Home inspectors are not regulated by the State of Michigan By Deanne Puca If there were anything that could be considered the perfect house, there would be no need for home inspectors. But the reality is all houses, even new ones, should have a professional look-see to find problems and anticipate any future ones before a sale is final. Recommending a qualified home inspector is as big a decision as narrowing down a mortgage or other service sought in purchasing a new house. Inspections can either allow a buyer to proceed with the sale of a home with confidence or signal serious concerns that can break a deal. Home inspectors are not regulated by the State of Michigan, but the industry has been self-regulated since 1976 through the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). This is the industry's oldest and most recognized national organization which defines the standards of practice, code of ethics and requirements for home inspectors. ASHI groups inspectors into two categories, members and candidates. ASHI members have proven their ability through extensive field training and passing multiple exams. They are recognized and approved by the Department of H.U.D. to complete home inspections on all federal insured mortgages such as FHA, VA, and Farmer Home Administration. ASHI candidates have not taken or passed the required exams nor completed the required field training. Simply put, these individuals have paid a fee to call themselves ASHI candidates. Besides their training, the report a home inspector uses also gives a good indication of how thorough an inspection will be. Most inspection reports are simply a 150-item checklist or a variation of a checklist called the Property Inspection Report. This report consists of 8-17 pages that can be purchased for $11 (Professional Equipment Catalog). Yet a more comprehensive inspection requires the evaluation of more than 600 items. These reports explain in detail what problems were located, how to repair the problems, and includes diagrams and costs. These more extensive reporting systems are called the HomeBook and Home Reference Book. A typical home inspection should take 2-3 hours to complete, and a thorough inspection involves walking on top of roofs and entering attics and other crawl space areas when possible. The home inspection business is a communication business, and the inspector should communicate his finding to his clients. It is a good idea for a home buyer to attend the inspection in order to walk through the process and ask questions. The Better Business Bureau can let a home buyer know if an inspector has a lawsuit or complaint history. All complaints received from consumers are on file for three years. Jay Ferguson, attorney, advises home buyers to select an individual that has been an inspector for five years of longer because complaints could take up to three years to reach the court system. Hoss Publications 1999