If you’re a first time home buyer, or it’s been awhile since you’ve purchased a home, I made a list of questions you may have for a home inspector and answered them below. If you have a home question that isn’t answered below, please contact me.
Do I need a home inspection?
A home inspection is one of the biggest parts of buying or selling a home. If you are a seller you can use it to fix current issues before listing the home. If you are a buyer you can use it to negotiate repairs and/or price before you buy the home. It’s a lot easier to spend a couple hundred on an inspection than to spend thousands on possible repairs later on.
What do you inspect?
When performing a home inspection I follow the Illinois Standards of Practice for homes in Illinois and the InterNACHI and ASHI Standards of Practice for homes in Missouri. You can see what all is included in that by visiting this link.
What is not inspected in a home inspection?
Here is a link to a list of things that are not inspected by a home inspector during a regular home inspection. https://rigidinspections.com/what-is-not-inspected/
How long does the inspection take?
That depends on the size and other factors regarding the home, but on average it will take 3-5 hours for me to perform a home inspection.
Do I have to be present for the inspection?
No you don’t, but I recommend that you are present for at least a portion of the inspection for your own benefit. When you attend an inspection I can talk to you about what I am inspecting and help you get a good sense of the home. I also encourage that you ask questions while you’re there!
How much will the inspection cost?
This depends on the size of the home and services you decide to get, you can view pricing here. My home inspections do include FREE Thermal Imaging and FREE Drone Roof Inspections (if necessary). I also offer many other services along with the general home inspection including termite inspections, drone roof inspections, Radon Measurement, and Sewer/Septic Inspections, water quality testing, and gas line/mechanical inspections.
When is payment due?
Payment is due before the inspection report is released. I accept cash, cashiers check, personal checks, and credit/debit cards as payment. (**Note that I will charge a $30 fee for any check that bounces.)
Are you accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
No I am not. The BBB, in my opinion, is not telling if a business is good or not. They actually charge businesses money to be listed with them which is shady to me so I refuse to pay them to be listed with them. The best way to get accreditation for a business is to look at online reviews. You can see my reviews on Google here: Rigid Inspections Reviews.
If there is a problem, will you give an estimate on what it will cost to fix?
I avoid giving estimates on cost because I’d hate to give a client an incorrect or false estimate on something. If I do find an issue with your home, I will generally recommend that the proper qualified professional be called to come take look at it, that way you can get a more accurate estimate.
Do you make deals with realtors to leave things out of the report so they have a better chance of selling the house?
Absolutely not, I am there for you (the client) and you only. I will give an honest, unbiased, report on everything I see as accurately as I can.
Will I get a copy of the report?
You bet! Once I finish the home inspection, I will put the report together and email it to you in an online and PDF format within 24 hours of the inspection being completed.
Does the report include pictures?
Yes it does, I include pictures of issues I find and I also include videos to help better point out where the problem may exist.
Does the report have a summary page?
Yes it does! The summary page has a list of any major/safety concerns, recommended improvements and maintenance items. However, I highly recommend reading the report in its entirety as it will give you more information and photos on any issues or concerns.
Do you belong to a professional association?
Yes I do! I am currently Certified Master Inspector through InterNACHI and an ASHI Certified Inspector. You can view my InterNACHI profile here and my ASHI Profile here. I am also a member of NADRA, you can view that profile here.
What is your Illinois License Number?
My license number is 450.011629 and it expires November 2022.
Do you participate in continuing education programs to keep your expertise up to date?
I sure do! As a matter of fact part of Illinois state requirements for licensed home inspectors is to have at least 6 hours of continuing education per year to maintain a license. As a member of InterNACHI I am required to have 24 hours of continued education per year and as a member of ASHI I required to complete 20 hours of continuing education per year so I am constantly up to date and staying educated.
Everything is covered in snow. Can you still inspect the house?
Yes, I can still inspect the house but there will be limitations, the largest being the roof covering. When the roof coverings are buried in snow, they can’t be inspected. It’s a lot more work for me to inspect homes when there’s a lot of snow on the ground. I don’t charge any more for the inspection when I have to trudge through the snow. There are other inherent risks of purchasing a home in the winter time and you can learn about those here.
How much of a discount do you offer when things are snow covered?
I don’t offer a discount, but I also don’t charge more, despite the fact that it’s more work for me to inspect in the snow. There are other inherent risks of purchasing a home in the winter time and you can learn about those here.
Will you inspect geothermal heating systems?
Yes and No. I’ll check for the basic operation of the system, but that’s all. There is far too much that can go wrong with the design and installation of these systems. To anyone buying a home with geothermal heat I recommend obtaining detailed installation and service records for the system, as well as an inspection by an HVAC company who specializes in geothermal heat.
Do you offer mold testing?
Yes I do! I can perform air sampling and swab (surface) sampling. Visit the mold testing page for more information.
What if mold is present?
I recommend having it removed, and more importantly I recommend fixing the conditions that are causing the mold. If you can see mold, you have a moisture problem. A large portion of my home inspection is focused on looking for moisture problems. After the remediation of the mold I recommend contacting me for mold testing.