| ALWAYS ASK FOR A TRUTHFUL RESUME - UPDATED 02/16/10 | |||||||||||
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You'll notice on my website, I list a CV, or resume. It is TRUTHFUL and can be easily verified. It is important, for you as a consumer who is about to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars, to ask any potential home inspector about their training, affiliations, experience and education. Here are some examples of why you should ask AND VERIFY:]
UPDATE: 02/16/10 - A.I.I. Inspector A Home Inspector in the Sacramento area shows the American Institute of Inspectors logo on his website, his sole source of inspector training and credentialing, however HE IS NOT A MEMBER! Click here to verify if your inspector is A MEMBER OF AII
UPDATE: 02/01/10 - BEWARE THE "BUNDLED" INSPECTIONS A word of caution about companies performing bundled inspections, where you can get a pest inspection, roof inspection and home inspection with one company:
1. The CREIA and ASHI Standards of Practice require home inspectors to inspect roof coverings anyway, so by hiring a qualified ASHI or CREIA inspector, the roof is already part of the home inspection. You're not getting anything there for free. Any experienced and qualified home inspector should be well-trained in inspecting all types of roof coverings and their installation procedures. I guess I could say I perform "Home Inspections with a FREE Roof Inspection!" ....misleading, IMO. Make sure to verify if your inspector is an ASHI member at
2. Another local company is also promoting their "bundled" inspections. I was contacted by this firm and the fees they offer to inspectors, in my opinion are not commensurate with what a qualified, credentialed and experienced home inspector should be charging. Are these inspectors hurting for work or simply, unqualified? Always ask for a resume from the home inspector who will be inspecting your new home.
Found a home inspector in Carmichael who "borrowed" web content from a San Diego home inspector and actually plagiarized, word for word, the customer feedback reviews. He also stole the picture of the San Diego inspector. Allegedly, that's not all he's stealing.
UPDATE: 01/24/10 - Go to http://www.ripoffreport.com and search for "home inspections". You'll find this guy listed...TWICE!
I didn't think it would be fair to list his website, so look at the San Diego inspectors site first, and you may see the exact same one during your search for an inspector who is located in Carmichael. Make sure you verify references with real people with real phone numbers.
*REAL ESTATE OFFICE LISTS OF PREFERRED PROVIDERS* Many Real Estate Agents will provide you with a list of Preferred Home Inspectors. There are only 3 reasons the Home Inspectors name will appear on that list:
1. The Home Inspector paid to be on the list. (An ethics violation for a CREIA inspector) I know one inspection company who pays to be on a Preferred Provider list in a busy Roseville real estate office. On 11/6/09, I was in that office and no other home inspectors literature was present, except for the CREIA member who is committing an ethics violation.
2. They have been known to provide a less than completely thorough inspection, as to not scare the buyer and help facilitate the transaction.
3. The Realtor or Broker have done their due diligence and determined that the Home Inspector is a qualified professional and KNOW that a thorough home inspection is in YOUR and their best interest.
If you see my name on the list, Reason #3 is the reason I'm on there, no other. When choosing a Home Inspector from a Preferred Provider List, always screen your choices....always!
1/8/10 - A Realtor relayed to me that when she contacted a firm, who represents several home inspectors, she was told that the home inspector is a member of CREIA. He is not. She also mentioned that the inspector: "repairs items while on site." If a home inspector does repairs, not only are they in violation of the California Business and Professions code, but they are opening themselves up to great liability. Not only to themselves, but to the Realtor who referred them. Home Inspectors are not repairmen, they are 3rd party purveyors of information.
A home inspector in Sacramento states on his website that he is certified: "I have passed the examinations issued by the California Real Estate Inspectors Association (CREIA) and the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI)." He is not a current member of either organization. He may have been at one time and taken their tests, but not as of this writing. There is no way to verify if he actually took these tests either. You may wish to ask him how he maintains any form of continuing education. You have to be a member of an inspection organization to be "certified".
CERTIFIED PRE-SCREENED APPROVED PREFERRED These words should mean nothing to you unless there is MEANING behind it. Usually, these words are "paid for". Pre-screened does not mean competent. Certified does not mean experienced and insured. Approved or Preferred? By who??
A home inspection company, with offices in the Bay Area and Sacramento state on their website that they are: "ASHI and CREIA endorsed." Only one of the partners is an ASHI member. Neither partners are CREIA members. Neither organization "endorses" anyone. They further go on to state: "We are also ICC certified International Code Council" Only one of the partners is ICC Certified. The same one is the ASHI member. I can't tell if the other partner has any affiliations or has passed any certification exams. Who will be inspecting your home?
A good question to ask your potential home inspector when verifying credentials: The inspection organization you belong to, (fill in the blank), did they require you to take a psychometric test, which was proctored at a test center or did you take it on-line with all the answers at your disposal? Can you fulfill all your yearly educational requirements sitting in front of the computer?
A National, Multi Inspector franchise firm states that their inspectors are Certified by (name withheld). This is an on-line, home study course type of certification. When searching for an inspector with this firm in the Folsom area, NAHI and ASHI logos are displayed on the website, along with the inspectors photo. A search for that home inspector in Folsom showed that he is not a member of NAHI or ASHI: When dealing with franchise or multi-inspector firms, find out FIRST, who will be inspecting your home and then verify THEIR credentials.
I found 3 websites on 10/20/09, of inspectors who claim they are members of CREIA and they are not. One even displays the CREIA logo. Another is listed on a particular home inspection software site as the only CREIA certified inspector in Placer County: "member of the California Real Estate Inspection Association" Membership can be verified at:
While searching for a Home Inspector in the Cool area, I found an inspectors website which states: "The expectations of excellence that the ASHI standards require is exactly why (name witheld) Inspection Services decided to join ASHI and implement those standards of practice for our business." He is not a member of ASHI. Membership can be verified at:
There are no licensing requirements for Home Inspectors in CA. Here's a quote from a Sacramento inspectors website: "I am licensed, business license #xxxxxx, to perform inspections in California." OK....it's not totally inaccurate, but misleading? I say YES.
Another home inspector in Roseville states on his website that he is: "Certified by the Contractors State Licensing Services (CSLS)." CSLS is a training school which offers 2 classes in home inspection; an 8-day, 4 weekend course or a 40 hr. ON-LINE course. It has nothing to do with the Contractors State License Board. In CA, home inspectors are NOT LICENSED. Wonder if he learned how to become a home inspector in front of the computer? I would ask. If a home inspector states they have "undergone rigorous testing in order to become a Certified Home Inspector.", know that this phrase is code for "I sat in front of the computer for 2 hours."
Speaking of being in front of the computer, if you would like to be a Certified Residential Mold Inspector, a Certified Commercial Mold Inspector or Certified Mold Remediator, just click here. You can get it all on-line. If you would like to become a home inspector, click below: All you need is a credit card. So, for about $1300 bucks, you'll have 4 fancy logos to put on your website and not even have left the house. When you see an inspectors website which states they are certified by XXX Inspection School, find out if it was an on-line class.
Many home inspectors frequently state on their websites that they have: "a California Contractor's License" Make sure you check the Contractors State License Board to see if the license is active and there have been no complaints against them. Perhaps you'll find that their license has been expired since 1984.
Many home inspectors state on their websites that they: "adhere to the CREIA (or ASHI) Standards of Practice" This can mislead the consumer into thinking that they are members of these groups. In most cases, they are not. Membership can be easily verified at
Another home inspector in Sacramento states on his website that he is: "a member of CREIA and ICC" He is not a member of CREIA. He is a candidate of CREIA who has yet to take the entrance exam for acceptance. He states he complies with a code of ethics, yet clearly violates them at the same time. He has not passed any certification exams from ICC. He may be a member who just receives a magazine subscription. If an inspector states they are a member of ICC, you should ask them if they are a CERTIFIED member, who has taken certification tests. Whenever you see this logo:
go immediately to the link below to verify.
Another home inspector in Roseville states on his website that he is: "(a board member) of the Sacramento Chapter of the California Real Estate Inspection Association." He is not. He was until June 08. Information on websites should be accurate and timely. He's also the one mentioned above in Preferred Provider Point #1.
The purpose of these examples is not to defame or discredit anyone. Is is to alert you, the consumer of the importance of verifying information contained on websites and inspector credentials. A lot of it is misleading and sometimes, completely false. A common thread among the abovementioned examples is that most of them are the low-priced leaders in the area. Are you still shopping by price?
The Common Law of Business Balance It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little - that is all. When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the things it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot, it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better. Author Unknown
And finally, a little something about inspection contracts
You'll notice on most home inspectors' websites, they have a contract or inspection agreement you can download and will need to fill out before the inspection commences. You should read these! Here's my favorite example:
"This Company assumes no liability and shall not be liable for mistakes, errors or omission in judgment of its employees or principals beyond the cost of the Report. The limitation of liability shall include and apply to all consequential damages, bodily injury, and property damage of any nature."
So, if you pay $350 for an inspection and a child gets hurt because the inspector failed to point out that the garage door opener button was only 36" from the ground (should be at least 60"), is he only liable for $350? You'll have to sue him to find out. Does he try to limit his liability because he has no insurance? I would ask.
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