This is a good, basic question. Many home buyers (and even agents) don’t exactly know what a home inspector does. So let me clear the smoke.
There are 2 aspects to every home inspection:
1st – A home inspection is a visual, non-intrusive, and fair effort to discover the real material condition of the home during the time and day the inspection takes place.
2nd – A home inspection isn’t really about the home inspector telling you what’s wrong with the home more than it is a discovery session for you to make sure you understand what you’re buying so that you can decide if it falls within your expectations and is a good fit for your situation.
You see, as a professional home inspector my job is to make sure I align the reality of the home’s condition with your expectations. If I can successfully do that, then I’ve done my job.
And that’s really it. It’s limited in scope by what can be seen and tested, which particularly applies to vacant homes where there is no past information so the inspector is forced to play detective and do the best they can during the short period of time that they’re there.
If time permits, you should be encouraged to take advantage of this rare opportunity to follow a professional around your home who will invite your questions, concerns, and impart key information and advice that will certainly help you buy your home with confidence.
