What You Risk With A Cheap Home Inspection
Ben Franklin must have been projecting into the future of home inspections when he said, “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Without rigorous licensing and oversight (in fact there is NO licensing in some of our service areas - including Georgia), the bar is set pretty low for becoming a home inspector. This makes home inspection a “you get what you pay for" profession.
What’s at Stake with a Home Inspection
A thorough home inspection, done by experienced professionals, will:
- Prevent surprise home maintenance costs
- Protect your family from potential health and safety dangers in a home
- Ensure that you are getting exactly what you pay for, protecting your investment
A cheap home inspection could cost you all three.
How Much Do Home Inspections Cost?
Companies often base the cost of a home inspection on:
- Scope of the inspection (does it include thermal imaging, radon testing, etc?)
- Size of a property
- Age of a property
- Inspector's expertise
- Seasonal surges of availability
- Sometimes there are surcharges based on list price, location, foundation type, etc.
Signs that your home inspection quote is cheap:
- There is a flat fee with no considerations of the size of the home
- Coupons or discounts are applied (a home inspection is a professional consultation, not a commodity)
- Comes with a “warranty” from a third party
- Inspector is a 1099 vs a full-time professional
- Inspector does not share accuracy results with you
What You Risk With A Cheap Home Inspection
What could a cheap inspection say about the inspector or home inspection business? Be wary of the following factors:
- The inspector is new to the business and probably hasn't built an extensive client base. Most new inspectors wait to see how their business does before they begin investing heavily in it.
- Cheaper providers tend not to have money in the bank or cash reserves to cover instances of “being human.”
- The inspector may not have errors and omissions insurance (also known as E&O insurance) and may not even know they need it. While it’s not required, it’s something an established and reputable home inspection company would have.
- Because of the lack of regulations, there is very little capital required to start a home inspection industry, making it very appealing to part-time or retired workers for “a little extra money.” This limits their expertise which increases the risk of an inaccurate report.
- The inspector may limit their exposure by limiting their liability to the cost of the inspection fee.
Consider the potential long-term costs of working with a lower-priced inspector when evaluating price. What can saving $200 now really cost you once you own the home? Getting your inspection fee refunded for a $5,000 issue you’re now on the hook for quickly diminishes the “deal” you got on your $400 home inspection.
A home inspection is another professional consulting practice. You are hiring a consultant to provide data and opinions about the home’s systems and components. You’re not really buying an inspection; you’re buying a process developed over time and experience.
What if something goes wrong? Where does that leave you if an issue arises due to the inspector’s failure to observe potential problems in a property?
What it comes down to is this: The inspection fee is small compared to the cost of the potential problem you’ll then own.
Our reputation of being reliable and methodical inspectors is very important to us. We've developed an accountability process where we are regularly tracking a 98.9% accuracy rating, the industry's highest rating. We even offer a 100-Day Home Inspection Guarantee as an extra safety net for our clients.
With Home-Probe, you will get same-day reporting, cost of estimates for repair and someone will be available to answer any questions before and after your inspection seven days a week.
