Just offered on a house in Oak Hill. Anyone have a good home inspector to recommend?

Thanks.

I've used Jim Funkhouser from Fairfax Home Inspections and he was great.

703-791-2360

I've purchased a number of properties over the years and have always used a home inspector. Inevitably, some major undiscovered issue crops up directly after closing (leaking roof, previous fire damage,...). If I were to do it again, I'd hire separate trades to evaluate the house. A little more costly up front, but worth it in the long run.

Jeremy Provan is the man for the job. He did an excellent job of surveying my entire house meticulously to generate a very professional report. You can search him on google and read even more reviews there. Would definitely recommend him to anybody.

I used the same guy as homebuyer. He was very thorough.

Whatever you do, DO NOT get the guy that the realtor recommends.

Also look it over yourself and then if you see something you have questions about, call that specific tradesperson.

An HVAC person might be a good one to call---we had an issue with heating ducts on a bumped out part of the house and the home inspector should have caught that---he didn't. We have since rectified the situation, but it cost us.

Search here: inspectorseek.com

This way you know they are NACHI certified.

x2 on NOT going with who the realtor suggests! OF COURSE they will tell you nothing is wrong with the house to make the sale!!!!

to calvin jones

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/calvin-jones/19/378/1b1

703-450-1420

he's a good old boy...i used him twice, and was happy both times. he knows his stuff, built houses as well as did custom woodwork before becoming an inspector. he told me how he made custom built-ins for wonder woman back when she was married to some senator. liked his work so much she had him come back to do more.

ditto on not using an inspector the agent suggests, especially the listing agent. if the contract stipulates theyll pay ( the sellers ) for the inspection youre probably locked into who they want to use. you dont have to, but if you get your own youll be on the hook for the cost.

and by all means be there when the inspection is done, even if youre using the seller's inspector.

I was recommended http://fairviewinspections.com/ (703) 753-5417 by a coworker who couldn't say enough good things about them, I too had a great experience a year ago with them, It took them several hours to inspect my house and they documented everything and were very detail oriented

http://m.yelp.com/biz/harden-home-inspections-ashburn

This is the guy. He saved me some $10,000. Taught me how to how to use every appliance in the house, even commented on things he wasnt required to.

I used the guy our realtor suggested. And aother person here liked them too. I totally trust our realtor.

Nicdoot Wrote:
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> I used the guy our realtor suggested. And aother
> person here liked them too. I totally trust our
> realtor.


Signed, a realtor trying not to lose business.

Nice try!

Kkw7C Wrote:
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> Search here: inspectorseek.com
>
> This way you know they are NACHI certified.
>
> x2 on NOT going with who the realtor suggests! OF
> COURSE they will tell you nothing is wrong with
> the house to make the sale!!!!

Not necessarily. A realtor traditionally solely represents the seller, even though buyers casually call him "their" agent. His/her interest is solely in the getting the house sold. However, the laws in most states now allow "buyer brokers." That's someone who is legally bound to represent the BUYER'S interests. If you're shopping for a house it's smart to at least consider retaining a buyer broker who works for you, and that person should be able to find you a reliable inspector.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buyer_brokerage
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/14/cover-story-untangling-the-buyers-agent-process/?page=all

Kkw7C Wrote:
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> Search here: inspectorseek.com
>
> This way you know they are NACHI certified.
>

A better-known trade group is the American Society of Home Inspectors, which also tests and certifies its members.
http://www.ashi.org/customers/

USINSPECT carries errors & omissions insurance....Go with them.

Enough of this silly shit requiring Realtor clients to go find their own inspector, lender, title company, etc.

I earn commissions. You pay them. You should expect me to work my ass off and not hand tasks off to you.

Good agents are not in bed with their favorite inspectors.
The best inspectors DONT CARE IF THEY WRECK YOUR DEAL. They work for the buyers.
Good agents make good money and don't care much when an inspection kills a sale.
The best inspectors depend upon many Realtors.
They make more money by FINDING DEFECTS, NOT overlooking them.


It's all about referrals. The only way you get them I'd by looking out for your clients, which means getting a a kick ass inspector who rips the house apart and doesn't care who gets pissed off. These are the facts.

Get a solid agent and make them earn their business. Expect them to know who to call for resources. When they make you find resources, ask what the hell they're getting paid for?

Don't debate this unless you've been buying and selling as I've been since the 80's.

> Good agents are not in bed with their favorite
> inspectors.

that was the 80's where when you shopped you could find someone not trying to cut your throat

-------------------
you had better do it yourself and be sure - your in fx co bith - it's 2014

Expert Veteran Realtor Wrote:
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> I earn commissions. You pay them. You should
> expect me to work my ass off and not hand tasks
> off to you.
> .......
> It's all about referrals. The only way you get
> them I'd by looking out for your clients,

Who do you consider your clients? Unless you sign a contract to represent someone as a buyer broker, your clients are the sellers who are paying your commission, not the buyers you chauffeur around the countryside. If a seller finds out that anything you said or did spoiled a sale, he can come after you for damages and your license.

Hi - as a Realtor I wanted to clear up a few things and offer some advice that you will hopefully find helpful.

1.) If a Realtor is representing both the Seller and the Buyer, that is called "Dual Agency". Both the Seller and the Buyer have to agree to this (via signed documents, btw), because there is obviously a bit of a conflict of interest. It's tough to do dual agency, and not something I practice -- but it's legal as long as both parties agree.

2.) If you are a Buyer and you are not using a Realtor at all, that means you are considered "unrepresented". It costs nothing to work with a Buyer's agent, absolutely $0, so it really is in your best interest to have your own Realtor who negotiates on your behalf and keeps you informed of deadlines, etc. I equate it to this, if you were getting a divorce, would you do it yourself or use your ex-spouse's attorney? Of course not, same rule applies when buying a home.

3.) I hate referring inspectors to my Buyer's because if they miss something (which seems to always happen) I don't want that coming back on me. So, if you get referrals from your agent call the inspectors and interview them, but also call others you find as well.

4.) Make sure your inspector does the report so that the photos he/she takes are inline with the comments made about the property. I've seen reports where photos are put in at the end of the report and make 0 sense as you go through the 30 page report, and I've seen photos that are just attached as a separate file. STAY AWAY FROM THOSE INSPECTORS. If the report isn't clear with photos right next to the comments, it can be hard to figure out exactly what the inspector is talking about.

5.) Most inspectors do NOT go up on the roof. They use a ladder with binoculars and trust me, you can miss a lot of if your inspector does not go up on the roof. I recommend to my buyers to hire a separate roof inspector alongside the home inspector. It costs a little extra but is absolutely worth it in the long run. I have a company I usually use for this that charges for the inspection, but I went with them initially because they DO charge for the inspection and give an honest report (with photos!). Others that review your roof for free I am suspect would always come back saying that you need a new roof!

Hope this info helps.

Hnk79 Wrote:
>
> Unless you sign
> a contract to represent someone as a buyer broker,
> your clients are the sellers who are paying your
> commission, not the buyers you chauffeur around
> the countryside.

You say "unless a buyer signs a contract with a buyer broker", like it rarely happens. But this IS what happens 90% of the time, which makes the buyer a "client", not a "customer" from 1984. This became standard practice many years ago under the laws of agency in Virginia and most other states.

Seller always pays the buyer agent commission, even though the buyer does not represent them. Almost a perfect system for the consumer. Buyer gets "free" representation, although it's really built into the price of the property. Nobody gets in the car without a written buyer agency agreement. This is what good agents do.

Only losers "chauffeur" unqualified lookers around the countryside.