Many home inspectors zip through their inspections as fast as they can, often in under 2 hours, so they can squeeze as many inspections into a day as possible. Here at Blue Mountain, we don’t do that. Our home inspections generally take between 2 to 3 hours. We want to be as thorough as we can so you have the best information possible.
It’s important to bring a small notebook and pen for taking notes. Generally, the home owner will not be present for the inspection so this is a time when you can feel comfortable really looking over the home, imagining yourself living there, writing down your thoughts, measuring rooms, etc. This is also a good time to write down questions that come to you so you can ask the inspector when he’s finished with the inspection.
Be sure to give the inspector time and space to do his job. He’ll be happy to answer questions during the inspection but understand that he is working and will be constantly moving from one area of the home to the next. For liability reasons, you won’t be able to accompanying the inspector to certain areas such as crawlspaces, rooftops, attics, up ladders or during electrical panel inspections.
Don’t be alarmed when you will see the inspector constantly taking photographs (he’ll be taking up to 300 photos per inspection). But don’t worry, the photos simply document the current condition of the home. A very small percentage will be of any deficiencies he finds.
Doing these simple things will make a big difference in how smoothly the home inspection will go for both the home inspector, and YOU!
You are welcome to be present during the inspection, to give you time to just be with the home, measure, etc; but it’s especially important that you be there near the end so the inspector can explain any deficiencies he finds. If you are unable to attend, that’s okay. You’ll get a full report with photos of any defects found and if you’d like, the inspector will discuss any questions concerning the report with you by phone.