ceiling of the room below? Will they stand behind their inspection? As far as using a friend of a friend, well, I won’t even go there!

A home warranty is NOT a substitute for a home inspection. In fact, a home inspection can help with any claims you may have after the sale with any warranty issues. Home warranties typically will NOT cover pre- existing problems or items that have not have been property maintained. Should a dispute ever arise between you and the home warranty company and you have a copy of the home inspection stating an item was in good working order, the home warranty company will not have a leg to stand on and have to cover the repairs.

A typical home inspection, depending on the size of the home, should take about 3 hours for a 1,700 - 2,000 SqFt home. Let the inspector do his job! I know you would like to be there and you have the right to, but my advice is to show up the last half hour so the inspector can do his/her job without any interruptions. If you feel you just must be there, please do not bring anyone who thinks they know more about inspecting a home then the inspector does. Once again, I have seen too often, Husbands, Fathers, Wives, and friends, try to tell an inspector how to do his/her job. There have even been times where I’ve seen some of these people try to argue with the inspector and I would wonder why the inspector just doesn’t pack up his tools and leave! You are paying them good money. They have had good, extensive training to do what they do - let them do it.

Once final word, I feel you should even have an independent inspector inspect new construction!