Can't I do it myself?
Let me answer this question this way; How much are you paying for this house? This is likely one of the most expensive items you will ever buy. Do you have the experience and training to evaluate literally hundreds of inspection points in all the houses systems?
Consider but a few examples: Acting as your own home inspector, you must open the electric service panel and determine whether there are any wiring violations. You must walk the roof surfaces to determine the condition of the roofing material, the flashing and drains, noting defective conditions and faulty methods of installation. You must evaluate the plumbing fixtures, water lines, drain lines and gas piping to determine their operational condition and their compliance with accepted building standards. You must review the heating system to determine its functional condition and identify any of a long list of potential safety problems. You must crawl under the building and through the attic, searching for and recognizing a vast number of potential construction defects. A complete list of likely problems could easily fill a book.
My "buddy" is a contractor, he knows about building. Can't he do it for me?
The majority of home inspectors are, in fact, former general contractors. Without exception, these professionals will attest that most of what they know about inspecting homes was learned after they began their home inspection careers, not while they were engaged in building construction. This is not meant to demean the integrity or respectability of the contracting profession, but rather, to point out the essential differences between home construction and home inspection as distinct professional practices.
General building contractors deal primarily with constructing things that are new and applying standards that appertain to what is new. Their daily experience is with construction that is in accordance with accepted codes and established building practices and conducted under the authority and regulation of required building permits. In short, their experiences are with things that are standard, rather than substandard; out-of-the-box, rather than worn and weathered; built and assembled by professionals, rather than by amateurs.
Home inspectors, on the other hand, deal routinely with properties that are new, old, very old and with those that are combinations of all three. They deal with homes that are well maintained, poorly maintained, or totally deteriorated; with buildings that are original or have been altered; with homes that are altered with permits or without them; homes with defects that are readily apparent or cleverly concealed; homes with problems that are commonly recognizable or that require esoteric knowledge. They inspect quality craftsmanship, mediocre workmanship, and substandard handiwork. They inspect homes with major and minor defects; with minor problems that appear major and with major problems that seem minor. In short, home inspectors must recognize and identify defects in every imaginable situation within the realm of modern and not-so-modern housing.
So…the answer is NO!
Even a qualified Home Inspector is not allowed to inspect his OWN home for ethical reasons. Doing your own inspection is a very bad idea. Spending $300-$500 on a proper Home Inspection is "chump change" compared to the thousands of dollars it will cost you for even one "miss" in your DYI home inspection. Mess up buying the wrong car - a few thousand dollars. Mess up buying a new HD TV, a couple of hundred dollars. But....mess up and buy a home with undiscovered defects and you may end up paying many, many thousands of dollars to correct the defects not to mention the years of hassles with lawyers, sellers and contractors to sort it all out.
Hire a qualified Home Inspector and rest easy knowing that he will find those sneaky little defects that could cost you a lot of money or end you up in court fighting with the seller and the Realtors.
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