VA qualified?

[John Dirks Jr]

I had a potential client ask me if I was VA qualified. I'm state licensed and I have done inspections where clients have told me that the VA was going to accept my inspection report as valid. However, I am not on any particular VA list.

I've been on other inspections where agents have said things like, " the VA inspector will be here tomorrow" Other times I've heard that a real estate appraisers are on rotating lists for VA jobs.

Is there a rotating list for HI's to get VA work? I'm a bit confused by all the different things I've heard.

Would you care to confuse me even more? Or maybe, you could shed some light on it. When someone asks me if I'm VA qualified, I'm not sure how to answer. Does the VA itself pull from a list and send inspectors out? Are clients confused just like me? How do I handle these calls?

[Mark P]

I'm with you John - it is confusing – but here is my understanding of what is going on. I see where other HI advertises themselves as VA qualified; and I think this is just clever marketing. I have called the VA twice over the last 5 years and got the same answer both times. "The VA does not maintain a list of HI, and there is no special qualification required by the VA to perform inspections."

What I think the realtors (and other) are doing is getting confused between HI and appraisers. A VA appraisal is a lot different then a typical appraisal and is sort of like a mini inspection. A VA appraisal does require special qualifications.

So anymore if someone asks me if I’m qualified to perform VA home inspection I just answer “yesâ€

[John Dirks Jr]

Sounds good to me Mark.

Thanks.

[Scottpat]

This is similar to being on the HUD Fee Paid Inspector Roster. VA has a list of inspectors as well. This is really just for new construction and has nothing to do with a normal home inspection.

[Marc]

The Veterans Administration, to my knowledge, stopped certifying VA inspectors several years ago. Current policy is that the lender determines if a particular inspector is qualified. Anyone whom the lender feels is qualified to do the inspection is also qualified enough for the VA. Lenders sometimes find a general contractor to do this type of inspection.

USDA_RD (US Department of Agriculture - Rural Development program) inspectors are also not required to be certified by the USDA. I have used my FHA inspection credentials in the past to qualify me for these types of inspections.

The FHA maintains a list of approved FHA inspectors at:

FHA Inspector Roster

Appraisers must be certified by the VA.

Marc