Category Archives: Home inspections

You know you might be a bad home inspector when …

Posted on 06/02/2008 | 6 Comments

My apologies to Jeff Foxworthy’s comedy routine, but here’s some hints to home buyers that they may not have picked the sharpest tool in the inspector box when …

the inspector doesn’t know how to open the lock box. It’s not ROCKET SCIENCE!
the inspector tracks mud in the home because he doesn’t have the common sense to wear the booties that GOOD inspectors carry with them.
the inspector doesn’t know that the gas line to the fireplace must be turned on for several minutes to allow the gas to fill the line before trying to light the pilot.
the inspector lifts the ceiling tiles in the basement and doesn’t return them to their original position.
the inspector doesn’t know how to trip a sump pump to run when it’s not raining. Just because the pump didn’t run while he was there, doesn’t mean it needs replaced.
the inspector pulled back the sheer curtains to check the windows and didn’t move the curtains back to their original position.

I recently had an inspector decide that a sump pump wasn’t working. He didn’t move the float to see if it did. He merely looked at the water level and made an assumption. But aside from that, he didn’t bother to call me – the listing agent – to alert me that it might not be working. This was in a vacant home with a finished basement, and rain was forecast. THAT’S TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE. Most inspectors would have alerted someone, just in case an inoperable pump would allow water to fill the floor and ruin the carpet and mechanicals.

There are certain inspectors that when their name is mentioned, agents cringe. We know who the bad (inept) inspectors are. We don’t recommend our buyers use them. But since buyers are always allowed to choose their own inspector, sometimes these inept inspectors are hired. The above inspector is one of those that causes agents to grimace. The buyer’s agent didn’t recommend him. The buyers just picked him.

Per the Purchase Contract, the buyers are responsible for any damage done to the home by their inspector. The responsible, professional inspectors carry insurance just in case they do any damage to the home. Buyers would do well to remember that when hiring their inspector.

Read more on home inspectors:

Copyright © 2008. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.

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Posted in Buyers, Home inspections, Homes

Buyers … will your home inspector take away your dream home?

Posted on 10/27/2007 | Leave a comment

He can if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

The first step after entering into contract on a home is to hire a home inspector and have him or her use their knowledge and their testing meters to determine your future home’s condition. You “trust” that if they’re in the business that they know what they’re doing, don’t you?

Well, that’s not always the case. Some inspectors just don’t know as much as they should about “how things work” or they don’t know local building codes or they allow their PERSONAL preferences to interfere with how they judge a home. Then if you ask for repairs (remedies) of those items noted in the inspection report, it can set the stage for disagreements with the seller. If those disagreements can’t be resolved, the Purchase Contract may fall apart and you won’t get the home you wanted so much.

Here’s some examples that I’ve experienced over the years where an inspector’s errors cost or nearly cost the trusting buyer from buying their home:

The inspector said the sump pit was too shallow and should be redone to make it twice as deep as it was and that a new deeper pump needed to be installed. This was on a 2-year old home, built by a major builder, within city limits, that would have had a city inspection for the occupancy permit. A check with the city zoning department confirmed that the pit was OK because the depth is determined by the type of pump installed. In this case, it was a short post pump which allowed for a less deep pit. The city determined there was nothing wrong with the pit or the pump. The inspector just wasn’t up-to-date on the newer building trends nor on city codes.

The inspector said the gas fireplace didn’t work because he wasn’t able to light it. In this case, the seller seldom used the fireplace so the gas wasn’t filling the line. The inspector tried to light the pilot as soon as he turned it on, rather than waiting a few minutes for the line to fill with gas. (It was July so the inspector should have ‘assumed’ that it had been a few months since it was used.) The seller countered by letting the line sit for awhile before trying to light it, then I took a photo of the burning fireplace with date/time stamp to prove that the fireplace worked IF one knew what they were doing. This same inspector was unable to open the lockbox and called me to tell me that MY lockbox didn’t work. I immediately drove to the home to investigate and learned that the inspector didn’t know he had to update his keypad in order to have the lockbox allow entry. DUH!

On an older home, the inspector said that it should be rewired to put in GFCI outlets. While GFCI outlets are now code, they weren’t a number of years ago. It’s not required to bring an older home up to today’s code (UNLESS new wiring is being done). The inspector should have told the buyers that while GFCI outlets offer a measure of safety, they were not required due to the age of the home meeting the codes at the time it was built.

The inspector said that the exterior wood trim at the home’s corners and around the windows, should be mitered rather than butted. This was on a 3-yr old home in a new tract subdivision, priced at $200K. As long as the butted ends are kept painted, this is purely a cosmetic issue. Few buyers of tract homes would want to pay the extra cost to have sub-contractors mitre and caulk wood trim. This Purchase Contract fell apart because the buyer insisted that the seller remove, replace, and mitre all the wood trim on the home. The sellers refused to rebuild the home.

Same inspector and same home as above, said the 3 steps leading from the back door to the ground (that were made of treated lumber) should be power-washed, sanded, and stained. These steps are required by city code for builders to get occupancy permits. The buyer insisted that the requested work be done. The sellers were so mad at the wood-trim request that this cosmetic request just added “fuel to the fire”.

The inspector said that wider, commercial-grade gutters should be installed on one section of the home because he thought that the standard residential gutters wouldn’t be able to handle rain run-off … no proof of that … just his opinion. Seller contacted a commercial gutter installer who investigated and basically said the inspector was … well, I won’t write in here what they REALLY said.

Inspectors are hired to judge or determine a home’s health, safety, or structure issues. They are not to give their personal opinion of a neighborhood’s desirability, the home’s price, any cosmetic issues (like carpet condition), or inject their personal preferences for the home’s amenities (like counter-top style).

Also, if the inspector is recommending that too many things should have a “professional” inspection, a red flag – or at least a pink one – should go up. You’ve hired this inspector to be your “professional”. You’ll need to ask yourself if calling in a specialist (like an HVAC company, roofer) really seems warranted or if the inspector is merely saying this to cover his liability. Yes, I know that’s a tough call, but listen to what he/she says and SHOWS you, then decide for yourself.

As a buyer, you should attend the home inspection so you can personally be there to watch how thoroughly the inspector does his/her job, to ask questions on routine homeowner maintenance, and don’t be hesitant to challenge if you begin to feel the inspector isn’t quite up-to-speed on their knowledge. For instance, in the sump pump example above, even though you may not know anything about sump pumps, you should still be able to use deductive reasoning that (1) it’s a fairly new home, (2) built by a major builder who knows the codes, (3) and it would have been inspected by the city for occupancy permit, (4) so why would the city sign off on an improperly installed sump pump? Don’t be afraid to ask the inspector questions such as this.

Naturally, there are times when the inspector’s findings are serious enough to warrant not purchasing a home. But then again, there are inspectors who just aren’t knowledgeable and it would be a shame for this type of inspector to cause you to lose your favorite home.

Keep an open mind!

Be sure to read these articles:

Inspectors in Ohio aren’t licensed

Types of home inspections you can have done

New Builds Need Inspections, too.

Copyright © 2007. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate.com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.

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Posted in Buyers, Home inspections, Homes

Which home inspections should a buyer have done?

Posted on 09/29/2007 | 2 Comments

Most buyers know that once they are in-contract to purchase a home that they should hire a home inspector to thoroughly check the home. However, there are other inspections or tests that the buyer may want depending on the specific home.

The Purchase Contract used by the Columbus Board of Realtors® mentions (but is not limited to) the following “inspections, tests or reports”: (1) insurability, (2) wood-destroying insects, (3) gas lines, (4) waste treatment systems and well water, (5) mold and/or radon and (6) lead-based paint.

Rather than going into great detail on this forum, here is a brief, non-technical description of these items:

Insurability. Because of numerous national disasters, home insurers have tightened their rules for which homes they will insure or how much they will charge to insure those homes. Once a buyer goes into contract they should contact their chosen insurance agent to start the process to see whether the home can/will be insured. The insurer will check the CLUE report for prior claims and may even send out their own evaluator.
Wood-destroying insects. The pest inspector will be looking for signs of damage by insects that chew wood such as termites, carpenter ants and carpenter bees. Those are the key insects in Central Ohio. Other areas may have different insects. The inspectors also look for the insects themselves … either alive or dead.
Gas lines. This can be an actual inspection, although here generally it is covered with a warranty. There are several companies that offer a 12-month warranty that covers gas leaks or repairs within the home plus the lines to the street where the line responsibility then becomes the local gas company.
Waste treatment systems, well water. These tests obviously cover rural areas where there are no city lines. The inspector will check to make sure the waste system is working properly or in the case of a septic tank, whether it needs to be pumped. They’ll also review the outflow system, such as leach lines. When checking the well water, they check purity and pressure.
Mold, radon. Mold inspections are less common and may only be requested if there are visible indications of mold. Radon inspections are very common, especially if there is a finished basement or if the new owners plan to use the basement. The inspector will place a recording device in the basement for a 48-hour period during which the meter samples the air. The EPA has determined that a reading of 4 picocuries or below is a “safe” level. They recommend if the reading is over 4, that mitigation be done.
Lead-based paint. Homes built after 1978 are not an issue, since that date is deemed to be the cut-off when lead was no longer used in paints. Agents are required to provide buyers with specific Federal government booklets explaining the hazards of lead paint, plus the seller must provide a lead-paint disclosure to a buyer who is considering purchasing the home. Based on this information, the buyer can decide whether they want a lead paint inspection.

The choice to have any of these inspections is the buyer’s responsibility. The buyer also chooses which company to use for the inspection and they also must pay for the inspection. Payment is required at the time the inspection is done. The exception to this, in Central Ohio, is the gas warranty. Often the seller will provide that or will have the warranty put in place at the time the home was listed.

Keep in mind that this information is only for the Central Ohio area. Customs differ from one Board to another even within a state. Your Realtor® will advise you on the “norms” for your given area.

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Posted in Buyers, Home buying process, Home inspections, Homes

Caveat Emptor – for sure on this home!

Posted on 09/21/2007 | Leave a comment

moldy house In May, I wrote about a home that was bank-owned and priced $100,000 below market because it had a considerable amount of mold near the front door on both the first and second floors due to a neglected roof leak.

Well, the update on this home is that it sold a couple days after it was listed and it sold for around $20,000 over the list price. Speculation was that it was probably purchased by a flipper.

I made a point to watch to see if the mold mitigation trucks showed up or whether the flipper would do the work himself and not truly have it mitigated.

In the past month or so, I’ve noticed the owner working on the home and a neighbor said that a 2-story deck was built in a day. I never saw dumpsters – which would indicate that large amounts of drywall, flooring and carpet were hauled away. Surely, they had to take all the mold-damaged material away as it was too extensive to not do it so, perhaps I just missed it.

Apparently the flipper is done as there is now a ‘for sale by owner’ sign in the front yard. Although un-represented sellers “should” abide by the same disclosure laws as real estate agents, I just wonder if the disclosure form is completed in the way it should be given the amount of mold that existed.

Also, unless a real estate agent happened to view the home during the few days it was on the market, they would be totally unaware of what might be lurking under any new drywall or carpet. And the poor buyer of the home may not realize that their bedroom and a child’s bedroom next door once had black walls and floors … until after they move in and have chats with the next door neighbors.

I have a feeling that the story of this home is not over yet.

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Posted in Buyers, Buyers, Fix-ups, FSBO, Home inspections, Homes, Homes for sale, Safety, Sellers

Did you know your home inspector isn’t licensed in Ohio?

Posted on 09/10/2007 | 4 Comments

I’ve written a few posts recommending that buyers always have a home inspection, even if they’re buying a new build. It also can be helpful to sellers to have an inspection prior to listing their home. But those inspections are only as good as the inspector selected to actually do the inspection.

Real estate agents are in a position to best know whether their client received a competent and thorough inspection. We’ve seen the “good, bad and ugly”!

Contrary to some opinions, we really do want the inspector to do a thorough job so the client is made aware of potential serious issues prior to buying. We want inspectors who are very knowledgeable of wiring, HVAC, roofing, structure and city building codes. We want inspectors who use various testing meters, not just a ladder and flashlight. We prefer inspectors who provide a thorough typed report rather than trying to decipher their scribbled handwriting which can lead to misinterpretations. An extra bonus are those inspectors who also take photos of any problems and know how to email them and the report, which again prevents misreadings from multiple faxes.

Many states require inspectors to be licensed, pass tests, and take continuing education just as real estate agents must. Ohio is not one of those states, but it’s being discussed in the legislature.

While requiring a license won’t weed out all the poor inspectors – just as it doesn’t prevent poor real estate agents – it would raise the bar for performance and provide ramifications for poor performance.

We can’t select the inspector a buyer should use. All we’re allowed to do is provide a list of inspectors that we know to be reputable and knowledgeable of local codes*. Sometimes buyers use our recommendations, and sometimes they choose their own. But worst of all, sometimes they use Uncle Joe because he’s “handy with things”. We always cringe when buyers do this because we know that the buyer isn’t getting a “good” inspection.

I come down on the side of supporting licensing for inspectors – anything to hold them to a higher standard. There’s just too much of a financial investment at stake for buyers to not be protected from this very crucial aspect of the home-buying transaction.

Some inspectors are very much against licensing. I really question why an inspector would be afraid of being asked to get a license and to take continuing education in order to stay in business. Simply belonging to one of their industry organizations isn’t enough.

If you’re in the market to hire an inspector, you might want to ask the inspector what his thoughts are on licensing. If he’s against it, ask why. If the answer has anything to do with “not being controlled by the government” you might want to rethink using that inspector.

* Use a local inspector that works in only a couple counties to better ensure they know local building codes. For instance, Delaware County has very strict codes that differ from Franklin County. Some outside inspectors provide erroneous reports or judgements because they lack the knowledge.

UPDATED 6/3/08. This news item was just received from the Ohio Association of Realtors®: “OAR is pleased to report that today the Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee conducted its first hearing on HB 257 – Home Inspector Licensure. The bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Michelle Schneider of Cincinnati, did an excellent job in presenting sponsor’s testimony. Committee chairman, Sen. Steve Stivers of Columbus, indicated he will do everything he can to facilitate passage of the bill before the end of the current legislative term. The bill has already passed the House.”

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Posted in Buyers, Central Ohio, Home buying process, Home inspections

A good house gone bad – finding mold in a home!

Posted on 05/10/2007 | Leave a comment

Why do people buy a home – put a lot of money in their investment – and then don’t care for their investment?

I’ve been showing homes this week to a couple different buyers. With one of those buyers we’ve viewed the GOOD and the BAD. With the other buyer I just showed the UGLY!

The second buyer and I have been watching for a fixer-upper that offers a good enough buy for this family to fix up then resell. Yes, they know this isn’t the best of times to do that, which is why I’ve been watching for just the right home for them.

One such home – or so it seemed – just hit the market, priced in the mid-$130′s. It’s priced about $100K below its market price if it weren’t a fixer-upper. It’s a 10-year old home in a nice neighborhood where homes sell between $200K to $250K.

I quickly set up a showing. I often drive by this home and the exterior looks fine, but I knew it was vacant because the neighbors were caring for the lawn. The listing agent said it was a bank-owned, as-is, cash home that had a roof leak with some mold where the leak occurred in the MBR. The buyer and I envisioned a corner with some water stains.

OH MY … were we wrong!

As soon as we walked into the foyer we noticed the loose ceiling. We went upstairs to the MBR above where another 3′x 3′ ceiling section was hanging down. That chunk of ceiling was black as well as about 4′ of wall on both sides of the corner from the ceiling down to the floor. The carpet and pad had been pulled up to expose the black sub-floor.

In the closet of the adjoining bedroom, the ceiling of the closet had deteriorated and fallen to the floor, exposing the blackened insulation. In another bedroom to the back of the home, was more evidence of mold, leading us to wonder just how extensive the leak actually was.

There were “questionable” water stains all along the top of the back foundation block just underneath the siding. It appeared the water had run down onto the block from underneath the siding. This was on the opposite side of the home from where the main roof leak had occurred. The rest of the home was just filthy. It would need new carpet, paint and repair of the woodpecker holes in the wood trim.

The buyer and I talked and talked about what to do. The repairs could likely be made and still turn a profit … IF … it weren’t for what the CLUE report might do to a future buyers’ insurance cost.

Does mold mitigation make the home OK in the eyes of an insurer? And what about the talkative neighbors who are sure to tell any future buyers about “all the mold” in the home? What liability risk does that pose for my client after the sale? Do you suppose the bank would sell at a price for the lot – it’s a great lot – such that this home could be demolished to rebuild another home? Why didn’t the original owner just spend $500 to have the leak fixed when it was small?Oh … one more thing … the original owner only moved out a couple months ago, which means they lived in these conditions! YUCK!!!!!!!

Copyright © 2007. Reproduction of any portion of this blog post or the images is prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If this post is being viewed on any site other than www.ReesesPiecesOfRealEstate,com then the material has been stolen without permission. Violators will be reported.

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Posted in Buyers, Buyers, Home inspections, Homes, Homes for sale, Safety, Sellers