Do home inspection reports become public information?

According to most state laws the only person who gets a copy of the home inspection report is the person who pays for it. If your home inspector gave a copy of the report to the realtor without your WRITTEN permission to do so you should report him to your state licensing board. A home inspector hired by you should represent you and only you. If your home inspector is more concerned about your realtor or the home owner than you it should be a red flag you hired the wrong inspector.

The second you start to wonder who your home inspector is working for is the same second you should yell out stop. That is correct stop the inspection and hire a home inspector who will work for you. Why should you be paying for a home inspector who is working for the seller or the realtor AND get stuck paying for all the items the home inspector missed, did not report on or under reported.

Home inspectors are supposed to tell you what is wrong, why it is wrong and what to do about it. They should also be telling you the implications of what is wrong.

Example:

You have aluminum wiring. FACT

Aluminum wiring is a known fire hazard. IMPLICATION

Corrective action can be very expensive and difficult THE REST OF THE IMPLICATION

When you interview home inspectors ask them flat out if they:

Allow agents to influence how inspection findings are conveyed to clients.

Reward or compensate anyone for referring clients.

Produce any marketing material designed for or aimed at agents.

Solicit real estate agents with the intent of obtaining inspection referrals.

Give "sales" presentations to real estate agents about our inspection services.

If they answer any of the above questions YES it is time to hang up and call another home inspector. If you make ten phone calls odds are you will be hanging up on at least eight home inspectors. The time it takes to make those calls will be the best time you ever invest in your home buying experence.