The current trend in home inspection is to throw 3-4 inspectors at the house so the inspection can be completed in 45 minutes.  This allows The 3 Little Inspectors to do 4 home inspections per day.  Your realtor loves it because, quite frankly, some think they have better things to do than attend home inspections. That is sort of like finding out your expensive meal was prepared in a microwave oven.  How do you feel about that?  While the meal may be hot, the plate is nicely decorated and the waiter is nice, you probably can’t quite overcome that little feeling that you’ve been taken; and, you have. Do you think that Chef is really a “Chef”?  Quality chefs make pretty good money and it is doubtful this “Chef” can command that sort of pay.  How much training does it take to be a “Microwave Chef”?  Is knowing that this particular meal requires 5 minutes on Medium High the same as knowing how to actually make the sauce or what happens when you add some particular ingredient to the dish?  Of course not.  It’s a charade to make you think you are getting a quality meal while hoping you don’t see the kitchen. The sole intent behind The 3 Little Inspector concept is to blow through the home you are buying while pretending to provide a quality inspection.  The presentation is nice, but the quality is missing.  The McDonald’s concept doesn’t really transfer to home inspection.  You see, it takes knowledge and experience along with a little thought to arrive at an opinion of the condition of a home.  Having 3 inspectors race around a home taking photos of visible damage while recording little notes on a smart phone is not a home inspection.  So, these photos/notes get compiled into a piece of software and there is your report:  the roof inspector says the roof is OK; the guy inspecting the fascia says you have water damage; and the guy on the inside says he found some evidence of water at the bedroom window.  There it is – all defects found. But wait a minute…maybe some of these issues are inter-related.  Maybe the roof isn’t really OK, because the fascia is water damaged.  Maybe the guy outside would have looked closer at the windows after he saw water damage on the inside – but he can’t do that because he’s the outside guy and there isn’t enough time to disrupt the process.  After all, the bun guy at McDonald’s doesn’t check the meat or wrap the sandwich! Before you hire the inspector your realtor referred or recommended, take a few minutes to question their experience, their qualifications and their process.  I can absolutely tell you a quality home inspector does not work in 3-4 man teams.  You are not paying enough and they understand production home inspection simply does not provide quality.  You see, a good home inspector spent years learning the craft and quite frankly,  is simply not willing to put a signature on a “partial” report.  He or she knows better.  The owner of The 3 Little Inspectors will sign off because, well, that’s what he or she does.  Most of the owners of The 3 Little Inspector shops don’t like performing home inspections, so they hire barely qualified inspectors to do it for them.  In fact, they brag about not letting the inspectors learn anything about a home other than the assigned task so that they don’t eventually become competitors.  You see, the learning curve on “microwave cooking” isn’t very long. Just like at McDonald’s, you’ll get your inspection faster with The 3 Little Inspectors, but is that really your objective in a home inspection?  Don’t be mislead or pushed to a production inspector because your realtor wants the inspection over in 45 minutes instead of 2 hours. A professional home inspector doesn’t write your report during the inspection.  He or she may make notes of course, but a professional inspector takes the time to compile his or her thoughts after the inspection and write the report.  The inspector may spend another hour or two on your report.  Why?  Because experience has taught that is the best representation for your financial protection. One last little secret of the production inspector:  they are writing your report on the fly so you’re really getting about 20 minutes of home inspection x 3 or 60 minutes of attention to your home.  Not much value there for the price you are paying. You only have one chance to get this right.  Now is the time to exercise good judgment and to do your own due diligence and research.  You don’t have to accept the referrals provided by your realtor – you can hire whomever you want to protect your investment. Look closely at the referrals you get.  Are they all equally qualified?  Are they equally insured with Errors & Omissions insurance?  If they are sending The 3 Little Inspector team to your door, what qualifications do the actual inspectors have?  You see, these inspector companies brag about their qualifications on their webpage or brochure, but they don’t tell you the “actual” inspectors don’t have these qualifications; they don’t want you to see the kitchen. At Property360, we don’t offer microwave home inspections.  Our inspectors are well trained and well qualified.  Yes, we can put together a team for large jobs when needed; but I promise, your inspection won’t be a nuke job.  

    Home Inspections from scratch, oven baked and prepared by a Master Chef.

 

                                                                 William Chandler

                                                                       Property360

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