Home inspections were being performed in the mid 1950s, and by the early 1970s were considered by many consumers to be essential to the real estate transaction. The escalating demand was due to a growing desire by homebuyers to learn about the condition of a house prior to purchase. Meeting the expectations of consumers required a unique discipline, distinct from construction, engineering, architecture, or municipal building inspection. As such, home inspection requires its own set of professional guidelines and qualifications. The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) formed in 1976 and established the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics to help buyers and sellers make real estate transaction decisions based on accurate, objective information.
Homes don’t “pass" or "fail” a home inspection. Every home has significant qualities and potential problems. We identify and explain these traits in the written report, and also explain why a problem may exist and how to solve it. Depending on the situation, we may provide references for additional information. A problem with a home is not necessarily a reason to walk from a deal or re-negotiate, but when you sit down to discuss any issues with your realtor that process is made much easier with your inspection report in front of you. As part of our ASHI Code of Ethics we are discouraged from recommending any contractors to perform repairs that we find during the course of our inspection, but your family, friends and realtor can usually provide you with a solid list of names if the need arises.
All homes have potential problems and many can be avoided through preventive maintenance. We try to help you define the maintenance required to catch little problems before they are big situations. For example, exterior grading improvements can often prevent significant basement problems. Use us to help with your maintenance concerns and to identify maintenance needs.
As home inspectors, we do not provide an appraisal or a municipal code inspection. The report will identify items that will be in need of repair immediately or in the near future.
Some safety hazards DO fit into the “Pass or Fail” category. Conditions such as a damaged combustion appliance will be reported as a safety hazard that needs immediate correction. We sometimes find problems that need correction for the safety of the current occupants and will pass that information on to them as needed.
We inspect following the Standards of Practice for the American Society of Home Inspectors which can be found here. http://www.homeinspector.org/docs/standards.pdf The ASHI Standards of Practice guide home inspectors in the performance of their inspections. Subject to regular review, the Standards of Practice reflect information gained through surveys of conditions in the field and of the consumers’ interests and concerns. Vigilance has elevated ASHI’s Standards of Practice so that today they are the most widely-accepted home inspection guidelines in use and are recognized by many government and professional groups as the definitive standard for professional performance.
Within 24 hours of the inspection, we will provide to you via email a 15-30 page report using Homegauge software, one of the finest inspection reporting products available. Not only does it allow us to import photographs and diagrams, but is also extremely user-friendly and understandable for you as the buyer.
At the conclusion of the inspection, we present to you with a hard-cover binder to store your report in, and also includes a book on how to operate your home. It is the excellent "Home Systems Guide" by Tom Feiza. The table of contents are available here: http://htoyh.com/content/home_systems_guide_toc.pdf
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