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Upon Closer Inspection . . .
Inspector Phillip Carls prepares to look at the upper reaches of the house Sheila Hopes, in garage, plans to buy in Bowie. He found four pages' worth of problems.
(Photos By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)
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That said, many agents, inspectors and associations recommend that home buyers pick their inspectors rather than have real estate agents do it for them.
"I would go and find my own," said Mallory Anderson, executive director of the National Association of Home Inspectors, which has about 2,000 members. "Sometimes [agents] just need to make that sale, so they'll pick an inspector who may or may not find things. They just want the sale to go through."
Agent Becky Plesset of Long & Foster Real Estate in North Bethesda said she gives home buyers the names of at least three inspectors. "I think you have to give them a choice and let them make a decision. If I give them one name and they don't like the person, they're going to feel I'm not serving them right."
Agent Maxine Schwartzman of Long & Foster in Bethesda sees it differently. She said she has confidence in certain inspectors -- Carls being one of them -- and has no hesitation about recommending one of them to a client. Carls has worked as an inspector for 25 years; before that, he was a project manager and supervisor for a builder.
"You really have to protect your buyer," Schwartzman said. "I do know you're supposed to give three names on a piece of paper, but that doesn't protect the buyer at all. I really feel it's my duty to recommend ones that are good."
She said some listing agents have expressed concern about using Carls for fear that he may find too many flaws and ruin a deal.
Still, she said, "when they buy a house, who do you think they call? They call Phil."
Joe Sagona of Trademaster Home Inspection Service in Olney, a former president of the mid-Atlantic chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, recommends that home buyers call different inspectors and ask what they plan to do. He also recommends asking many questions at the inspection itself.
"You want to be comfortable speaking with this person," he said.
In deciding which inspector is best for the job, "I think the key is experience," Sagona said. Even with experience, "no one can go into a house for several hours and come out with everything. It's impossible."
The Maryland licensing law was passed in 2001, but the state failed to fund its enforcement until last October. "From our perspective, we were very anxious" for the law to take effect, said Mosley of the state commission of appraisers and inspectors.
The law provides for a mechanism to investigate consumer complaints and requires a $400 license fee, at least 48 hours of a state-approved training course, a high school diploma and a minimum of $50,000 in general liability insurance. Some inspectors will be grandfathered in because of their years of experience.
