You have been looking for the perfect home and you finally find it! Now you are under contract. So, what comes next? There is the financing, home inspection, earnest money, and waiting, just to name a few. Your realtor has told you to set up a home inspection, but who do you call? They usually provide a list, which is a good starting place. But, how do you know who is the best company for you? Simple, you need to research. There are several factors to consider when you select a home inspection company.
Mission/Vision
This is probably one of the most under-utilized aspects of searching for a home inspector or home inspection company. Find out what the home inspection company believes in by searching for their mission. What do they want their business to do for you? Also, look at their vision for the future of their company and what that vision can do for you. Is this a company you want to put your trust in with your home? Also, remember that it is easy to throw a mission statement up on a website. Look deeper into the website, check out the reviews, and look at their social media. This is the easiest way to see if they just have a mission statement or if they truly live their mission.
Services
The amazing thing about the home inspection industry is that it is evolving. Home inspections don’t have to be just basic inspections anymore. Many of our clients start by thinking they want a simple home inspection. However, once they understand there are more options to deepen their understanding of the condition of their potential home, they see that our ancillary services could hold great value in their decision-making process. At RHI, we suggest key bundled ancillary services based on the type of property or your health and wellness goals.
We have a bundle for all your needs, and it can help save on your overall inspection costs. Our first bundle is our standard bundle that includes our home and pest inspection. This is the one we suggest if you just want a home inspection to appease your financial institution or just want a basic understanding of the condition of the home. If you want a more robust understanding, we suggest our Health or Premium Bundle.
The Health Bundle focuses on your family’s personal health and wellness. RHI starts with our standard inspection and adds radon and air quality testing. You should have your home checked for radon and mold because both can be very dangerous to your health if undetected. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is found all around us, but if it becomes trapped in your home at higher than recommended levels it can become deadly. If you or someone you love suffers from allergies or asthma, an air quality test will alert you to anything unhealthy in your air such as toxic mold spores. Additionally, if your home is on well water instead of city water, you may want to have a well water test. After all, well water is not regulated by anyone except for the homeowner. If you haven’t had your well water tested in the past year, it is highly recommended that you have it tested.
Our Premium Bundle includes everything in the Health Bundle, but it adds the element of scopes for your sewer and fireplace. If your home is on city sewer, you may want the sewer lateral line checked for potential damage. If you have a septic, you may want to consider having a septic dye test or a more in-depth septic inspection. If your home has a fireplace, it is a good idea to have it inspected. It could have buildup or damage inside the flue that you wouldn’t know about unless it was identified through an inspection.
These additional inspections and tests will be more costly in the beginning, but they will also save you money by avoiding future repairs that may have been undetected. When considering a home inspection company, look into the services provided to you. Ultimately it is up to you to decide your priorities, budget, and needs when selecting your home inspection and any additional services. The more you understand about your home, the deeper your peace of mind for you and your family. Bundle and save.
Experience/Certifications
When researching home inspectors, experience is key. It really is not as important to know how long a company has been in business as it is to know what the company, inspectors, and the team did with the time they were in business. At RHI, education is our mission, and we live it every day. Our inspectors must pass all required classes through InterNACHI, earn their state license, and complete field training before they are ever allowed to start inspecting. Even then, we have tiers for our inspectors to navigate. Each tier requires further education, added certifications, and considerable field experience. Our newest inspectors are also connected to our Lead Inspectors and are able to ask our team of inspectors questions while in the field. With RHI, you don’t just get one inspector, you have a team of inspectors.
Recommendations/Reviews
As mentioned earlier, reviews and recommendations are the most honest place to find information about an inspection company as a whole and the individual inspectors. What are people saying about the company or inspector you are considering? At RHI, we encourage you to read our reviews because we are proud of them. They highlight our excellent customer service, our knowledgeable and personable inspectors, and our easy-to-understand reports. Also, remember to check out websites and social media. You should be able to get a very good idea of the type of company you are putting your faith in, and their culture and values should shine through.
Quick and Easy-to-Read Inspection Report
The inspection report is the product inspection companies are selling to customers. So, what exactly are you paying for? Most inspectors will have sample reports available on their website for you to view. This is a good starting place to see what you are buying. Sample reports will show in detail what will be inspected and how easy it will be to understand. You also want to make sure your inspector has time to answer any questions you might have about the home or report. The RHI team is always working to perfect our reports for our clients. We are currently collaborating as a team to create an even better report experience.
Price
The truth is that you get what you pay for when it comes to a home inspection. Some inspectors will charge less, some more. Some will offer ancillary services; some will tell you that you do not need them. Some inspectors do everything themselves and others have a team. Honestly, you need to research and decide for yourself. For RHI, we are not known for having the cheapest price. However, we are known for excellent customer service and a thorough inspection. We are here to help you learn more about your property and/or the home you hope to purchase or live in currently. You can schedule your inspection quickly with us and we have a 24-hour report turnaround time. We offer easy and convenient methods of payment. Once you schedule with us, we will handle everything. We have a highly trained team of inspectors who must complete our rigorous education and training program. We provide more services than any other company in our area. We have the most advanced technology available to complete inspections and testing. We maintain current and informative reviews, website, and social media. We invite you to attend, especially at the end of the inspection to hear some of the inspector’s main concerns and ask questions. And you can call, text, or email questions to your inspector or the office after the inspection.
Overall, choosing your inspector should be more than just calling the first person given to you on a list. Seek out their mission and vision. Find their values and culture in their reviews, website, and social media. Learn about the services they provide and the value they can add to your decision-making process. Know their level of experience, not by their years in business, but through their licensing, certifications, and field experience, and understand what you are paying for. Look at the report they will be able to create for you and envision how it can help you make your decisions. Doing all this, educating yourself, will help you know you have made the right decision for you.