More house talk: finding a good home inspector

[wally426ci]

All this house talk has me thinking. We have been searching for the past year or 2. I am trying to find a good home inspector but can't really figure out how. We have used 1 so far and I was not impressed. 

[spamtank]

All this house talk has me thinking. We have been searching for the past year or 2. I am trying to find a good home inspector but can't really figure out how. We have used 1 so far and I was not impressed. 

I've never used it, but I always hear about Angie's list.  I think it costs some money.

http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/us/md/rockville/hti-home-inspections-inc-reviews-2306863.aspx

We had an addition put on the house (which lead to an extra garage bay, which lead to 70 challenger to plug the hole), and selected 3 or 4 contractors from Service Magic in our area which we down selected from.  In the end we were very happy with the outcome.  That was a free service.

[4Cruizn]

Your real estate agent should have the info you need.  I have 3 or 4 good inspectors that I can recommend . . . Never just one.   I always want the buyer to pick so I'm not steering to a certain inspector in case something goes wrong.   

[cdawg]

I believe the House Inspector/ Home Appraiser is chosen by the Loan Institution or Bank now. The Banks randomly pick one from their approved list of inspectors. I almost killed the deal when my Broker informed me i couldnt get my own inspector for the appraisal but it worked out for me in the long run because the Bank that owned the home had to lower the price 20k from what I 1st offered to get the sale of the home.

[Challenga]

I think each state has their own rules/laws on home inspections.   I just moved to Virginia and I am looking for a house as well.  Apparently here I am required to pay for the inspection and the Owner/Realtor are not required to disclose any problems with the house. 

It's the same with home invasions...hahahah.  Different laws in different states.

[4Cruizn]

If the mortgage company picks your home inspector . . . I see problems.  If they are inspecting to make sure that the property qualifies for the type of loan that you're getting, that is another thing.  But to do YOUR inspection . . . I don't think so.   The appraiser will do the inspection on all FHA loans but you can still hire your own inspection from a private inspection company.   If the seller hire the inspector . . I think we have a conflict of interest there for sure!