Another Home Inspector story

[tthh]

So it comes down to paying for the cost of an expansion tank that isn't required and making the sale or don't and risk losing the buyer. I've was there when I sold my house several years ago. The buyer wanted a bunch of bogus stuff taken care of and I just said no so the deal fell through (the listing said we would only consider fixing structural items if found). Sold the house to someone else who didn't ask for anything.

The buyer had like $1,200 of "stuff". I put together a very comprehensive response to all the points and he didn't care - he just wanted $1,200 off and I said fine that was that. My wife was more than livid and said she woun't sign It's just a transaction at that point and you have to put your emotions away. Of all the stuff the inspector listed, only one thing was really wrong I fixed that myself despite the realtor saying I needed a licensed HVAC guy to reconnect a flexible duct that had become disconnected in the attic. Frankly, I was a little embarrassed about that one not knowing that myself. It did go to my older daughter's room and she hadn't lived in the house for a long time at that point.

 

[AC\DC]

Well let’s take it another way. One I did. Home inspection did not find THhn service wire exposed without conduit spaced about 5 feet apart from each other running about 40 feet in an attic. Talk about burning a house down.
Well I am called to check GFCI that is not within 6’ feet of sink.
I tell homeowner that the gfci is bogus within 6’, you have a gfci protecting it you don’t need another one.
Told her home inspectors are morons. She asked for me to look around after some stories of crappy reports. I found this exposed wire told her, her house could burn down. Wood already started to look shard.

She wonders why he did not find that and now why she has to eat 6k for me to fix this plus the service that was completely rusted.
Home inspector need to be outlawed there unqualified to do anything.
Well he was qualified to crawl around and did some open splices but not point out the exposed service conductors in the same picture as the open splice.

 

[AC\DC]

I am sure like everything there a good inspector but even they are unqualified for are inspections

 

[junkhound]

Home inspectors been very very good for me an family.

Self or family have bought 2 houses in last 4 years and sold 2.
On all bought specifically said we would NOT require a HI when we made the offer, just self inspect. Were outbid by over 10% on all 4, but had our bid accepted on all 4. 400K to 1.5 mil houses. Granddaughter now lives in one of the houses, Son in another.

On the 2 we sold, we paid an independent HI ourselves and included that report in the offering (one buyer still hired their own inspector), cheap sales factor for buyers with zero idea of homeowner 'what to look for.'.

BTW, 100% of HI reports reported 'mold' here in PNW. LOL.

btw2,, fwiw, some ins like state farm wont insure house with K&T

 

[petersonra]

Home inspectors are good for finding the more obvious things. They are also good for looking at the various things that might or might not be problematic. It's a legit concern for many home buyers that 2 wire outlets be replaced. It might not be required by code but it would be unprofessional for a HI ,not to mention it.

I am not a fan of knob and tube wiring. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with it but the structure lends itself to some awful wiring practices. I would like to know about such things.

I would also like to know if there are 100 year cast iron drain pipes. Nothing wrong with them when put in but they are well past end of life and if they are not currently leaking they will be.

I want to know if there is asbestos or lead paint too.

None of these things are deal killers to me but they give me a baseline to know what it is going to cost me after the sale to fix things I am not going to like.

If you don't want a HI, don't hire one. Me, I want one even if he does not fully understand the dozens of maybe hundreds of codes involved in home construction.

 

[ptonsparky]

FWIW, I've had realtors ask me to refute a HI's legitimate findings. The guy had done a bang up job with pictures and location of each.
Nope. Give credit where it's due.

 

[fishin' electrician]

I can't believe they haven't started asking forafci's yet.

 

[Fred B]

I can't believe they haven't started asking forafci's yet.

shhh!

 

[readydave8]

I can't believe they haven't started asking forafci's yet.

Starting to see some suggesting for bedrooms, talked most customers out of it so far

 

[ptonsparky]

Beating a dead horse, but isn't there some point that the HI indicates more problems exist than can be elaborated?
I've spent two days at a Grandsons new to him house. Freaking ridiculous. How much knowledge does it take to notice a 4 wire SOW going up a wall to who knows where? (It changed to a 10/3G NM somewhere in the walls.) How about the bare K&T conductors in the basement? Innumerable open split bolt connections. No EGs, reversed polarity. Sewer vents that don't. Either capped or open. Furnace flues that go down hill.

 

[Fred B]

Beating a dead horse, but isn't there some point that the HI indicates more problems exist than can be elaborated?
I've spent two days at a Grandsons new to him house. Freaking ridiculous. How much knowledge does it take to notice a 4 wire SOW going up a wall to who knows where? (It changed to a 10/3G NM somewhere in the walls.) How about the bare K&T conductors in the basement? Innumerable open split bolt connections. No EGs, reversed polarity. Sewer vents that don't. Either capped or open. Furnace flues that go down hill.

Have yet to witness or even hear of one that is worth even a grain. Calling out non existing issue or failing to callout real issues, many times both on same inspection. Why the state even bother to require them to be licensed is worthless in my state, doesn't improve anything, only adds a cost for a mostly worthless paper report. Add to that, no liability.

 

[letgomywago]

Have yet to witness or even hear of one that is worth even a grain. Calling out non existing issue or failing to callout real issues, many times both on same inspection. Why the state even bother to require them to be licensed is worthless in my state, doesn't improve anything, only adds a cost for a mostly worthless paper report. Add to that, no liability.

Only one that's worth it is a sewer inspection. I'd trust myself for everything else before I'd trust someone else

 

[HIGuy]

I feel that it’s important to defend Home Inspectors here, but as I am writing this I realize that some of you are right. There are bad home inspectors out there, or at least those that do not understand, or have lost track of their purpose in a real estate transaction,

Indiana regulates the home inspection trade. The purpose of a home inspection in Indiana is to determine the overall condition of a property in 9 functional areas. My state requires reporting of non-functional and unsafe components and components near the end of service life. Unsafe may include damage, deterioration, improper installation; or a change in accepted residential construction standards. However, home inspections are not code compliance inspections.

The state dictates what is to be inspected and how it is reported, but no criteria is defined as to how required components are inspected. That is left to the individual inspector’s background, education, and experience, which varies from one inspector to the next. Most inspectors are former or current tradesmen.

Some inspectors also follow trade association standards who may define the purpose of a home inspection to identify and report defects, no matter how significant (or real) they are. Some trade associations also focus heavily on code compliance, even though they admittedly are not code inspectors. Some home inspectors often walk this fine line when performing inspections.

Most inspectors will carry Errors and Omissions insurance to protect them from liability in the event of a missed defect. Some inspectors eager to earn good graces with realtors will walk a fine line here to get more referrals. Other inspectors will defer as much as they can to tradespeople to limit their liability.

Some inspectors just don’t know what they’re doing or what to look for.

My nephew hired an inspector referred by his agent. He was told, incorrectly, that hiring me would be a conflict of interest. Here is a picture of his service from the inspection report that his inspector reported as “satisfactory”. After moving in, some of his receptacles would fail intermittently. Can you see the burnt neutral?

 

[infinity]

My nephew hired an inspector referred by his agent. He was told, incorrectly, that hiring me would be a conflict of interest. Here is a picture of his service from the inspection report that his inspector reported as “satisfactory”. After moving in, some of his receptacles would fail intermittently. Can you see the burnt neutral?

The fact that there are neutrals and EGC's in the same hole on the neutral bus should have been called out. Also should have mentioned that there is more than one neutral per hole.

Part of the problem with the home inspection industry is that many HI's rely on realtors to get referrals. That in many cases creates a conflict of interest because the realtor doesn't get paid if the inspection report kills the deal. So if the HI wants to continue getting business from the realtor maybe some things get overlooked.

 

[Fred B]

There are bad home inspectors out there, or at least those that do not understand, or have lost track of their purpose in a real estate transaction,

My experience is There may be Good ones out there rather than there may be bad ones. More bad than good. Including my personal experience with purchase of my home. My uncles home purchase that had multiple structural, electrical, and mechanicals issues never called out but called out an exterior paint issue (had to be painted before purchase).

 

[retirede]

The fact that there are neutrals and EGC's in the same hole on the neutral bus should have been called out. Also should have mentioned that there is more than one neutral per hole.

As he stated, the inspection is not for code-compliance, but primarily for unsafe conditions. Those 2 issues present no safety hazard to the homeowner, even though they are a code violation.

 

[infinity]

As he stated, the inspection is not for code-compliance, but primarily for unsafe conditions. Those 2 issues present no safety hazard to the homeowner, even though they are a code violation.

I disagree. There is a reason that there is only one neutral permitted in a hole in the neutral bus. This panel has a burnt neutral which could be a result of more than one conductor in the hole with the neutral.

 

[HIGuy]

I disagree. There is a reason that there is only one neutral permitted in a hole in the neutral bus. This panel has a burnt neutral which could be a result of more than one conductor in the hole with the neutral.

I concur. Not only did my nephews home inspector miss the defect, the journeyman that either installed it or supervised the installation missed it, AND the county electrical inspector missed it on the rough.

 

[HIGuy]

Those 2 issues present no safety hazard to the homeowner

Do you not consider overheating conductors a safety hazard?

 

[petersonra]

Do you not consider overheating conductors a safety hazard?

I do not think having two neutrals in the same hole is likely to result in overheating.