Home inspection unlocks door to successful home buying

Buying a home can be a stressful experience, but before you sign your life away at the closing, you have to clear multiple hurdles. One of the tallest hurdles is the home inspection.

Although home inspection costs between $300 and $500, most see this as a non-negotiable step in the home buying process because a good home inspector determines the condition of the house and helps evaluate if the asking price is fair. Also, he or she informs the client of inevitable future expenses, so hiring a fastidious, experienced home inspector is extremely important.

Whitefish Bay’s Nicholas Petrie is an ASHI inspector and founder of Smart Move Home Inspection Services. Petrie, a former remodeling contractor, performs 400-450 inspections a year on a wide range of properties.

Because spring is a popular season for house shopping, OnMilwaukee.com asked Petrie about what makes a solid home inspection and advice on what to ask an inspector.

OnMilwaukee.com: What exactly is the home inspector’s job?

Nicholas Petrie: The state of Wisconsin has a set of standards for home inspection based on the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) standards. Inspectors are required to "observe and describe the type and condition" of certain items or components -- the foundation, the building frame, the roof, the attic frame, etc. First and foremost, a home inspection is a visual inspection of "observable components" and not "technically exhaustive.” On a practical level, that means inspectors walk around and look at stuff.

It's easiest to know a good inspector by how he evaluates the four major components of a home -- the roof, the foundation, the chimney and the heating equipment.

OMC: What are the best questions to ask a home inspector?

NP: Initial questions include his background -- home inspection is almost always a second or third career, so what the inspector did in his last job says a lot about how qualified he is in his current one.

Ask other questions about inspection experience.  Ask if he is a full-time inspector, and how many inspections he does each year.  A full-time inspector should do at least 300 each year. The part-timers aren't as likely to be up-to-date, and are less experienced.

Ask about professional memberships.  Membership in ASHI -- the American Society of Home Inspectors -- is not a guarantee of quality (I know one horrible inspector who is a long-time ASHI board member) but it's better than nothing.  Membership in WAHI -- the Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors -- is a minimum. Inspection school certificates generally mean that the inspector is right out of school.

Ask if you, the client, are encouraged to come to the inspection. The best inspectors want your attention, and know enough to stand up to the scrutiny of your questions.  I know one inspector who tells his clients not to attend, that they just get in the way.

Ask how long the inspection will last.  Two-and-a-half to three hours is a reasonable time for an average-sized house. I know several inspectors who walk through in less than an hour.

Ask about reports -- does he use electronic reporting, and are photographs and diagrams included in the report?  Will you get the report on-site? You don't want to have to wait, when time is of the essence in a real estate transaction.

Then ask technical questions about the inspection process. Ask whether he carries a ladder long enough to let him walk on most two-story roofs.  Ask how he evaluates basements -- does he use a laser to measure walls? Ask if he uses a carbon monoxide tester to check the heating equipment, and does he test the exhaust.  Both what he answers and how he answers will tell you a lot about this inspector.

OMC: What can’t a home inspector detect about a property?

NP: I can't climb down the inside of a chimney to check the flue, or get underneath a basement floor to check the drain tile. Home inspectors are not required to measure displacement in foundation walls, although this is standard in the foundation repair industry, and has been for years. No inspector should damage the components of the house without permission of the seller. I won't remove basement paneling to see the foundation, and I won't shovel off the whole roof to inspect it. That said, the vast majority of home inspectors do the absolute minimum required under the law, when good inspectors do more -- and the best inspectors do a lot more.

OMC: Are home inspectors required to inspect the roof?

NP: Home inspectors are not required to get up on a ladder to inspect the roof, let alone actually climb up on the roof for a better view. Better home inspectors carry a ladder that will allow them to get up to the eave of a two-story house. I carry special -- expensive -- insurance to allow me to do this. If the roof is too steep or icy for me to walk, I move my ladder to several other locations to make sure I have an accurate sense of its condition. I also carry a roof rake to let me remove some snow, to see what's below.

OMC: What is a major repair that often times goes unnoticed?

NP: Brick or stone chimneys are often unrecognized as a potential major repair. If a home is 40 years old or older, and the chimney shows significant cracks or damage, or if previous repairs are cracking again, the internal structure may be significantly damaged, and it may need to be rebuilt, sometimes to the roofline or lower. This can cost anywhere from $1,500 for a small one to $20,000 for a large or complex chimney.

OMC: Do you involve the client in your process?

NP: Yes. Good home inspectors understand that they are in the service business. For example, home inspectors are not required to move personal items. Good inspectors move items every day -- to get to the attic hatch, to check for rotten windowsills, to look for heat vents in bedrooms.  Good inspectors answer clients' questions as they inspect. The best inspectors engage their clients, and actively solicit their participation. Although I won't let my client walk on the roof, I encourage them to get on the ladder for a first-hand look at the roof and chimney.  If they're not comfortable on a ladder -- most people aren't -- I hand them the binoculars for a closer view. I am always asking my clients, "Do you have any questions?"

OMC: At the end of inspection, clients receive a written report of the condition of the home, right?

NP: This is the true product of a home inspection, and a key requirement under Wisconsin statute. Most home inspectors use duplicate or triplicate forms with check-boxes and hand-written notes, providing limited information. Better inspectors now use computer-generated reports, so at least you don't have to read bad handwriting. The best inspectors take photographs of everything, and can imbed those photos, along with helpful and instructive diagrams, into the body of the report. The photos make a huge difference -- they make the issues clear to both buyer and seller. It's hard for a seller to say that his roof is fine when he can see a picture where the shingles are coming apart.

The dirty little secret of home inspection is that most home inspectors do not want to find anything wrong with the house.  Most inspectors get almost all of their work from real estate agents, so they have an incentive not to find any problem that might jeopardize the deal.  If the deal does not go through, the Realtor doesn't get paid, and is much less likely to recommend that home inspector again.

OMC: How much does a home inspection cost?

NP: According to the American Society of Home Inspectors, the national average cost for an inspection of an average-sized home is $300-500. The best home inspectors are often more expensive. Be prepared to pay for professional quality and service. And you might have to wait a few days longer, because the best home inspectors are often busy.