Hiring a Home Inspector

A home inspection is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. We want you to have every confidence in your inspector and the process.

Inspections, inspectors, and inspection reports can vary a lot from one to the next. We recommend you ask the inspector to send you a sample report. We want you to look at the quality of information in the report. Is it a checklist? or more of an executive summary?

We suggest heading over to the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) website. The site offers an extensive database of home inspectors that are highly qualified and easy to find. ASHI also has many great tips and pointers on the inspection process.

A great step in the selection process is to ask your home inspector the following questions, but this is by no means a comprehensive list of questions:

Ask about the cost and scope of their inspection services. i.e. for condominium purchases, does the inspector inspect the entire building or just the interior, for homes with outbuildings or detached garages, does the inspection include these structures, etc?
Ask the inspector if there is a re-inspection charge. You will be encouraged to have a final walk-through; you may want your inspector to be at that appointment to make sure any requested work orders are handled properly.
Inquire about the length of the home inspection. A typical inspection will take at least 2 hours.
Ask if you are encouraged to be there for part or all of the inspection.
Ask for references, credentials, and qualifications.
Ask them to email you a sample report. A good report should include photos detailing defects or problems that are easy to read. Remember, your inspection report will be used to ask the seller to remedy certain items so an inspector needs to have great written communication skills.

Here are some inspectors that we (and some of our trusted colleagues) have had positive experiences with:

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Home Inspection Experts, LLC ~ Don Gardner

(253) 549-6606 ~ http://www.homeinspectionexpertllc.com/

We have worked with Don for years and recommend him.

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LivinGood Inspections ~ Todd Livingood

206-251-3009 ~ http://livingoodinspections.com/

Yelp Reviews: https://www.yelp.com/biz/livin-good-inspections-kirkland

We have worked with Todd and recommend him.

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Inspection Services NW ~ We have had positive experiences with all the inspectors at this company