The Inspection Part II

One of the great things about this industry is there really is no right or wrong way for doing your job, as long as you are supplying the service your client expects.  We are providing information for our clients; information which they then use to make a better informed decision.  There is no governing authority - (yet) - that deems your system as correct or incorrect.  Of course there are guidelines, standards of practice, and ethical rules set forth by the professional associations, but there are no police at the home to enforce those guidelines.  If you do your job a certain way and your client likes it and other clients want you to do it that way for them as well; nobody can tell you it’s wrong.  The ultimate judge of the merit of your practices is either of two things:  You’re being sued all the time or you have no customers.

 

With that said; let’s talk about the inspection.  As mentioned before, a proper Home Inspection should be thorough and systematic.  Thorough is self-explanatory so let me explain what I mean by systematic.  I believe the inspection should be done section by section, element by element, in the same order every time.  Your process should be automatic so that you become habituated to always do it the same way. 

 

This will create a pattern that is ingrained in your reporting.  You will never have to wonder, “What should I inspect next?”   The comfort of knowing the pattern allows you to focus on what you are looking at and the three viewpoints of condition, operation and safety. 

 

In Karate you need to learn a ka’ta. A ka’ta is a repetition of a series of standard moves, almost like a dance, that creates muscle memory.  The repetition of this choreographed set of movements becomes so familiar and automatic that the martial artist is able to go into “no mind”.  This separation of mind and body ensures that the practiced martial artist can react using one of the ‘moves’ of the ka’ta without thinking; no matter what the situation or what distractions surround him or her.  This is similar to what an effective and efficient home inspector needs to do. 

 

A Home Inspection can get out of hand with any number of different distractions.  The current homeowner may be combative about what you are looking at; a realtor may try to distract you away from an area that may be known to be problematic; a client may have small children running around, or just be hyper-inquisitive about every last detail of your inspection as you go through the house.  These can be not only aggravating but can cause the inspector to lose focus and miss important things that need attention.

 

To ensure a thorough and systematic inspection the inspector has to have a predetermined process that he or she is comfortable with; a routine that can help block out these distractions in order to stay focused on the job, keep cool and be confident that nothing was overlooked.