Before purchasing a home, it is essential to hire a Licensed Seattle Home Inspector to check for both major and minor defects. By hiring a licensed Seattle home inspector local residents can know if the home they want to buy has structural defects. They can therefore make an informed decision on whether to buy a particular house or not.
A home inspection can reveal problems like leaking pipes, shoddy electrical work and wildlife residing in the attic among other things. After you receive a copy of the inspection report, you can negotiate with the seller on which problems he or she should address. If the problems are minor, you can choose to rectify them yourself if the seller agrees to lower the price of the house.
Choosing a property inspector is an important process. You should start looking for an inspector early so that you will have adequate time to select a competent and reputable professional. When looking for a licensed Seattle home inspector, there are a number of things you should consider. The first thing to consider is if the professional’s license is issued by the Washington State Inspector Licensing Board.
You should also consider if the inspector belongs to a professional organization. Licensed Seattle Home inspectors who maintain memberships with professional organizations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors are able to stay current with recent development in the building inspection industry. Maintaining such a membership is also a good indication that an inspector takes his or her profession seriously.
The other thing to consider is if a property inspector has extensive knowledge about a property’s systems. Ideally, you should hire an inspector who is a licensed professional engineer. If a property has structural problems, the opinion of a professional engineer is highly valuable.
Before hiring a property inspector, it is also wise to find out if he or she has offered home inspection services for many years. You can ask the professional to inform you about the number of inspections he or she has performed. You should also inquire about what he or she will include in the inspection report and the amount of money he or she will charge for the services. Ask the professional to provide you with copies of written inspection reports from previous home inspections.
You should also consider if a property inspector will provide you with photographs of problematic areas and a checklist of the systems inspected. Finding out how long the property inspection process will take is also important. In most cases, this procedure is completed within two to three hours.
The other thing to consider when hiring a licensed building inspector is whether he or she is adequate insurance. Find out if the professional has errors and omissions insurance. The main purpose of this kind of insurance is to cover oversights or mistakes such as the structural problems an inspector may overlook. Property inspectors who have errors and omissions insurance are able to pay any claims that consumers may file against them.
It is also important to find out if a home inspector has a good reputation. You can check the name of the inspector you want to hire on the website of Better Business Bureau to find out if anyone has filed a complaint against him or her. You may also ask the professional to provide you with references from former clients. You may then call these individuals and inquire if they were satisfied with the services they received from the inspector. By considering these factors when hiring an inspector in Seattle, you can get an accurate property inspection report.