How Do I Choose the Right Home Inspection Service? A Realtor Reveals a Crucial Piece of Advice

Avoid costly surprises and learn how to choose a home inspector who has your best interest in mind.

Does location still matter most? Should you remodel your home to suit your tastes or for resale value? Are starter homes still a thing? We all have plenty of questions about the ever-changing world of real estate. In our Ask an Agent series, we’re partnering with experts at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate to answer your biggest questions about finding, buying, and selling a home.

Buying a home is a big commitment and tends to cause some stress along the way. Between all the decisions and paperwork, you might be left with a lot of questions about what to do next. Before you sign on the dotted line, you’ll want a professional you trust to spot hidden issues and protect your investment with a home inspection. Not sure how to choose the right inspector? We asked a seasoned real estate pro for tips that will make the decision simple.

For this installment of Ask an Agent, we spoke with Terry Papp of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Connections to discover the proper etiquette of offering less than the asking price on a house.

Ask an Agent: How Do I Choose the Right Home Inspection Service?

As an agent and managing broker, we have preferred partners that we recommend to our clients for home inspections, and they are preferred partners for a reason. Meaning, several of our agents, myself included, have worked with them in the past and haven't had any issues. More specifically, clients haven't come to the agent and complained about any problems that were missed during the inspection.

Our clients don't have to use our suggestions for home inspectors, but we always have one or two that we highly recommend in their best interest. Of course, there are several licensed home inspectors out there, including multiple franchises. It all comes down to who they are and if you trust them. That's why it's so important to lean into your real estate agent's recommendations. I don't suggest randomly Googling companies and price shopping around.

Our preferred partners are also fair to both parties. We want to know if there are any major defects or if the property is sound; an excess of minor defects isn't always necessary. So, we tend to stay away from home inspectors who nitpick a bit too much and make major problems out of something that's really not a big deal. Buyers don't always want to hear that, but it's essential to be fair to both parties.

What Is Considered a Major and Minor Defect?

A major defect would be something like a significant electrical issue, a damaged roof, a large crack, a foundation issue, or plumbing problems like a leak or a sump pump that's not functioning properly. A minor defect would be something like a dripping faucet, a door that sticks a little bit, or a window that's slightly difficult to open. These issues can get a little "gray." What a buyer might find as a major defect could be different than what a seller finds as one. We define a major defect as something that is dangerous to the occupants or will cause a substantial cost to the occupants upon taking possession of the property, like having to replace the roof, for example.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.