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Call Kurtis: What To Know Before Hiring Home Inspector

VACAVILLE (CBS13) - You hire a home inspector to make sure everything is OK with the house you're buying, but the reality is that anyone, even you, can go out tomorrow and claim to be a home inspector.

A Vacaville resident said his home inspector missed some major problems during the home inspection and it cost him a lot of money.

Shortly after moving into his new Vacaville home David Simon says he started noticing issues the home inspector missed.

He says the furnace did not fully heat the house and the sliding glass door would not open.

"That's why you hire a home inspector, to make sure the house is livable," said Simon.

On the home inspection report, the water heater, furnace, and air conditioner are marked as 12 years old. However, Simon later realized they were much older.

"If I had known the issues with the house, I would have been able to re-negotiate the deal," he said.

According to the National Association of Home Inspectors, only 32 states require home inspectors to have a license. California is not one of them.

Rick Lopes with the Contractors State License Board, points out in the last 30 years, only four times have state lawmakers have discussed requiring inspectors to have a license.

"They determined there really isn't a need to regulate that industry right now," said Lopes.

That means it's up to consumers to ensure they've hired the right person. Check to see if they belong to a professional organization and what training they have, and see if they have insurance that covers you if they missed something.

Simon says he did not ask those questions and went with the home inspector recommended by his real estate agent.

"He was hired to do the job. He didn't complete the job," said Simon.

We spoke to the inspector Simon hired who says he stands by his report. He says the appliances he marked at 12 years were accurate for those models.

During a home inspection, if an inspector finds problems and suggests you can hire them to fix it, that's illegal, according to the Contractors State License Board.

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