A Guide To The Rules Of Profession For Home Inspectors

The Home Inspectors need to follow the rules of profession, which ensure a high level of professionalism and adherence to business ethics on their part. A home inspector can be defined as a person who takes an in-depth and impartial look at the property that the buyer plans to buy and then evaluates the physical condition of the home. Depending on the written report provided by him, the buyer can form a fair idea about the market value of the property.

Getting the house that you are planning to buy inspected by an expert home inspector, also ensures that you know what you are buying is really worth all the money that you are dishing out. After all, it is your hard-earned money that is at stake and you are probably taking out a loan to make the purchase.

The Rules To Be Followed

The rules that the home inspectors require to follow in their trade, originate from their duties towards public and their own profession.

Public - A home inspector has to be a fair, honest and impartial individual who cannot indulge in any harmful practice towards the public and has to act in their good faith. Any activity, which is damaging to the public interest, is completely prohibited and it's absolutely essential to stick to the organization's standard of practice. A home inspector cannot discriminate between his clients on the basis of color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and the like.

Another important thing is that a home inspector cannot have any undisclosed conflict of interest with the client and neither can he accept or offer any undisclosed monetary or other benefit from the client. Not only clients, the same is applicable in case of other real estate agents, broker or third parties having financial interest in the sale of the property.

As a part of ethics, a home inspector is not supposed to divulge any information to anyone about the inspection, without the prior consent of the client and has to act in the interest of the client. He can violate this rule only when it affects the safety of others or does not comply with any law or statute.

Moreover, a home inspector needs to follow all the government rules and licensing requirements of the jurisdiction and is not permitted to perform any repair or related service (within a span of 12 months) to the property on which the member himself / herself or any other home inspector has prepared a home inspection report.

Profession - the profession of home inspection, has only recently, come to the attention of the state legislators and henceforth has undergone a few essential changes. Earlier, there was no set standard of training or qualification that a home inspector needed to possess. But for a professional, whose single report can be a deal maker or breaker, its essential to have a certain level of certification or training. The American Society of Home Inspectors, Inc. (ASHI) has remained a pioneer in this field and today the rule of the profession itself demands the members to comply with its current educational requirements and to pass the online inspector examination once every year.

As a duty to his / her profession, a home inspector has to strive for the betterment of the home inspection industry by sharing his/her experience with others. Moreover, a home inspector will not engage in any such practice that can prove to be damaging or destructive.

Why Is It Essential For You To Engage A Qualified Inspector?

A home inspector is a person on whose capable opinion you depend upon to take the decision of whether or not to make one of the most important purchases of your lifetime: your home! A qualified home inspector will first evaluate the physical conditions of the property in terms of structure, construction and mechanical system and in the second phase will identify the items that are to be repaired or replaced in the home. Finally, he/she will estimate the remaining life of the major equipments, systems (like electrical, plumbing, heating, etc.), structure and finishes.

Depending on these three stages of evaluation, your home inspector will furnish a written report within five to seven days, stating the market value of the property and whether it is in good habitable condition or not.

In this context, it is essential to mention that home inspection is different from home appraisal (required for mortgage loan) and your home inspector will never estimate the value of the house that you plan to buy. Since, depending on his report you make your investment, it's your responsibility to choose a qualified, trained and experienced inspector for your purpose. You can ask your real estate agent for the reference of some competent inspectors or can find licensed inspectors from professional or state organizations.

Therefore, before getting into a property deal, select an eligible inspector who is competent and well aware of the rules of profession, so that he can guide you properly.