is there a difference between a fha inspection and a regular home inspection?

[ckoller]

I had a lady call me and ask if i do fha inspections. i said no!
after going to the hud/fha web site i found that fha does not require a home inspection. this being said they do have inspection guidlines that apraisers follow. online i find inspectors offering fha inspections . i'm a little confused.

[John Harrison]

From what I have found there are two different types of FHA inspectors.

FHA Inspector: is a fee inspector like yourself that has been placed on the approved FHA inspector roster.

203k Consultant: is a fee inspector like yourself that has been placed on the approved 203K Consultant roster.

With both you have to follow the approved FHA guidelines, and know what is required during each different type of inspection.
The difference comes from which roster you are placed on. A FHA inspector can not perform inspections for 203k loan processes.

[mnahrgang]

Actually, they are probably just looking for a home inspection. The fact that they loan is FHA is usually not relivant in regards to the home inspection. When I get this question, I start asking questions...

"Did your lender recommend that you have an inspection, or are they requiring a specific inspection? Did they ask for any specific forms to fill out?"

Without fail they tell me that their lender says that they should have an inspection and the loan is just an FHA loan. Which means a typical home inspection. No special forms or requirements.

The only time I EVER get a formal FHA loan inspection request, it comes from the lender directly, and the buyer is completely out of the picture. That requires FHA/HUD approval (aka "fee inspector.) The lenders know who is approved and who is not, and they never leave it to the buyer to arrange.

The "FHA INSPECTION" that lenders require comes with the appraisal and is done by an appraiser themselves. You will be completely out of the picture. (Of course I have an FHA appraiser that I am friends with that is available for me to sub, should the occasion arise, but in 2 years that has yet to happen.)

[Bruce A. King]

I have seen some fha reports on houses that only listed some handrail/guardrail concerns when there were over $10,000 worth of repairs needed to the house. A recent one passed an fha inspection with zero writeups and my report contained all of the issues that would easily exceed $150,000 to properly repair. Most of the general public knows that the typical fha inspection report is a joke and that they need to hire their own inspector that is not recommended by the commission based agent.