Offering the Finest in Home Inspection and Environmental Testing

Why Have a Home Inspection?

 

    For a buyer, a home inspection is an invaluable tool in helping you make an informed decision about one of the most significant decisions and ventures in one's life. It also provides important, documented information that is irreplaceable when negotiating with the seller or making decisions about contingencies within the process, from buying to actually taking possession and occupying the building.

    As a seller, a home inspection can help you identify those areas that might hinder successfully selling your home so you can address any issues that may become a roadblock to a sale. It's also simply good risk management.

    In either case, a good home inspection can help reduce the stress of the process and help to establish sound decision making that will serve all the parties involved.

 Contents

●              Home Inspections

                Environmental Inspections

●              Consulting                             

●              Contact Information

                 Background

●  

Home Inspections

Cirrus Enterprises’ home inspection business is based in Great Falls, Montana. Inspections are conducted for both sellers and buyers of residential real estate, are comprehensive and are approached with enthusiasm. We have a standing commitment to our customers to provide them with an inspection and report that will fulfill all their needs. Specific information is available in our brochure* which can be found in local real estate and related offices, as well as on this website. All inspections are conducted in a manner so as to meet or exceed the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of NACHI, the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and/or the Environmental Solutions Association.

  A few guidelines for the potential buyer:

• Don't get caught in the trap of shopping for the cheapest inspection, as this is a poor criterion for choosing an inspector. After all, if you're investing $65,000 or more in a house, is $25-$50, or even $100,  really going to make a difference? That's only 0.15% of your investment, and if you get a mediocre inspection then how much have you saved when you begin having to make repairs to the property? Instead, try to find out something about the inspector, including any references he or she may have, comparing what the inspector offers in the way of an inspection (you may get more for those additional dollars), and check for certifications and insurance. Finally, prepare a list of questions you may have and talk to the inspector-your comfort level with them may indicate a great deal.
• Ask the inspector how long the inspection will take. If you get an answer that is something to the effect, "My inspections take 2.5 hrs." be wary. Although 2.5 hours is the baseline for inspections there are many factors that affect the length of the inspection and a more reasonable response would be something that indicates this fact. Our inspections typically take an average of 3-4 hours for an average size home. This, however, is an average. We make an effort in the process to inform and educate the buyer, and the more questions we answer, the longer the process.
• Avoid using someone else's inspection in order to save money. First, and hopefully most obvious, is that an inspection done for someone else was done by someone with no commitment whatsoever to you. They did not do the inspection with your interests in mind, but those of the person who paid them. Secondly, if there is something wrong with that inspection report, you have no recourse because its not yours-you have no contract with them. I've heard of real estate agents trying to "help out" their clients by doing this to try and save them money, but the reality can too easily be just the opposite, in spite of their good intentions. Thirdly, Home Inspection Reports are the confidential property of the person who contracted for them and should never be shared with another person without the express consent of the person who contracted the inspection. In other words, the only inspection that should ever be offered to a prospective buyer is one contracted by a seller--and the buyer should still get their own, for their own protection.
• Bottom line: A few hundred dollars for a good, thorough inspection is clearly cheaper than several thousand in repair or remediation costs. (And remember, if you ever sell the place the next buyer may have an inspection that turns things up for which you end up bearing the cost if you didn't have an inspection.)

Helpful Links:

    A Glossary of Terms related to the construction industry and home inspections.

    Information about common concerns, including environmental hazards (also click on buttons above) from NACHI.

    Links to additional information for homeowners from NACHI

    View a Sample Report* (This is a large file and will take some time to load.)

    View Client Information Form* (Print form, or Submit by e-mail.)

    View Contract Agreement* (Document may be downloaded and either saved or printed.)

    View References* 

               * You will need Adobe Reader to view this. Get it here: 

©2005, Shelby J. Kuenning
 Last revised: 05/28/10

Consulting