General Contractor vs. Home Inspector: Who’s Right for the Job?
Trust home inspectors for an unbiased opinion about home safety and repair needs
Highlights
Home inspectors are typically certified by reputable organizations.
Home inspectors provide an unbiased assessment with recommendations.
General contractors have areas of expertise but aren’t accountable to an organization.
Home inspectors and general contractors have the skills and knowledge to understand the condition of a home, but they can’t necessarily stand in for each other. Both provide valuable insights about your potential property, but the cost and experience of hiring each will be different. Explore the key differences that help you determine if a local certified home inspector is a better choice over a general contractor in performing your home inspection.
What’s the Difference Between Home Inspectors and General Contractors?
Some home buyers prefer to hire general contractors over home inspectors because of their background in building or renovating homes, which gives them the ability to assess and renovate a property.
In comparison, a certified home inspector assesses homes in terms of defects and liabilities. Abiding by a standardized home inspection process, a home inspector visually examines the house for defects and provides a report on the condition of critical components, and they can’t do any of the recommended repairs for you.
| Point of Difference | Home Inspector | General Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of Service | Unbiased evaluation | Repair assessment |
| Credentials | Professional license | None required |
| Communication | Standardized report | Spoken report |
| Insurance | Covers legal issues | Trade specific |
| Average Cost | $350 | Varies |
Differences in Services
Even if you hire a general contractor and a home inspector to do the same job, their underlying purposes and focuses are inherently different.
What to expect from a home inspection:
"The home inspector met my husband at the house. He walked my husband through the entire inspection. He identified some very costly repairs. He had all the necessary equipment to test for moisture and thermal heat. He explained everything to my husband that was found and was very professional. He also brought in a roofing specialist and a specialist for termites. Once he completed the inspection he sent us a report that included details about what he found and pictures."
— Nikki J., Coral Springs, FL
The goal of home inspectors is to provide a comprehensive and unbiased visual assessment of a home and its various systems and components. After conducting their inspection, a home inspector provides you with a detailed home inspection report that includes an analysis of potential defects, damage, safety hazards, and other issues that may affect the value, safety, and function of a home and an overall summary of their findings and subsequent recommendations.
General contractors may be able to provide a general assessment and even have advanced expertise in certain structures or systems, but their inspection won’t be to the same regulated standard as a home inspector. It’s also important to remember that general contractors assess a property in a repair and construction context and may have an interest for their own business, meaning their inspection and recommendations may not be as unbiased or accurate as that of a home inspector. A home inspector will tell you which fixes are necessary, but a contractor may make additional unnecessary recommendations or neglect the essential fixes.
Differences in Credentials and Standards
Certified home inspectors must meet the training and exam requirements of reputable home inspection organizations, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), which maintain strict codes of ethics and practices to ensure quality and credibility.
The qualifications for home inspectors vary depending on the state they operate in, but a license or certification generally lends more credibility to their services. Some states, such as Alabama and New York, require home inspectors to have extensive education, pass exams, and renew their licenses on a regular basis, but many states don’t require licensing at all.
General contractors, however, aren’t required to have formal certifications or accreditation. They may have trade-specific certifications that enable them to assess certain systems or structures, but they’re not required to have qualifications for performing overall home inspections.
| Relevant Credentials | Home Inspectors | General Contractors |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Yes; some exceptions | No |
| Exams | Yes; some exceptions | No |
| Education | Courses and programs | No |
Differences in Communication
Communication is an integral part of the home inspection process. In addition to evaluating properties, home inspectors communicate their findings to you specifically in a comprehensive and unbiased written report. General contractors are more likely to share their findings with you through a conversation or informal report, and their opinion could be biased if they’re hoping to be hired for all the work they recommend.
Hear it from a home inspector:
"Usually the confusion comes near the end because we have pointed out so much stuff, both good and bad, that homeowners just feel overwhelmed. And that's when I also have to stop and say with the size of this home and what we found, your reports going to be about 80 pages...So don't feel like you have to memorize everything because you don't. It'll all be in the report."
— John Brewster, Home Inspector, True North Home Inspections
Differences in Liability and Insurance
To protect themselves and their clients from legal issues resulting from home inspections, certified home inspectors are required to carry professional liability insurance, which generally covers omissions, negligence, errors, or fraud that could cause damages or financial loss to the client or property. A certified home inspection contingency built into your contract can also protect you and your deposit if an inspection uncovers any deal-breaking issues.
General contractors may have their own professional liability insurance, but it won’t necessarily cover activities related to home inspections since they’re not technically within their professional scope. If they miss any important details of an inspection, you may be on the hook for resulting losses related to things that always fail a home inspection.
Differences in Cost
General contractors have varying fees for home inspections or may even offer them freely or discounted as part of a consultation for repairs or renovations. In comparison to the higher cost of a home inspection, which averages around $350, hiring a general contractor who offers a lower home inspection fee can be appealing, especially if it’s a friend offering to do a favor for you. When it comes to buying a home, however, the value of services should supersede the cost.
While a general contractor may charge less for their services, they may not be able to provide you with the same level of quality, information, and protection as a home inspector. A comprehensive and certified home inspection, however, can provide you with peace of mind and assurance in your home-buying decisions, protection against costly repair costs, and additional negotiation leverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re starting a repair or renovation project, it’s important to hire a general contractor who’s experienced, reputable, and available for the job. Consider factors such as quality of work, customer service and communication, timeliness, and reputation or reviews. You may find this information online, or you might have to ask for pictures of recent work and references.
In most cases, it’s best to hire a general contractor after a certified home inspection. If your home inspector pointed out any specific system or structural issues that require more in-depth assessments or repairs, a contractor with relevant expertise can help provide additional insight and repair quotes as well as perform the repair themself.
You can expect a home inspection to take from 2 to 3 hours, but several factors can affect this timeline. These factors include the size of the home, the size of the surrounding grounds, and the accessibility of various structures. You should receive the home inspection report within a day or two.