Disclaimer: I’m licensed, not opened for business but will be starting 1 Mar… I’m a little confused about the below…
What is the difference between a MIC and a pre-listing inspection (besides the MIC advertising/signs/certification)?
What does “certified” in MIC mean?
Once the MIC is complete do you go back and “clean” the report up (taking out finds that have been fix)? Do you charge for a revisit or all for one price?
If you still have 3 defects that the seller won’t fix as they lowered the price instead, is the home still certified?
I was planning to use my TWI home inspection reporting system for all Home Inspections, Pre-listing inspections and MIC’s but I keep reading post that state MIC’s and pre-listings are not home inspections.
A pre-listing inspection is no different than any other inspection. Your client is selling not buying… that’s the only difference.
It certifies that the home has been pre-inspected by an InterNACHI certified inspector and that the seller confirms that there are no major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement and that the seller doesn’t know of any safety hazards.
Answered in order asked. No, you don’t remove parts of the original report, but you can include repair receipts to show that the seller has made a repair. Yes, you charge for revisits if the seller wishes to hire you to revisit.
It depends on if those defects are major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement or safety hazards. MIC doesn’t mean the home is free of defects. See definition at www.moveincertified.com
I’ve never read that anywhere in 10 years. They are both home inspections.
You’ll always get someone who comes on here and confuses MIC with OverSeeIt.com (which aren’t home inspections and about which we have a big announcement coming this week).
Or you’ll have someone who says he “refuses to certify a home”. But when you ask him what is the difference in liability between MIC and one of his reports where he finds no major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement and no safety hazards… he can’t tell you. In other words, you are already (in the course of your business) taking on the liability of issuing a standard home inspection that often doesn’t reveal any major defects or safety hazards… and doing so, you are taking on the liability for a whole lot more for YOUR client who has standing to sue you. In an MIC inspection, the buyer has no standing to sue you.
If you’re going to do seller inspections market as such. Stay away from the word “certified”. No matter how you spin it the word still appears that you’re giving a promise on the condition of the house. Simply do your inspection as you would for a buyer. Keep in mind that another inspector is coming in after you so don’t fall asleep on the job.
Billy, that is the reason why if an agent/owner wants to do a pre-sale inspection, a CMI should strongly be considered. Most other inspectors write soft, basic pre-sale inspections. The buyer’s inspector will likely find more defects than the soft, licensed, basic ASHI inspector.
Most agents stay away from pre-sale inspections, because they will take the chance on the post-contract signed inspection.
IMO, and as I have stated to many senators and congress people, pre-sale inspections should be mandated for many reasons. Here in Kansas, they want to mandate radon testing. If so, let’s do it all.