Move to Limit the Home Inspector’s Reports at Home Buyer’s Expense

The Home Inspector Licensure Board has proposed changes to the Inspection Report that will virtually tie the hands of Home Inspectors in being able to provide any educated professional opinion in their reports.

It is my opinion that this proposed change regarding home inspector services is coming as a result of pressure from the powerful lobby of the large Real Estate firms and their Listing Agents.

As an Exclusive Buyer’s Only Realtor, we rely on the Home Inspector’s report to help protect our Buyers from purchasing a home that could later result in costly repairs. It is important to us that we have as extensive an inspection and report as possible.

Limiting the inspectors to only reporting factual items is rendering the report almost useless. When the Licensing of Home Inspectors was instituted they removed the ability of North Carolina home inspectors to mention code violations in the report. That was the equivalent of tying one hand behind their backs. Now they are proposing to tie both hands-- all at the expense of the Home Buyer and to the advantage of the Seller.

When we go to a Doctor and he examines us, we rely on his professional expertise and his OPINION along with the facts to diagnose us. A home is analogous to our bodies, ever changing, needing maintenance and you can’t always see the exact problem but when you know the signs of future problems, you need to have those things “diagnosed.”

Rather than changing the Report, why don’t they change the requirements to be a Home Inspector? In my opinion, if you can pass the Licensing Exam you can be a home inspector with no real experience in construction, engineering or other related fields.

If they tie the home inspector’s hands, then we might as well hire engineers to do the inspections because they will be able to give opinions and also be able to site code violations.

As Exclusive Buyer’s Agents, we are very selective of the home inspectors we recommend to our buyers, because we do know there are many that are marginally qualified to perform a thorough inspection and provide a detailed report. We have stopped using inspectors because they become more interested in pleasing Real Estate Agents than providing a thorough, detailed report for the Buyer.

There has always been a push from the Listing Real Estate companies for the Home Inspectors to water down their reports as much as possible. It is hoped this new effort to limit the ability of the Home Inspectors to truly serve the Buyers they are working for will be defeated.

If you wish to voice your opinion, you should contact the NC Department of Insurance, Home Inspectors Licensing Division.

I invite you to send us your thoughts and comments on this emerging issue that greatly impacts real estate and home sales throughout RTP and the state of North Carolina.

By Ann Davis, Owner/Broker
FOR HomeBUYERS, Inc.