Welcome to NAHI!

In addition our professional home inspector
members are fully trained to provide these
additional home inspector services:

Our home inspector members also dig deeper
with these home inspection services:

Our home inspector members present homeowners and customers with a clearly written or typed home inspection report, that conforms to the accepted standards of practice for the state that the home inspector services and to the standards of practice of the National Association of Home Inspectors to which the home inspector member belongs.

More information pertaining to home inspector members and home inspection services. When purchasing a home, many home buyers have saved literally thousands of dollars through information provided by the home inspector. Home owners who have owned their homes for several years can even benefit from a home inspector's knowledge of maintenance and repairs, and experience to avert potential problems. In many areas where disasters have occurred, homeowners have relied on home inspector services to help them identify any damage resulting from significant events like storms, hurricanes, etc.

Having a pre-listing home inspection conducted by a qualified home inspector before you list your home for sale provides home sellers with many benefits. Contact our home inspector members to schedule a pre-listing home inspection. Pre-listing Home Inspections can help home sellers price the home more realistically and make home repairs prior to sale. Also pre listing home inspections help homeowners avoid delays obtaining use and occupancy permits and help buyers waive the home inspection contingency. Our home inspector members can conduct pre listing home inspections points out any safety issues before real estate agents and prospective home buyers tour your home and identify safety hazards or defects that need immediate attention.

Why our Home Inspector Members
are in High Demand Nationwide:

It would seem that the importance of a good, thorough home inspection by a qualified home inspector is obvious. Never the less many home buyers do not adequately research the home inspection profession before hiring a home inspector. Most people simply ask the price of the home inspection and availability of the home inspector when calling to hire a home inspector. This is an extremely poor method in which to choose a home inspector. Hiring a skilled professional home inspector is an important step in the real estate transaction process.

Here are some key points of consideration
when looking for a home inspector:

Home Inspector Licensing: Some states require home inspector licensing while others do not. In states that do require licensing ask for the home inspectors' FULL home inspector license number and write it down. This includes any letter type distinctions in front or in back of the home inspector license number. This will help tell you if he is a fully licensed home inspector or an intern or apprentice.

Home Inspector Insurance: Does the home inspector carry Errors & Omissions and or liability insurance and can they provide proof of insurance upon request. Some states require insurance for home inspector services while others do not. Inquire as to the state insurance requirements and be sure the home inspector has the proper type and amount.

Home Inspector Training: Has the home inspector had formal training from a recognized home inspector training school? State regulation in the home inspection profession is relatively recent (Many states still do not have home inspector licensing or certified home inspector regulations!), so formal home inspector training has been mostly optional. Many "old timers" or veteran home inspector professionals were carpenters, electricians or builders and learned to perform home inspections "on the job". However, there is no single trade that qualifies someone to move into the field of home inspection without extensive training

Home Inspector Experience: This is can be a misleading qualification of a home inspector if the right questions are not asked. Years of experience are not as important as the total number of home inspections completed. In a 2005 national home inspection business operations study found that over 80 percent of respondents' said they were full time home inspectors. Yet almost 40 percent said they perform less than 100 home inspections a year. This discrepancy may indicate that many home inspectors are working at other jobs or are semi-retired individuals. Be sure to ask how many inspections the home inspector completes a year, at least 200 or over would be a good standard. It is also still important to ask the home inspector for the overall years of experience and total number of home inspections.

Home Inspector Education: Even well trained home inspectors and experienced home inspectors must continually update their home inspector skills and knowledge. Home Inspector Licensing requires a minimal amount of continuing education for home inspectors to renew their home inspector license. Look for home inspectors who go beyond the necessary minimum and spend the time and money to keep their home inspector skills current.

Home Inspector Association Membership: Home inspectors who have made the commitment of time, training, testing and money to belong to a reputable professional home inspection society or the National Association of Home Inspectors are generally more committed to doing a high quality job for their clients. But be careful, not all home inspection organizations are equal. Some ask for little or no training, knowledge or experience to become a home inspector member, while others are very rigorous in their home inspector qualifications for membership. Inquire about and research this area fully, it will provide you with great insight into the home inspectors' abilities and dedication to performing a top notch home inspection.

The Home Inspection: How long does the home inspection take? As previously mentioned short home inspection times mean poor quality. A thorough home inspection on an averaged sized home should last approx. Also ask if the home inspector would like you to attend the home inspection. If they say no, this should alert you that something is wrong with this particular home inspector company. A good home inspector should insist that you attend the home inspection if at all possible.

The Home Inspection Report: This is why you hire a home inspector, to provide written detailed information about the house. The first and most important question, when and how will you receive the report? On site, within 24 hours, a week, by email, regular mail or delivered by the home inspector. What type of home inspection report does the home inspector use, what is the approximate length of the home inspection report, are there pictures included? Be wary of short home inspection reports, 10 pages or less, and long report turn around times.

Other Home Inspector Qualifications: Ask if the home inspector has additional certifications or home inspector licenses in services that you may need in addition to the home inspection. For instance radon testing is a very common ancillary home inspector service provided by many home inspection companies, but many home inspectors are not certified or formally trained. Some states may even require home inspector certification or home inspector licensing in these services. If you are looking to have other home inspection services done be sure to ask about the home inspectors' qualifications to conduct the home inspection tests you require.

Miscellaneous Home Inspector Items: Some things you should confirm when calling to hire a home inspector. Be positive that the home inspector that will be doing your home inspection possesses the home inspector qualifications stated by the person on the phone. This is especially important when talking with multi-inspector firms. Also will the home inspector be readily available for follow up questions.

Home Inspector Price: The very last question you should ask, not the first. Put quite simply, you get what you pay for. Good home inspectors demand higher prices because of experience and money invested into training to improve their home inspector skills and their business for the benefit of their clients. Remember the money you pay a good home inspector is an investment. You will very likely receive back from the home seller monies well in excess of the home inspection fee. Be certain to choose your home inspector wisely. Following this simple guide should aid you in finding a well qualified Home Inspector, Licensed Home Inspector and Professional Home Inspector in your community.

According to the National Association of Home Inspectors there are no home inspector licensing standards or regulations for home inspectors in 21 states and the District of Columbia. While home inspector regulations in some states insure a minimum level of competency, they can't guarantee that your home inspection will be done properly. That's why it's so important to do your homework before hiring a home inspector.

Check your state home inspector regulations:
http://www.nahi.org/public/48.cfm

You'd think that when a home inspector misses an obvious defect, one that costs you a substantial amount of money to correct, you'd be able to sue for damages. But that's rarely the case. Most home inspectors have clauses in their home inspection contracts that limit their liability to what you paid them. Home buyers need to have a realistic expectation of what a home inspector, even the best home inspector, can do for them. A home inspection is not a guarantee or warranty of condition. It's an opinion. That's why the training, experience and professional judgment of the home inspector is critical. There's nothing you can do to guarantee the home inspector will spot all the visible problems. Look for a certified home inspector that belongs to the National Association of Home Inspectors - NAHI as the National Association of Home Inspectors have home inspector members and certified home inspector professionals must pass written tests, have performed 250 paid home inspections, and take continuing home inspector education courses. NAHI has a set of home inspector standards and home inspector code of ethics that their home inspector members must follow.

NAHI.org - The National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. is your source for licensed home inspector professionals throughout the United States. Our professional home inspector members provide quality home inspection services in any state. The National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. is a non-profit association designed to promote excellence and professionalism in the home inspection industry. Our home inspector members comply with a Standards Of Practice and the home inspector Code Of Ethics that ensures professional home inspection at all times.