FHA Home Inspector | Common Questions

FHA Home Inspector | With all of the appointments, schedules, documents, and other bumps in the road on the way to home ownership, it’s understandable that potential home buyers wish that they could cut back on a few. After all, it’s all so time consuming and expensive. Is all of it really necessary? A pre-sale home inspection is recommended but not mandatory as part of a sale, for example. Couldn’t it simply be dispensed with in the interest of saving time and money? Or, if potential buyers knew what to look for, couldn’t they serve as their own home inspector?

Pre-sale home inspections should not be discounted as frivolous options. Nor are they DIY affairs. Designed to protect potential buyers by finding house problems before sales are finalized, licensed building inspectors are trained to make sure that a home for sale will be safe and secure for owners for years to come. In order to do this, such an inspector must be knowledgeable about construction, plumbing, and building codes among many other topics. And a FHA Home Inspector, inspecting FHA underwritten homes, is expected to be especially diligent about obtaining certifications and training in everything from mold to electrical wiring, and must have inspected more than 250 homes before being considered by the FHA for hiring and training. But as qualified as these inspectors are, some questions are still natural:

Must I Hire An FHA Home Inspector To Examine Homes?
If the home is being underwritten with a FHA loan, then the home must be inspected by a qualified and licensed inspector. It need not be a FHA home inspector, but the training and expertise of these individuals guarantees the most thorough inspection.

How Long Will The Inspection Take, And What Will Be Examined?
Depending on the size of the home, these inspections average two to three hours. The inspector will literally start in the crawlspace and finish on the roof, looking for everything from tiny leaks to bulging walls.

Must I Be Present For The Inspection?
While it’s not a bad idea to be on hand if there are questions, it is not necessary. The inspector will submit a thorough written report complete with photographs, after inspections. And a FHA inspection firm like Beryl Project Engineering can be relied upon not only to submit reports and answer onsite questions, but to work with clients post inspection to resolve issues as well. This company understands what the biggest considerations are in home buying, which is why their motto is “Protect What Matters Most, Your Family”.