different types of home inspectors

							Different Types of Home Inspectors

If you are hiring the services of a home inspector, you should never be
surprised that he might recommend you to hire services of other home
inspectors. It is not that he is incapable of inspecting the home. It is
that your general home inspector might lack specialization in checking or
inspecting specific parts or systems of the home.

For instance, your home inspector might not be able to fully inspect or
gauge the air conditioning system of the home. He might be lacking enough
useful knowledge about electrical lines and air conditioning. The same
goes for the chimney. Your general home inspector might not be able to
tell if flue liners and bricks might already be crumbling.

The subject of home inspection might surprise you because there are
actually specific areas involved. As such, your general home inspector
could still be of great help, but in certain cases or instances, he might
refer you to the services of other specialized home inspectors. Hold your
breath; there are more than 20 of them. Some of those types of home
inspectors specialize in:

Electrical system – The general home inspector could tell you there might
be a need to replace an old electrical box. However, he could not be
certain if the box is still complying with city or state code nor could
he recommend repair jobs. You would need the services of a home inspector
specializing in electrical systems.

Air conditioning and heating system – A specialist could very well tell
if your heating or air conditioning system needs repair or replacement.
The general home inspector might not be able to find out cracks in the
heat exchanger or any malfunction.

Chimney – General home inspectors should admit that they are not
knowledgeable enough to inspect old chimneys in particular. Bricks and
flue liners in the chimney interior might already be crumbling. A
specialized chimney inspector could also tell if smoke is being
discharged properly, and then recommend solutions if not.

Wood destroying pests – Specialists know more about wood-destroying
pests, which general home inspectors could not easily discern and check.
It is important to identify specific pests so that specific solutions
could be applied.

Home foundation – A foundation engineer could immediately tell if your
home has a faulty foundation or it is sliding. General home inspectors
could not tell if your home is actually built on a raised foundation or
on a slab. Your home foundation is important because the life-span and
overall safety of the home depends on it.

Soil stability – There is a need to test the soil beneath and around the
house. Inspection on soil stability is particularly important especially
if the house of standing on a hillside. No homebuyer would want a home
that could slide away in the middle of a rainstorm. Also, several areas
may be prone to soil contamination.
Asbestos – The element is one of the most health-risky. Unfortunately,
many home constructions in the past used asbestos in building structures.
Your general home inspector may not be able to tell if there are asbestos
materials in an old home.

Services of the general home inspector are still reliable and accurate.
However, in special and specific cases, specialists’ services would be
required. This is more possible when the home to be inspected is already
old.