Thomas Pittman Home Inspections

Home Inspections for Sellers

What is a home inspection?
A home Inspection is a visual evaluation of the readily and accessible areas of the home at time of Inspection. The inspection is based on the simple concept of Durability and serviceability.

Why should I have a home Inspection?
If you are thinking about selling or have your home on the market it would be wise to invest in a Home Inspection. The reason is simple: To get a head start on possible issues that may come up on the report. This could save you big headaches later or just simply make you aware of issues and / or potential issues. It is possibly that the home is completely clean or there could be items that need fixed right away regardless if selling home or not.

Can I perform my own Inspection?
You can or have a family member or a contractor you know. Be aware that plenty of issues could get overlooked. Has a Certified home Inspector I attend continuing education hours every year and have inspected thousands of homes over the years. Even a very good contractor would be hard pressed to perform an Inspection like I perform let alone generate a State Of The Art Inspection Report that is completely narrative (no check boxes) along with digital photos showing the issues / conditions.

How to choose a Home Inspector
This can be difficult if you do not know someone personally in the business or have a referral from a family member or friend. While most Professional Realtors are good honest hard working people, sometimes their referrals for Home Inspectors are not in your best interest.

Here are some suggestions to pick your home Inspector.

  • Look in the Dex phone book for Inspectors Under Home Inspections.
  • Always use an Inspector that belongs to a Home Inspector association.
  • Use an experienced Inspector – Call and ask about this – Very important.
    My average Inspection time is 21/2-3 hours for a 2000 Square foot home and under. There are lots of new Inspectors out there that have no back round in construction.
Always use an in town Inspector.
Some Inspectors come from out of the area. Why is this? Here are some common reasons given out by agents:
  • The local Inspectors are booked out to far.
    This is nonsense. There are plenty of in town Inspectors to get your Inspection done in a very timely manner.
  • The out of town Inspector completes report on site.
    Again, nonsense. We have the report back to you that evening or the next morning. E-mail works very well for this.
  • The out of town Inspector is cheaper than the local Inspectors
    Just simply not true. The truth of the matter is the out-of-town home inspector writes a report the agent likes. This will usually be a short report with not much information or very informative. In other words it does not give the purchaser the needed information to make a logical decision in regards to purchasing the home.
  • Agent states Appraisal came back good.
    No need for Inspection(s). Do not fall for this. An Appraiser is not a Home Inspector and does not in any way perform an inspection that will give the details we will.
  • Agent States: No need for Inspection(s)
    Why would an Agent state this? The Agent is not a Home Inspector and does not know the possible conditions of the home other than the very obvious. Some agents do know some things about Home Inspections but, most do not have a clue about how a Home Inspection should be performed or how the report will look. They mostly assume what is done and how they would like the report to look. This again is not in your best interest.
  • The Inspector is a deal killer or too Critical.
    Every inspector out there has had a deal fall through. With the nature of the business how could any inspector at any given time not be a deal killer? We just simply deliver the information to you. Licensed contractors should then be called upon to correct or to evaluate the conditions outlined in our report.
    Here is the real reason:
    The out of town Inspector writes reports that are favorable to the seller and agent. We work for you when we perform an Inspection. We base our reports on the conditions of the home at time of Inspection and nothing else. Our reports are very easy to read and give plenty of information for you to make a reasonable decision about the purchase.
  • Some agents will state: Don’t use this Inspector. He is too picky.
    Don’t use this Inspector. He is too picky. Nonsense again. As a seller of a home a so called picky Inspector will deliver you an honest, un-biased report of the conditions of the home.
  • Fees are generally determined by the size, age and location of home.
    I may not be the cheapest Inspector or most expensive but; I thrive to be the best. I charge a fair Inspection fee for an outstanding Inspection and state of the art Inspection report. Most Inspectors are not willing to invest the money and time (learning curve that comes with state of the art software)
  • Some Inspectors refer conditions to licensed professionals.
    Any good Inspector will recommend the proper contractor for the needed work.



Agents – My above statements my sound like I am condemning Real Estate Professionals. That is not what I am trying to do. Many Agents want to know the issues about a home. There are many Agents I have great respect and admiration for. It is in everyone’s best interest to know and deal with issues before closing on the home than afterwards.