Wow, so many angry/disgruntled topics and posts present in this group.
Are there people passing themselves off as "qualified home inspectors", when in fact, they have little to no formal/practical training or experience? Sadly, yes.
Are there people just going through the motions with little concern for providing their client with an accurate report as to the condition of what is most likely the largest investment in a lifetime? Pathetically, yes.
There are also thousands of well trained, dedicated and experienced professionals who know that:
a) the client must receive an accurate, complete and unbiased report in a timely manner upon conclusion of the inspection.
b) the client is relying on the information provided by the inspector to make, what is typically, the single largest investment decision of their lives.
c) the client is the boss and the inspector has a moral and legal obligation to serve only their client's interests.
and most importantly,
d) the client (knowingly or unknowingly) may be relying on an inspector's diligence and knowledge to identify and report conditions/issues that may be a potential threat to life or limb.
Now someone out there may be saying, "Awww come on.... that's just playing on people's fears. You should be ashamed of yourself trying to scare people into a home inspection." I speak from first hand experience that conditions and issues like that exist out there in homes that would seem "perfect".
And to those who would tell others that a home inspection isn't needed, you can do it yourself, or its a waste of money? You may be willing to dismiss someone's well-being (family, financial or otherwise) so easily, but rest assured, home inspectors are striving every minute to seek out and identify those issues and exceed the client's expectations.
Do your homework before you make your choice. You should be confident in your home inspector's abilities, knowledge and desire to ensure you receive an accurate and concise report in a timely manner. There are thousands of home inspectors across the nation who know the value of the profession's integrity and honor it everyday. Home inspectors whose clients have entrusted them with the responsibility of providing a vital information tool to aid in one of the largest decisions of their lives.
I, like many, take great pride in being a home inspector. Our integrity is very much alive and well. It may be that some of you have encountered an inspector very much like some the houses we crawl in, under, over and through... even in a great neighborhood, you can run into the occasional "fixer-upper".