Hiring a Home Inspector: Credentials, Sample Reports and Red Flags

Get three names — one from your agent, two from your own search or from friends who've bought recently — and ask each for a sample report, their license number, their ASHI or InterNACHI membership, and confirmation of errors-and-omissions insurance. Read the sample reports: you want photos of every finding, plain-language explanations, and a summary that separates safety issues and major defects from maintenance items. Then ask how long they'll be on site (under two hours for a house is a red flag) and whether you can attend.

You can take the name, but pick from three. An agent's referral is usually competent and usually fine — and also has an interest in the deal closing. An inspector who works mostly from one brokerage's referrals has a soft incentive not to be the one who kills deals. Choosing your own, on the strength of a sample report, removes the question. If the agent's pick has the best sample report, use them.

A state license where the state requires one (most do); membership in ASHI or InterNACHI, both of which require exams, continuing education and adherence to a written standard of practice; and errors-and-omissions plus general liability insurance. Experience matters more than any of them — ask how many inspections they've done and how many houses like yours. A construction background is a plus, not a substitute for the license.

A summary page of safety issues and major defects; then every system — roof, exterior, structure, attic, basement or crawl space, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, interior, appliances — with what was inspected, what was found, photos of each finding, and a plain recommendation (repair, replace, monitor, or have a specialist evaluate). It should also list what couldn't be inspected and why: a locked room, a snow-covered roof, a crawl space with no access. Expect 30–60 pages with photos, delivered the same day or next morning.

Radon anywhere the EPA map is zone 1 or 2 (most of the northern half of the country) and in any house with a basement. A sewer scope on any house over about 30 years old, on clay or cast-iron drains, or with mature trees near the line — a collapsed sewer is $5,000–$25,000. Termite or WDO where it's common and wherever the lender requires it. Well water testing and a septic inspection whenever they exist. Mold sampling only if the general inspection finds moisture or visible growth. Pool, chimney and thermal as the house warrants.

Yes, and you should — at least the last hour, when the inspector walks the house with you and explains the findings. Ask about anything you noted on your own walk, where the main shutoffs are, the age and expected life of the big systems, and what they'd fix first. Let the inspector work alone for the first two hours; standing over them slows the job. A seller or listing agent shouldn't attend the buyer's inspection.

Sort the report into safety and major items (roof, structure, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, water intrusion), then ask for one of three things: repairs before closing by licensed contractors with receipts, a credit at closing priced from a contractor's quote you obtain, or a price reduction. Ignore the maintenance items — asking for a dripping faucet undermines the request for the roof. If the seller refuses and the issue is serious, the inspection contingency lets you walk with your deposit. A re-inspection ($100–$200) confirms repairs were done.

No license or insurance; no sample report, or a checklist report without photos; an inspection quoted at under 90 minutes for a house; a refusal to let you attend; a report delivered by phone summary rather than in writing; an inspector who also offers to do the repairs; and one who won't go on the roof, into the attic or into the crawl space when access is reasonable. Also, an inspector who describes every finding as minor — a house with nothing wrong is rare.