Buying or Selling a Home/Looking for a home

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Expert: John McKenna, CMI - 4/2/2008


Question
John,

When we bought our first home we found a lot of surprize fixit jobs around the house.

We want to do a better job at finding and buying a home this time. What are things we should look for and/or be wary of?

Thanks,
Rebecca

Answer
Always hire a professional home inspector that does not have a backdoor relationship with the local realtors.  Those who do not work for the local realtors usually have to charge more.  Find someone who has a strong background in construction and is a member of The InterNational Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI).  You can find an inspector in your area by looking at Inspectorseek.com

You can also find out if they are a certified master inspector by looking at certifiedmasterinspector.org

Find one who utilizes thermal imaging and spends at least 3-5 hours inspecting each house.  Purchasing a house is too expensive to try and save a few pennies on the cost of a good home inspector.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

John McKenna, CMI
President - Master Inspector Certification Board
American Home Inspection & Thermal Imaging
Licensed and Insured (TREC #4565)
http://texas-inspection.com

Infrared Certified Training
http://www.infrared-certified.com

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John McKenna, CMI

Expertise

I can answer your question about home inspections and the hidden aspects of of the industry. I own American Home Inspection for east Texas and am a Certified Master Inspector. Sometimes there are questions about buying and selling a home that a qualified and honest home inspector can answer. Many people are led to believe incomplete information about repair items and make costly mistakes when they respond. If you do not know enough information or know what to ask, you can buy a nightmare instead of a home. Is your home inspector working for you or the Realtor? Is the owner of the home telling the truth? How do you make sure the contractor who makes repairs will do it right? Is the Realtor moving too fast and causing a person to make hasty choices? What are some of the things the Realtor does not want you to know? What you discover after you are the owner of the home and then decide to sell? What type of box can the home inspector put you in when the new buyer is now inspecting your home? What can you do if the home inspector was negligent? How do you prepare for a home inspection? What should you do with the home inspection report at the negotiating table? What are the signs of sheeple being led to the slaughter? Why do some realtors hate the "deal killer" home inspector? What type of action can you take now to protect yourself from law suite after someone buys your home? When is something a minor or major problem? What are the most common problems found in a home inspection? What can you do to prepare for a home inspection? What questions can you ask the home inspector so you choose the right one? The list goes on and on... "The truth will make you free"

Experience

Over 25 years experience in construction and board certified as a Certified Master Inspector. Licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission as a Professional Home Inspector (TREC #4565) and Certified by the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI).

Education/Credentials
Certified Master Inspector (CMI) National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) Licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC #4565)
See more info: http://texas-inspection.com

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