Home Inspection Articles | House Inspection News

If you are buying an older home, you should be aware that house inspectors do not include asbestos inspection in the standard home inspection process.

For years, the house inspection industry has discussed the advantages and disadvantages of disclosing the presence of asbestos in a house being inspected. But the industry finally decided to exclude asbestos disclosure. House inspectors figured that if they fail to determine the presence of asbestos in a certain area of the house or certain material in the house, they could be hit with numerous lawsuits.

The failure to detect the presence of asbestos would be common among house inspectors because of the large number of building materials that could contain asbestos. Asbestos can be present in vinyl floor tiles, vinyl flooring, acoustic ceiling fixture, drywall, joint compound, stucco, asphalt roofing and old insulation systems.

Even if house inspectors detect asbestos content in some areas or building materials, the home inspectors are still liable for undetected asbestos present in other areas.

But there are materials that commonly contain asbestos like acoustic ceilings. But materials that have asbestos content are typically not hazardous as long as the materials are not damaged and preserved in the condition they were created.

In some cases though, house inspectors should disclose asbestos content to homeowners, especially in cases where house inspectors come to know of repair plans that could cause asbestos exposure.

Home inspectors are expected to inform homeowners that asbestos exposure can arise if the acoustic ceiling is repaired or if the vinyl flooring is removed improperly. The scraping of acoustic ceilings or vinyl flooring materials triggers the release of asbestos and causes asbestos-related medical conditions.

Asbestos exposure can also occur if the house has old insulation on air ducts installed before 1973. A duct insulation system that looks like a gray cardboard usually contains asbestos.

In both these cases, house inspectors should inform prospective buyers or homeowners to hire special home inspection professionals to conduct another house inspection that focuses on asbestos.

Asbestos-related advice to prospective home buyers or sellers is crucial in cases where possible asbestos exposure is great.

The house inspection industry could include asbestos inspection and disclosure in the regular house inspection process, but the proliferation of frivolous lawsuits filed against house inspectors and other professionals has prevented the industry from including asbestos exposure in standard home inspection.

Home Inspectors

Like many things in life, good house inspectors do not come cheap. They have invested in training, in continuing education and in keeping updated with new developments in home construction and in home inspection, so they set their price a little higher than those who did not spend anything to improve their craft.

As a smart home buyer, you know that the money you pay to hire experienced and qualified house inspectors would return to you in the form of satisfaction, peace of mind and avoidance of costly repairs in the future.

You do not have to choose the priciest among the best house inspectors. You can find a home inspection professional who does not charge the highest fee, but who has proofs that he is the best to undertake the home inspection for you.

If you have no idea about home inspection fees or where to find house inspectors, visit home inspection web sites, including the web sites of national house inspection associations like the American Society of Home Inspectors. ASHI is considered the largest professional home inspection in the U.S. and the group with the strictest membership requirements. They require members to pass sets of home inspection examinations and to complete 250 paid inspections.

The other house inspection associations that you can contact are the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors and the National Association of Home Inspectors.

While searching for house inspectors, look also at home inspection checklists so you get an idea of what parts of the house are being inspected by general house inspectors and what parts are left to special house inspectors.

The next step is to check if the house inspectors you are planning to hire are licensed in your state. If your state does not have a licensing policy for house inspectors, then make sure they are members of one of the national or house inspection associations.

When meeting house inspectors, ask them to show samples of the house inspection reports they have completed. From their comments on the reports, you can gauge if they are thorough in inspection or if they are just going through the process without concern for the prospective home buyer.

The house inspection report should have a summary which will help you decide whether to pursue the purchase of the home or walk away from it.

Home Inspectors

Both home buyers and house inspectors would benefit from the home inspection provision of the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which is expected to get priority treatment from the House this year.

The home inspection has been lauded by the American Society of Home Inspectors, praising the House Financial Services Committee and Representative Nydia Velazquez for enhancing consumer protection.

The home inspection provision aims to educate first-time home buyers and other home buyers not familiar with the complexities of home buying.

According to a study conducted by the General Accounting Office, there are many home buyers who are not familiar with home inspection and whose views about home inspection are not congruent with reality. A lot of home buyers do not know that house inspections are not done automatically; that valuations are not house inspections; that the HUD recommends voluntary house inspections; that the FHA does not do home inspection; and that they should initiate a home inspection.

ASHI President Bill Richardson said the bill would help home buyers make smart decisions when purchasing a house. He said the effort to educate prospective home buyers before they make wrong decisions is a victory for home buyers across the country.

Under the bill, which was championed by Velazquez with help from Representative Judy Biggert, HUD is required to accomplish a set of activities, such as publishing a home inspection advisory; creating a home inspection booklet for homebuyers; and publishing a FAQ on home inspection.

The HUD is also required to publish the advisories in both Spanish and English, distribute the materials widely, ensure that low-income and first-time home buyers are reached, and include information on both FHA home sales and non-FHA sales.

To ensure that home inspection counseling is provided to everyone that needs help, FHA lenders and HUD counselors were given certain responsibilities to accomplish. Lenders approved by the FHA will be instructed to give home inspection information at first contact to help prospective home buyers think about home inspection early in the house buying process.

HUD-certified counselors will receive training in providing advice on home inspection and on choosing home inspectors. They will also be instructed to provide home inspection brochures to prospective home buyers.

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