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The purpose of a home inspection is to give unbiased information about a property. Currently, there are two yardsticks by which we can evaluate a home inspector. The most well known are "Standards of Practice". These standards are typically created by an organization such as CREIA or ASHI and define what should and should not be expected from an inspector. A bit more obscure are "Standards of Care". These standards are not well defined, can vary regionally and have more to do with the level of time and effort that an inspector will put into an inspection, writing a report and further education.

All three of these items are equally important parts to providing a quality inspection.

Spending the necessary time and effort during an inspection will provide the properly educated inspector with important knowledge about the property.

A clearly written and comprehensive report will give you accurate information and help you during your decision making process of purchasing a home.

Education is an often neglected part of being a home inspector. While we are generalists and there are areas that we will not have complete knowledge, we care enough about our profession to learn constantly.

There are limits to what an inspector can see, but education will provide knowledge about where and how to look for problems, and who to approach for answers. This is where a good professional organization comes in. CREIA provides us with a continual stream of information and the ability to share this knowledge with others in order to elevate the quality of our inspections as well as inspections in general. But, while we regularly attend chapter meetings, we also seek out other sources of information, such as manufacturers and recognized building codes. Make sure that your home inspector spends the necessary time to further his/her education by researching products, attending chapter meetings, independent research and does not just rely only on existing knowledge.