Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

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Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Charlie, Home Inspectors are not code inspectors.

Even if they where you can not apply the 2002 NEC to a house built in 1950.

A code inspector would either pass or fail a structure.

Home inspectors do not do that, they only report what they see.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

I think the entire home inspection thing is a scam. Let me see their Mechanical, Electrical,Plumbing, Stuctual lisences!!!!!

We are required to have them for our respected area of work.

A customer once had an inspector tell them that his panel needed to be changed due to no main breaker in the panel. HELLO!!!! It was a split bus panel. 6- 2pole breakers with one controlling the bottom half of the panel. It was a huge problem with the sale until we were called it to do a Certified Licensed inspection of the panel.
The inspector simply said that he had never seen a panel like that before... Well hello idiot.. If you were a certified electician you would have.

I have a major problem with this entire scam the industry calls "Home Inspectors"
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Originally posted by iwire:
Your not bashing me in the least.

I'm glad you feel that way.

How does one tell if an electrician, doctor, pharmacist is a hack?

Buyer be ware. (I wish I knew Latin)

I was sincere in this question, as I have no idea. I've only dealt with a HI one time, when we bought this place.
Everything else is hearsay and what I've read.
I have no idea if the guy was great or not.

I know that, for example, he went up on the roof to check for soft spots. I could have done that, but why the heck would I want to? The last thing I need is to find a real soft spot and put my foot through. He didn't find any.

So really, how do I, as the buyer, know if the HI is ood or not? Are there certain things to look out for?


Coveat Emptor (Latin for 'Buyer Beware')


Here are just a few quotes from the NACHI site: I really do not think picking a few terrible post proves a thing. I could do that here at Holt's too.

I know, but they were good ones. :)


There are always those that think a truck full of equipment shows they are an expert.

I guess that relates to Electricians too.
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Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Originally posted by luke warmwater:
Coveat Emptor (Latin for 'Buyer Beware')


I know, but they were good ones. :)
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That was the Latin I was thinking of I just had no idea how to spell it. :cool:

Yes they where 'good ones' in a scary sort of way. :eek:
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

iwire,
i agree---home inspectors should not be code inforcers!

i know that one of the first things they write up is gfic protection---bathrooms-sinks-outdoor receptacles. if the house is grandfathered in - how can they recommend this change? i have heard them write up in their report to change panel from fuses to breakers? two wire receptacles to three wire?

when they first came out--i was called by the seller to go over this home inspector's list. he showed up and i discussed each item. seven out of ten items were bogus! this left a lasting impression on me! he told me that the realtor wants a lengthly list with an approximate cost on each item. the list is presented to the seller and usually the repair cost is deducted from the cost of the home. this lowers the cost of the home and guess what-----makes it easier to sell homes! he also told me that he never gets called back by the new owner to repair anything. his deal is with the realtor.....

again---how did our parents ever buy a house without the home inspector?????
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Originally posted by charlie tuna:
i know that one of the first things they write up is gfic protection---bathrooms-sinks-outdoor receptacles. if the house is grandfathered in - how can they recommend this change? i have heard them write up in their report to change panel from fuses to breakers? two wire receptacles to three wire?
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It seems to me that its not so much about code enforcement as noting things that do not meet current code or that might well be a hazard, regardless of being grandfathered or not.

If 2 wire receptacles are safe, then why can't we install them on new work? If lack of GFCIs in bathrooms and kitchens is safe, then why is it now required?
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

and where does it stop? who draws the line? many older homes would require thousands of dollars in repairs---thats why they have grandfather laws!
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

I've stayed out of this so far but I happen to agree with Bob (Iwire.)

We live in an imperfect world but having a HI inspect a wiring system is far better than nothing.

I think it's impractical that licensed contractors have to inspect every system for a proper analysis to be made. My training is in electrical, but there is no reason why I can't be trained to recognize defects in structural, heating, and plumbing systems.

For me, it boils down to this: We simply can't fix every electrical problem that exists in the world, as much as we want to.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Sounds more and more like a scam.Lower the price but not even fix the item.Get seller to put gfci in even tho not required.Then wonder why some electricians have something bad to say about them.What a cool buisness to be in.Almost no tools,go around making mistakes and get paid.
Ok go ahead and bash me back,it doesn't change the facts.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

I am not suggesting we do away with grandfathering, however the fact remians that either something is considered 'safe" or it is not, regardless of whether its allowed by code or not.

If something is unsafe enough that the code has been changed to require GFCIs in certain cases, than I would think its unsafe enough for a HI to make note of it.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

peter d,
ok, your electrically inclined. say your selling your house for $200k and you have a contract from a buyer for $200k, but requires the home inspection.
the home inspector is from the plumbing trade. he comes back with a report that your house is piped in with that gray plastic piping system and it should be replaced. you are presently on a well system and city water is available now and he recommends the tie-in of city water. many of the faucets throughout the house have considerable ware and should be replaced. of course you should have backflow preventers installed also. city sewer is available and this requires a tie-in and the present septic tank needs to be pumped-filled and sealed. 90 per cent of your lawn sprinkler heads need replacement.

approximate cost: $12,200.00

since many of these things are a benifit to the new buyer he has offered to pay for half of the suggested repairs.

now, you only paid $120,000. for this house ten years ago. are you gonna chop $6,100. off the price?

the good news is --he didn't catch the four gfic receptacles needed to bring the house up to snuff!

what happens--- from what home inspectors tell me----they negotiate the price down to include the repairs and then the new owner moves in and lives without these repairs just like you did for ten years!!!
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Sounds like the seller got scamed out of $6 grand.Anytime i sell a house the word AS IS are a part of the contract.The price was for the house as it is today with some items worn out or needing repaired.It's like buying a used car.It's not new so don't exspect it to be as good as new.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

what happens--- from what home inspectors tell me----they negotiate the price down to include the repairs and then the new owner moves in and lives without these repairs just like you did for ten years!!!
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Sure, that can happen. Or the homeowner selling the house can make the necessary repairs as part of the terms of sale to prevent that.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

what happened before "home inspectors"?

prior to the closing you had a "walk through"! both the seller and the buyer met at the home and went through it and discussed any problem areas. the house would be empty at this time---so if the swing set was missing it would be noted -- a hole in the wall behind where the desk was, it would be noted, etc.,etc.. the new owner could look and operate anything at this time. the problems were then negotiated by being repaired or reducing the price to cover the item.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Home inspectors are bed enough, but what about the thousands of "Handymen" that are sucking the life and money out of our chosen craft!!!!!!!!!
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Reading through these threads brings to mind many home inspection reports we have responded to. As mentioned earlier, usually the first item mentioned is the need to replace all existing two wire receptacles with three wire. My reponse to this item is to advise the homeowner (seller) that a. they are grand-fathered, b. the only items requiring three wire connection are motor loads(washer, disposal, refridgerator, freezer, well pump, etc.), c. The existing two wire receptacles should be replaced :p with like receptacles if they do not firmly hold an attachment plug d. If the panel is a brand that will accept AFI breakers they can be installed, however when muti-wire circuits are involved it becomes a nightmare which leads itself to rewiring and e. when you stop to think about household utilization equipment, (lamps, radios, TV, vacuum cleaners, irons, etc.) they do not have three wire attachment plugs. GFI outlets can be installed to provide protection on the existing two wire circuits. Past trying to decipher the home inspector's wording on the reports, as previously mentioned they usually do not have an electrical background, which normally requires a site visit to determine exactly what the problem is or isn't. The best one I've had by far however was the following: Lady called and asked what would it cost to upgrade her home from 200 to 400 amps. I started asking her questions as to why she needed to increase the service, as in was she adding to the home or putting an enclosed swimming pool in, this after she had explained her home was apx 2100 SQF and 12 years old. She answered no, that she had recently purchased the home and the home inspector had listed as an electrical problem the size of the home's service, now I'm wondering to myself what kind of calculation was performed to come to this conclusion, as for our area all things being equal 200 amps is more than enough for a 2100 SQF home, I had even started to wonder as whether the panel was a twenty circuit with slim-line breakers for branch circuits. I did restrain myself from laughing out loud when she explained, no she had a 40 circuit panel with main circuit breaker but when the inspector added all the breakers in the panel, the load was over 200 amperes. I asked her to fax me a copy of the report, assured her she did not need an additional electrical panel, then typed and mailed a letter to her explaining the difference between actual and connected load. I also faxed a copy to the inspection company. And you guessed it, they never called to say thanks. Where else can you get this much quality entertainment and still get paid for it!

Have a great day, all!

Steve
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

seems to me it's time for HI to tighten up and know what there looking at.Can we assume that they fail other things like plumbing ,AC,framing,etc. and don't know enough about them either.I as a seller would sue the HI for delaying or costing a sale due to his damaging report.It's high time that they get there act together.Might be hard to find qualified men that know all the trades but if your in the inspection buisness then you need to know everything and stop guessing.If i made as many mistakes as them i would be fired in a week.Could use a job that pays that good for being wrong and taking no responsibilty.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Jim,
Could use a job that pays that good for being wrong and taking no responsibilty.
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sure sounds as though you're jealous. :D

Roger
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

roger, i am serious about maybe being one.Lot easier than working.Why carry thousands of dollars worth of tools and get dirty.Let the county and city inspectors on this forum tell us what would happen if they tag non violations.Do it too often and they are in a meeting with there boss.Is it too much to exspect them to know what there doing ? Why not just let uncle george check the house for us.What value is poor inspection ?Yes they might uncover some defects but they miss far more.People are getting suckered into spending money for what they thought was an exspert opinion.By the time they find out what he missed the ink is dry and the green is in the bank of the seller.They likely will never use this guy again in there life.Dang this is better than selling used cars.
 
Re: Home Inspectors inspecting electric!

Originally posted by jimwalker:
seems to me it's time for HI to tighten up and know what there looking at.Can we assume that they fail other things like plumbing ,AC,framing,etc. and don't know enough about them either.
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Jim let me try this one more time for the slow to pick up. :D
 
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