A home inspector needs a few professional tools to carry out a thorough home inspection. It is very common for home inspectors to carry a lot of tools with them; some of which are rarely used. However, would you believe that one of the most important home inspector’s tools is a flashlight? The other important tools for a home inspector are definitely an electrical tester, speaking of which, you should never underestimate the importance of an electrical inspection for your home, a ladder and a moisture meter. These three simple tools can be used by a professional home inspector to uncover many faults in and around most homes as guided by InterNACHI Standards. Lastly, regardless of whatever tools a home inspector chooses to bring with them, a tool bag to fit and organize all your equipment is very important.
Please Note: A seasoned home inspector can do more with just their nose, fingers, a ladder and instinct than a novice would; even with a full kit of the most expensive and sophisticated tools! A home inspector’s bag of tricks is quite expensive to fill all at once if you’re looking to have everything required in the business with you. As many professionals in this industry will advise you, experience is the best teacher in home inspection and you find that most of tools in your tool kit are bought out of necessity as you continue to encounter different problems in your day to day home inspection gigs. Check out what the ICA (Inspection Certification Associates) have to say about the home inspector’s tool kit:
Which Tools Will I Need for Home Inspections?
A home inspector’s tool kit contains numerous items, but you’ll collect many of them after you’ve been in the business for a while. Experience is a great teacher. But some tools are important for home inspections from day one.It doesn’t cost a fortune to get started. In fact, the basics can fit into a budget of about $200. But if you want to expand your horizons, there are more expensive tools with more options to think about (…) Your home inspection tool kit will evolve over time. You’ll learn which flashlights you like best, and which electrical testers perform better. You might even invest in special equipment for tests such as radon, if you want to expand your business.Getting started in the home inspection business shouldn’t cost a fortune. The basics are affordable, and you’ll use them every day. For everything else, time and experience will be your guide… See what more you will need in you bag of home inspection tools
In addition to the basic home inspection tools (flashlight, a ladder, a moisture meter, and electrical testers), there are more tools that come in handy for everyday home inspection business and these include a respirator, an AC voltage detector, matches, screwdrivers, tool vest, water pressure gauge, safety glasses, gloves, small pocketknife, a thermometer, coveralls, a tape measure, GFCI Receptacle Tester, knee pads and an inspection mirror among others. Here’s what Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard think any average home inspector worth their money must have:
Home Inspection Equipment
Inspectors are free to use whatever equipment they choose, as long as their inspections comply with the InterNACHI Standards of Practice. Here are examples of some of the equipment used by home inspectors… Check out the their list of home inspection essentials
For veteran home inspectors, you will probably find two or more of each tool highlighted above in their home inspection tools collection. This is from years of dealing with different scenarios as they go about their professional business. Of course this is after discovering how each type of duplicated tool in their arsenal helps make things easier in different situations (according to make, model, accuracy and functionality). If you would like to watch a home inspector in action, here is a HGTV video hosted by Chris Davis titled “Home Inspection with Vince from HGTV ” that shows a home inspection exercise and how most of the home inspection tools are used:
In conclusion, be cautious when shopping around for a home inspector because there are many incompetent wannabes out there and you do not want to miss any fault(s) that might cause more future damage to your home. A home inspector should be armed with the right tools that not only make work easier throughout the entire process but are also pin point accurate to avoid any guess work. It will also be important to note that a home inspector’s tools are only as good as the home inspector using them and veteran home inspectors can cover a lot of ground in your home using only the most basic tools of trade and still come out with a comprehensive report.
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What Kind of Tools Does Your Home Inspector Use? was first published on Home Inspector Experts
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