Home inspector negligence: How do I deal with it? (sale, fee, price)

[middle-aged mom]

Have you made contact with the inspector who missed the masonry?

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by accufitgolf

The realtor did their job. They got you to buy the house. Of course you made it easier by using their recommended inspector.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm sorry, but I really take issue with this statement. When I'm acting as a buyer's agent, it's not my job to get someone to buy a house. It's my job to get my client the house they want at the best possible price. If a house needs work that wasn't obvious when making the offer, I do my best to get my client money back from the seller to offset the cost of the repairs. Sometimes, the seller is uncooperative and offers no adjustment or a partial adjustment. At that point, it's up to the buyer to decide whether or not they want the house enough to look past that. I don't make that decision.

I also strive only to introduce my clients to vendors whether that be a lawyer, roofer, or whatever that will give my client accurate and realistic information. My interests are only to serve my client's best interests. I find if I do that my income takes care of itself. I do what's right for my clients and not what's right for my wallet.

You also have to remember that inspectors (as much as the public puts them on a pedestal) are not infallible. You could have three inspectors look at the same masonry and all three would give you a totally different report each likely naming a different problem. Then you call in actual mason and find out either one of them was right, all of them were right, or maybe none of them were right. I've seen it happen before.

[accufitgolf]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I'm sorry, but I really take issue with this statement. When I'm acting as a buyer's agent, it's not my job to get someone to buy a house. It's my job to get my client the house they want at the best possible price. If a house needs work that wasn't obvious when making the offer, I do my best to get my client money back from the seller to offset the cost of the repairs. Sometimes, the seller is uncooperative and offers no adjustment or a partial adjustment. At that point, it's up to the buyer to decide whether or not they want the house enough to look past that. I don't make that decision.

I also strive only to introduce my clients to vendors whether that be a lawyer, roofer, or whatever that will give my client accurate and realistic information. My interests are only to serve my client's best interests. I find if I do that my income takes care of itself. I do what's right for my clients and not what's right for my wallet.

You also have to remember that inspectors (as much as the public puts them on a pedestal) are not infallible. You could have three inspectors look at the same masonry and all three would give you a totally different report each likely naming a different problem. Then you call in actual mason and find out either one of them was right, all of them were right, or maybe none of them were right. I've seen it happen before.

And if you have enough cases where you do not do your job, as in make the sale, your next position will be asking if one would like fries with that.

Not personal at all, but a fact of life.

A sales person's job is to sell.

[AnywhereElse]

"The the open side and the back are in such bad need of repointing that the mortar is missing, bulging out, and bricks are missing and falling out. I know nothing about masonry or what exactly consititutes as acceptable brick condition so when I was told it was acceptable, I took it at that."

So, this condition was obvious? I don't know anything about masonry but if it were bulging out and bricks were missing and bricks were falling out, I think I would realize I would have to repair that. I think they will only be liable for the amount of the inspection.

[Barking Spider]

You bought the house last year, and you are just now getting around to go after the home inspector? Have you lived in the house since last year without insurance? I'm a little confused.

First things first, look for another insurance carrier.
2. Get a second or third opinion on the condition of the masonry, and what is needed to repair it.
3. Read the inspection report, to see what the inspector actually put in writing. Many times people don't bother to read the report. Also read the contract and see what kind of limit to liability the home inspector has.

I'm amazed how many times someone will call with a question about their report, and its obvious they didn't even bother to read it. Case in point....Client.."I need to know where the water shut off valve is, and you didn't tell me where it is". After I pull up the report, Me.."Look on page 8 of the report, in the Plumbing Section, there is a photo of the valve, and it says it is in the garage next to the water heater". Client.."Oh, OK, uhhhh thanks".

4. Call the home inspector and discuss the situation with him.

If it is as horrible as you describe, it must have been pretty obvious, even for someone that doesn't know a lot about bricks.

[fauncemil]

A few things you might want to do is report the inspector and realty companies to the BBB and call the lender and tell them.Then call a mason or two and get an estimate on repairs needed to satisfy the insurance company and get it done keep receipts and look into the liability of the inspector .

[Silverfall]

Home inspectors in my state are licensed by the Construction Contractor's Board. They are required to carry insurance as well. If they are licensed in your state, I would file a complaint with them first.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by accufitgolf

And if you have enough cases where you do not do your job, as in make the sale, your next position will be asking if one would like fries with that.

Not personal at all, but a fact of life.

A sales person's job is to sell.

This is true but smart people know that if you have excellent customer service you will make more money in the long run. It is why there is such massive turnover in real estate because those that get this go on to be successful, and those that don't (which is many) go back into other things. If you place sales over customer experience, you won't get referrals and to keep generating new business is really, really expensive.

Real estate is an odd profession in that yes, we sell things, but we also have a legal fiduciary duty to a client, which a car salesperson or insurance salesperson doesn't have. You can't really compare it to other industries because it is a hybrid model.

[Zyngawf]

Originally Posted by accufitgolf

And if you have enough cases where you do not do your job, as in make the sale, your next position will be asking if one would like fries with that.

Not personal at all, but a fact of life.

A sales person's job is to sell.

The things you are saying are ridiculous. For an agent to purposely recommend an inspector that will OK anything just to get the house sold is dumb. Have you considered that the lender requires the home owner to have insurance? Agents know this, so it would be pointless to have an inspector that would overlook major things an insurance company won't. It just would tie things up longer on a transaction that may not close due to the condition of the house.

[accufitgolf]

Originally Posted by Zyngawf

The things you are saying are ridiculous. For an agent to purposely recommend an inspector that will OK anything just to get the house sold is dumb. Have you considered that the lender requires the home owner to have insurance? Agents know this, so it would be pointless to have an inspector that would overlook major things an insurance company won't. It just would tie things up longer on a transaction that may not close due to the condition of the house.

How long have you been a real estate agent?

One simply calls most any insurance agent and gets an insurance binder to make the sale happen. Closer inspection comes later.

Like one year later with the OP.