Ask An Agent: How Can I Find a Good Home Inspector and Title Insurance Company?

• June 17th 2009

by Mark Wellborn

In this week’s installment of Ask An Agent, a reader inquires about how to go about finding a good home inspector and title insurance company. Coldwell Banker’s James Andrew Sands offers up some insight.

Question: I am in the process of looking to buy a home and was wondering how I should go about finding a good home inspector and title insurance company? I know that there are a lot of options, so should I just go with the one recommended by my agent, or should I do my own research? Honesty is appreciated! Thanks.

Answer: This is a great question. Personally, I have found the most success with inspection companies that offer various experts who specialize in one area (plumbers, electricians, roofers). These specialists are either direct employees of the company, or subcontractors. In either case, they have only one area of expertise, as opposed to one inspector who wears several different hats.

Having several experts come in also saves valuable time in the actual inspection. Be careful, though, because some companies may also try to solicit making repairs. You should be sure that a successful inspection — not trying to sell you more work — is their primary interest.

As for a title insurance company, I always advise my clients to select and retain a reputable real estate attorney [instead of a title company] from the outset of the buying process for several reasons. The main reason is that the attorney can handle and best advise you on any issues regarding title, but can also conduct the closing. Also, it is wise to have an attorney involved from the beginning who has knowledge of the entire transaction just in case any issues arise. If you decide to use a title insurance company, make sure they have an attorney on staff.

By all means, always do your own research and work with the people that you know, trust and are most comfortable with.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/ask_an_agent_how_can_i_find_a_good_home_inspector_and_title_insurance_compa/1038.