Should a Home Inspection be done by an Engineer?

If you are going to have your home inspected in NJ there are a few home inspector credentials that you should look for. Firstly, by NJ Law, the NJ home inspector must be licensed by the State of NJ. Secondly, your home inspector should be a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, which actually has much higher requirements than the NJ Home Inspector License. You should also consider whether your home inspection should be done by an engineer. Most home inspectors are not engineers, and although a home inspector is supposed to inspect the structure such as the foundation walls and support framing of the home, you will naturally get a more complete and professional evaluation if the inspection is done by a person with an engineering background. If a home inspector that is not an engineer suspects structural defects, the standards of practice of the industry require that you get further evaluation by an engineer. If your home inspector is an engineer, the suspect structural defect may be evaluated within the home inspection report without the need for an additional costly inspection.