You know you should never buy a home without getting a home inspection done first, but do you know how to find a reputable inspector? Many new home buyers don't. Our real estate agents work closely with home inspectors when representing our Victoria homes for sale. Follow the tips below to get their best advice on finding a home inspector you can trust.

• Understand Licensing Requirements
  B.C. home inspectors must hold a valid home inspection license from Consumer Protection BC. To get this, they must complete a training course from an accredited institution, pass a licensing exam, pass a criminal record check, and obtain liability insurance. Make sure your home inspector is properly licensed before committing to hiring them. Working with an unlicensed person—even one with a certificate in home inspection—is unnecessarily risky. 
  
  
• Know Which Services You Need
  Home inspectors are only trained to identify problems that can be spotted by looking at easily accessible areas of a home. They can't spot issues with systems like your home's wiring or septic system or the top of your roof. If you're worried about any of these areas, you'll need to get them inspected by a professional trained to deal with those specific systems. Your home inspector or real estate agent should be able to point you in the right direction.
  
  
• Ask for a Referral
  The best way to find any service professional is through word of mouth. If any of your friends and family have purchased real estate lately and had a good experience with their home inspector, ask them for the name of the person who helped them. You'll probably have a good experience with that person too. You can also get recommendations from online reviews through platforms like Google Reviews. Look for inspectors with many positive reviews to weed out potential bias and make sure you're connecting with a top professional. 
  
  
• Use the Home Inspectors Association Online Tool
  The B.C. Home Inspectors Association offers an online search tool to help prospective property buyers find a qualified inspector in their local area. You can use it to drum up some extra leads or to confirm that the inspectors you have in mind are licensed and reputable. 
  
  
• Get a Few Estimates
  There's no standard fee for home inspections in B.C., so costs can vary significantly. Some may charge hundreds of dollars more than others for the same services. Ask at least three different inspectors or inspection companies for an estimate and see what they're asking for their work. You may find that some of them are considerably more expensive to hire than others and can be ruled out of your search. 
  
  
• Get a Sample Report
  Before you make your final decision, ask the inspectors you're considering for a sample report. They should have one readily available for you to review. Read it over to get a better sense of how they relay information. Is the report easy to read? Is it thorough? Do they include things like photographs and checklists to help you identify key points and understand their relevance? If you like what you see, you know you can count on them to do an equally good job when inspecting your prospective home. 

If you're searching for a new home in B.C.'s booming market, you'll need a top real estate agent to help you. Contact us today to start working with our team of real estate experts and move one step closer to closing day.