What is The Difference Between an Inspector and a Contractor?

A contractor and a home inspector are often confused as being interchangeable, however they both have different roles in the home buying process. 

Many people don’t realize that both the contractor and the home inspector play important roles in the home buying and building process, but different ones. 

What are the Major Differences?

While they are two different careers, there is a reason that people get them confused and think that they are interchangeable, and that is because their jobs are often intertwined. 

Inspectors

Home inspectors are generalists, they know a little about a lot of things. They are able to know enough to determine if the components of a home are in good condition or not. 

Essentially, this means that they know what things should look like, and what they definitely should not look like. 

Contractors 

On the other hand, contractors are specialists. They often are very skilled and knowledgeable about certain things, but not everything. 

Contractors are called to the home after the home inspector has finished the inspection to repair the things that the inspector caught. 

Why Are the Two Not Interchangeable? 

Home inspectors and contractors are two seperate professions for a reason. They are both very knowledgeable about homes and the systems that are within them. 

However, home inspectors and contractors are meant to work together.

Home inspectors are often retired contractors who are looking to do a less labor-intensive job, and want to stay in the home industry because they already have a vast knowledge of the industry.

• Oftentimes, home inspectors provide the information that home owners and buyers need in order to hire contractors.
• Since many people who are not part of the home industry don’t know what to look for when it comes to defects in a home, they need a home inspector to be able to find the parts that need repairs.

Contractors are very knowledgeable about specific parts of a home, and are able to repair components and systems that most home inspectors might not entirely know how to fix.

• However, contractors typically don’t know that level of detail about everything, because it would take them years to learn everything they need to know about everything in a home.
• They would also likely charge significantly more money than they do now if they were to have that amount of knowledge. 

Ultimately, contractors and home inspectors have very similar professions, and some may be able to do both jobs to an extent, but it is a good idea to hire both!