Expert Mold Inspections & Environmental Testing in Bluffton, SC

Most of your inspectors througout the state of South Carolina use an Inspection agreement or contract. This agreement should cover his disclosure of what they are liabile to inspect and areas that will not be covered in the inspection report. i.e. Pools, sprinkler systems, security, telephone, cable tv, etc. In addition the agreement is to insure that you know everything about their liabilities and responsibilites as an Inspector. Here is an example of our inspection agreement.

Most Inspection reports will cover the major issues in the home. Usually the inspection report will be sent to you in an email form. Some of the inspectors provide a printed out hard copy of the report for you. Others may offer a quick printout onsite. Whichever type of report you receive, insure it covers the State Standards of Practice. Not all home inspectors cover everything. i.e. HVAC systems. If you are selecting an Inspector, ask them if they take photos and provide that with the report. Here is an example of our inspection report.

My response would normally be that I follow the SC state standards of practice. This covers several areas of the home in different sections. i.e. Roof, exterior, interior, kitchen, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. However, make sure your inspector does follow these standards. As a consumer in hiring a Residential Home Inspector, you should know your rights and what kind of service you expect. As an instructor to teach students how to be an inspector, I stress following these standards. National organizations have their higher standards that they require their Professional Inspectors to follow. Here is an outline of South Carolina's State Standards of Practice.

The difference is that a home inspector is there to inspect the home for the condition of the home and a home apprasial is there to estimate the home value. Even though a VA or FHA home apprasial do right up obvious issues that need further review by a license contractor or home inspector. One of the reasons for this, is to make sure there is a home inspection being done for what ever obvious reason that is evident to the appraiser. Another difference is that the home inspector is going to crawl through your attic and crawlspace (if you have one) to determine the condition of the home.