If you're buying a home, a quality, comprehensive home inspection is one of the best investments you can make. Home inspections are commonly being required by insurance companies, mortgage companies, and lenders. Many homebuyers will have a contingency that the sale of a home is not final until the home has been inspected by a certified or licensed home inspector. Finding a good home inspector is essential. You've probably never shopped for a home inspector before so here are some things to consider during your search for a home inspector in your area. Home inspection is unregulated in many states. This means some states have no licensing requirements for home inspectors and anyone can advertise that they are a home inspector. Some states however do have licensing requirements for home inspection and these states require inspectors to meet certain licensing requirements before they are able to legally start working as an inspector in that state. The map below will give you more detailed information based on your state.

For states that don't have licensing requirements, it is important to choose an inspector with as many of the best credentials as possible. These credentials can be certifications from home inspection training institutes, memberships in national societies, related education / degrees, and construction or real estate experience.