It's not All About Price!

I get a lot of calls that start with, "How much do you charge?" My answer, as much as humanly possible! We have a chuckle and begin talking about the inspection.

As President of the Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors, I get all of the bad calls. Let me tell you, it sure seems like you get what you pay for. 

When looking for an inspector, don’t just ask about the price. We don't all do the same inspection. Ask about their procedures. Ask about their experience prior to becoming a home inspector. Ask how many inspections they have done. Ask about where they get their continuing education. Ask if they are a WAHI member!

The cheap inspectors are cheap for a reason, mostly. Some just want to be cheapest, most are begging for work. Make your search about more than just price! You may just get what you pay for!

Recent market conditions have led to buyers waiving the home inspection contingency in their offer. In my opinion, this is a huge gamble for you as a Buyer!

I hear routinely,"My dad has owned a lot of homes and knows a lot about them." Or, "My neighbor used to be a contractor and walked through the home with me. They didn't see anything." Did your dad look in the attic? Did your neighbor take the cover off of the electrical panel? Did either of them notice the foundation cracks that couldn't be seen in the basement because  the basement was finished?  These are all things home inspectors do. We go into places in your potential home that you didn't even know you had in some instances!

Home inspectors are trained to see hints that something is wrong when the actual problem can't be seen. Most of the time, this service is offered to you for less than 1% of the price of the home you are purchasing! For that little bit, you can be protected from having to pay thousands dollars in unexpected costs in repairs to your home that the Seller may have been responsible for.

Buying a home is supposed to be your single biggest purchase as an adult. Don't let the market ruin that joyous time for you!

Home inspectors are trained to get into spaces you may not even know exist. These places many times have concerns that may affect the health and safety of people living in the home.

For example, when was the last time you looked in the attic during a showing? Most homeowners generally don't think to as they are determining if they want to purchase that particular home. Inspectors are trained to find existing issues such as organic growth or broken roof framing components. We are also trained to identify items that may lead to those particular items. 

The attic is just one of the many items in a home that will be examined during an inspection that home buyers don't consider when making the purchase. A home inspection can not only protect the well being of the buyer and the family but can also prevent someone from buying a money pit.

I commonly hear parents coming along on home inspections, tell their children that they should be getting the air filter for their furnace that catches everything! Well, unfortunately for them, but fortunately for the Buyer, the parents are wrong.

HVAC professionals will recommend the cheapest, simplest filters you can find.  The recommendation comes for a few reasons.

1) The upfront cost. Unless you have extreme allergies in the home, changing the simple filters a little more often will give you the same protection while costing much less than changing complex filters a couple times a year. Even mild to moderate allergy sufferers will be comfortable with the simple filters.

2) Complex filters work your furnace harder, shortening the life of the furnace in the long run. It is much harder to draw air through even the clean, complex filters thus, shortening the life of the furnace.

3) It takes longer to heat or cool the home, depending on the season. Due to the fact it is harder to draw the air through a complex filter, it in turn takes longer to move the air that is heated or cooled through the home. The more complex the filter is, the more gas and electricity you waste heating and cooling the home.

As a homeowner, you have much better ways to spend your money! Probably more fun than a furnace filter too! Go cheap, simple and change them more often and both you and your furnace will be better off in the long run!