New Hampshire Top Home Inspectors
Often the first question prospective home buyers ask home inspectors, because many people think inspection fees are the most important differentiating factor among inspectors. Many inspectors advertise low fees or state they will "beat the quote of other inspectors by 10%". Why would a top inspector need to charge less than the other inspectors? It's important to remember that it is the inspector’s experience and ability to identify defects that will ultimately protect you from unexpected costs when you move in. The services of a veteran inspector with many years experience will cost more than less experienced inspectors, but the value of their service will greatly exceed the additional inspection cost.
You have probably spent a few weeks to a few months researching for the place you will call home, but how much time have you spent researching for a NH home inspector? Many inspectors claim years of experience in home trades related fields, but 25 years of being a carpenter, plumber, electrician, real estate agent, builder, architect or even an engineer does not qualify someone to be a home inspector. What kind of testing equipment will the inspector be using? A $3 outlet tester or $300 circuit analyzer? What kind of report is provided? Have you viewed a sample report? Does it include photo documentation? If you cannot afford the best home inspector, how will you afford the items the low cost, inexperienced home inspector fails to report?
Have you verified that the inspector has a valid New Hampshire Home Inspector's license? Does the company or inspector have any complaints on record at the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office?
Now the question about home inspection fees can be asked, however, bear in mind one price should not fit all houses. Fees should vary according to the inspector's level of experience, reputation, qualifications, talent and service delivered (the type of report produced.) The size, design and age of the property also has to be figured in. You should also ask how many inspections the inspector does per day.
What kind of inspection report do you get from an inspector who does 3 inspections per day? As a service to prospective buyers we have uploaded portions of an actual checklist inspection report from one of those low cost home inspection companies. (These documents were scanned and converted to a .pdf file. None of the pages have been altered, these are exactly what the client received.)
Click to view 3 pages of a $300 inspection report. Having a hard time trying to understand those handwritten comments? Do you see any inspection photos? Do you think this kind of report is useful to a homebuyer? Brochures from "low cost" home inspectors can be found in many real estate agency offices. Do you think real estate agents use those "low cost" home inspectors when they buy a house? (You will never see brochures of highly qualified and experienced inspectors in real estate offices.) If a thorough inspection, full narrative report and photo editing of an average size home takes 5 to 6 hours, (not counting travel time) how "thorough" is the inspector who does 2 or 3 inspections in one day? What's the alternative to a quick, cheap, practically useless inspection?
Click to view sample inspection report from a $500 inspection.
Click to view sample inspection photos 1-6 included with report
Click to view sample inspection photos 7-12 included with report
Money: Let's put home inspection fees in perspective: On a $500,000 house, most real estate agencies charge 3.0% to 6.0% to sell it, that would be $15,000 to $30,000 for a $400,000! If the inspection fee is $500, that's less than 1/10 of 1% of the cost of the house! The cost of a home inspection by a seasoned professional is a bargain, even if you paid $1,000 for the inspection. If the owner of a house is willing to pay a real estate agent $15,000 to $30,000 to sell the house, how much should you pay to find out the true condition of the property?
The real value of an inspection and report should be measured by its usefulness. If a home inspection report fails to help a prospective buyer fully understand what they are buying or if it doesn't provide accurate, detailed information, which the client could use in the real estate negotiation process, what good is it?