Home Inspectors Are Not Specialists
A recent conversation with another home inspector friend of mine prompted me to write this article. We, as home inspectors, are not specialists.
A common misconception of people who hire home inspectors is that the inspectors are specialists with a superior source of home knowledge and ability to explain any problem and the fix for it. This is not entirely true. Yes home inspectors are very knowledgeable when it comes to homes and all the systems and parts within the home, but they are not specialists. They do not know EVERYTHING (even though some of them may think they do). In fact the word most inspectors use to describe themselves is “Generalist”.
Home inspectors are generalists. They are not specialists, nor are they all knowing, when it comes to systems of a home (whether it be electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Roofing, Structure etc.). That is why in a home inspector’s report you’ll see the defect and then a comment after the defect that says something along the lines of “I recommend having a qualified HVAC Technician evaluate and correct as needed”.
Home inspectors are trained to spot defects during the home inspection and write what they see. They are not, however, trained or qualified to provide information on how to fix the issue or information on cost to repair the issue. That is the specialist’s job, that is why home inspectors refer to specialists. A great way to think about it is like this:
Pretend for this example that the doctor is the home inspector and the podiatrist is the specialist.
Your ankle hurts so you go to your primary doctor to see what the issue may be. The doctor comes in and asks you what is wrong, when did it start, evaluates the ankle and writes that information down (the report). The doctor knows something is wrong with your ankle but it’s beyond his expertise to accurately diagnose and treat it. The doctor then refers you to a podiatrist (foot and ankle specialist) and sends the podiatrist his findings. From there the podiatrist will do more in depth testing and be able to accurately diagnose and fix the issue.
Another easier way to think of it is that a home inspector knows a little about a lot and a specialist knows a lot about a little.
There are clients who are misinformed about what a home inspectors job is when they hire the inspector. They have high expectations and assume that the inspector is a specialist and that the inspector will do evasive tests, write a report of all the issues along with how to fix them, and know how much it will cost to fix. In reality the inspector is just a generalist. A knowledgeable person trained to spot and report defects and recommend further evaluation and repair to a specialist. It is the specialists job to provide information on how to fix the issues and how much it will cost to fix.
Keep in mind that in some cases the inspector will know more than the specialist. I’ve been in many situations where I had to re-inspect something that I was told was “fixed” and I had to inform all parties involved that the item was not fixed properly. I’ve also had “specialists” ask me how to fix things in my report. In both cases the “specialist” isn’t really a specialist but instead a mediocre contractor whom should not have been hired to do the job (or worse the homeowner who decided to fix the issue themselves).
For more information on what home inspectors will look at and inspect check out the Home Inspection Standards of Practice below. There are two major home inspector associations, ASHI and InterNACHI. Each have their own standards. It’s also important to note that if a state has home inspector licensing then they may have their own standards of practice for home inspectors. Illinois, for example, has licensing for home inspectors and they have their own standards of practice. I am Illinois licensed (#450.011629), you can view my Illinois home inspector license here. As a Certified Master Inspector and ASHI Certified Inspector I follow all standards of practice mainly because they don’t differ from each other very much at all and I tend to go above and beyond the standards since they are just a minimum.
InterNACHI Standards of Practice
Illinois Standards of Practice