People hire commercial property inspectors for one of several reasons: • They are about to purchase a building and want to know if they are making a sound investment.
• They own a building and want to protect their investment through prevention instead of repair work.
• They are about to sell and want to know the true worth of their property.
No matter the reason, having a competent property inspector is crucial for knowing how structurally sound a building is.
The following tips are to help commercial investors, buyers and owners protect their financial investments.
Top Six Tips For Hiring a Commercial Property Inspector: 1.
Make sure they are licensed.
2.
Check reviews on social media sites like Yelp and Google Reviews.
While business owners can control the information that appears on their personal websites, they can't control what people say on social media sites.
This is generally where you'll get the real story about a business.
Do keep in mind that everyone has bad days and most businesses will have a bad review.
What you're looking for is the general consensus.
3.
Talk to references.
While references tend to be people who have had a positive experience, they can help you determine work styles and ethics of a potential property inspector.
4.
Ask what type of equipment they use.
In this day and age every commercial property inspector should be using a thermal imaging system to do inspections.
These help determine water leaks and air leaks.
Don't be afraid to ask for credentials to ensure your inspector has been trained on his/her equipment.
5.
Before you set up an appointment ask whether or not they take credit cards.
Many commercial and home inspectors are family run businesses and do not accept Visa or MasterCard.
Be sure to ask first if you plan on paying by credit card.
6.
Be clear about what exactly is covered in the inspection.
Commercial inspections are more thorough than home inspections, however inspectors are not required to move or lift obstacles that have the potential to injure them, nor are they required to expose themselves to hazardous areas such as mold infestations.
If this is your first commercial building investment, having an inspector perform a Property Condition Assessment can save you thousands of dollars in potential repairs on a property.
Know what you're getting into before you make any deals or purchase any property.
For those who currently own property, maintenance repairs and preventative fixes are always cheaper than repairing major structural damage.