Home Inspection Checklist

The home inspcetion report is a must before the buyers can close the buy the agreement. It is and should be treated as the most important final last step , as it is here you can uncover issues and problems which can come to haunt you later if you do not have the home inspection done.

A home inspections report should contain the following information and you as a home buyer should ask for a home inspection checklist before you agree to the home inspection or settle for a particular home inspector.

A good home inspection report software usually has a checklist of items that have to be inspected.

In general a home inspection should be  carried out for

Structural elements like wall, ceilings etc.

Home exterior elements like wall covering, grdaing, elevation, driveways and fences.

Roof and attic elements like type of roof construction, flushing and gutters.

The main component and source of several concerns plumbing elements like pipe material used, toilets, sinks,showers, faucets etc.

Other elements to be inspected are air conditioning, water heaters, furnaces, ducts, sprinklers etc.

Electrical elements like the main panel and the circuit breakers.

Some of the major applinaces covered are dishwasher, range and oven, garbage disposal, smoke detectors etc.

Garage elements like slab, vents, entry, exterior, windows and roof etc.

A home inspection report should mention the health and safety concerns , foundation anomalies, moisture and drainage issues if any. Remember they do not cover the roof condition and do not give a roof certification.

With such a detailed inspection to be done, a good home inspector armed with a good home inspection report software would be able to do the job satisfactorily. In the light of the above elements, buyers who are thinking of not doing the home inspection should cross the fence to the other side and get a home inspection done or at least get a good home inspection report software to do the home inspcetion by themselves.

Home Inspection Report Software - Essentials

In this advanced age of information technology, a home inspectors best friend is a home inspection report software . There are several inspection software programs available in the market offered by several leading companies. Some of the report software are freely downloadable as well.

While selecting a home inspection report software, there are several factors that you need to keep in mind as listed.

The report software you choose must have various report templates to suit you needs for various types of homes like new, old, condos, apartments etc. You should be able to create your own template for your future needs.

You should be able to customize the report to your own professional affiliation like ASHI, FABI.

It should have a repository of detailed pre written inspection comments.

The software should work with Tablet PC as well as the laptop or a computer as then it eleiminates the need for the inspector to type in anything during the inspection itself.Also, the software should allow integration and upload of photographs and documents.

A summary page feature is a must for the home inspection report software which helps the buye/seller in terms of readability and easily listing out the critical problems uncovered during the inspection.

The home inspection software should be selected based on the above factors and several others not listed here like the price etc , whic of course can be a major factor while going for feature rich home inspection report software.

Home Inspection Certification

To perform a home inspection you would need to be a qualified and certified home isnpector. Before the home owner or the buyer calls you for inspection they would love to know your qulaifications and it gives them a certain degree of confidence that you would be able to do a good job.

In the last 12 years the growth of the home inspection industry has been unbelievable and that has spawned many courses and fly by night operators.You would routinely see adverts saying that become a home inspector in 25 days , yes very true that these would  certify you but are these agencies actually accredited or not , please verify for yourself before joining such a course.

Become a home isnpector requires years of experience and huge amounts of knowledge. This cannot be done in a 25 day course. The best you can do is research before singing on those home inspection courses. And all said there is no substitute for the experience gained on the field.

The courses online can train you in the basics of contruction design as well as give you training in the use of the home inspection report software. They also give you training in identifying errors and omissions which can not be uncovered by the uncovered eye.

Do due diligence while signing up for home inspection certification course and make sure you are not duped by scamsters and non accredited institutes.