Most home buyers only buy a house a few times in their lifetime. The same goes for house sellers. Whereas career professionals are involved every day. Deciding which home inspector to use, and the style of inspection, is one of the most important events in purchasing a home.

(Photo: Hugh Cairns)

Licensing has changed the thoroughness of home inspections and it has improved the level competency of those that inspect them. Gone are the one hour warriors with a carbon paper inspection checklist.

One of the most important factors that every home buyer automatically exposes them to is that they are buying into a structure that is aging. Each one of the major systems in the home is at various extents of their service lives. Home inspections are based on subscribing to standards of practice and home inspectors are bound to follow them on behalf of their clients. Standards make for sound inspections. The significance of a major deficiency is usually what everyone can agree on.

Home inspections aren’t meant to address aesthetic issues. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Good home inspectors make their clients aware of maintenance items. Most residential repair items tend to be correctable and routine. Sometimes they happen unexpectedly, but they are expected. In my opinion, good home inspections confirm good construction practices.

Home inspections aren’t punch lists. If you are buying a 50-year-old house, you should be concerned that the home was built to acceptable practices at that time. Home inspections aren’t an opportunity to bring an old house up to date with current zoning standards. So long as it doesn't present a safety hazard, most things turn out to be the nature of the beast.

Licensing has definitely changed the thoroughness of home inspections and it has improved the level competency of those that inspect them. Gone are the one hour warriors with a carbon paper inspection checklist. A room full of home inspectors often yields decades of hands on construction knowledge and experience on site. That’s changing as the industry is now producing classroom based inspectors as the strong educational requirements are now offered at places like BCIT and Okanagan College.