Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What would be the point? The inspector would legally turtle up by pointing to the part of the report that limits his liability. They're self-employed, so it's not like one could contact their boss. In the case of the second house with the bulging siding, I'd have been satisfied with calling out the bulging siding without stating a specific cause which obviously the inspector could not see--but he didn't even do that. In the other two cases, it was just flat rank ineptitude far as I'm concerned. At least, by the third time, I knew to expect for my uneducated eye to find things my very expensive inspector would not.
As I stated previously, A "good" inspector would come back out to look at your concerns.....and then do the right thing. If you don't contact him to complain or express your concerns, how is he to know the service he performed was not consistent with his customers expectations? Every inspector misses things from time to time....despite their best effort. If you thing about it , NOBODY does their job perfectly every day.
In closing I would say it is very important to perform your due diligence when selecting an inspector (or any contractor). Quite frankly, most people don't ask the right questions during this process. The first question is how much!
My ex and I bought our (now hers, of course) house on land contract. Probably wouldn't have been approved if gone through a bank. Present wife and I did the same thing. Downside is if you have to move, you lose it all, just like renting
Just want to add a few things that we made of when buying our 2nd home -- only have had 2 in 30 years, 16 years at first and 14 at 2nd, so far...
* If you are buying a home in a newer planned development where there are only a couple of entrances in and out of the development, make SURE there is a stoplight to allow safe access in and out of the development. This is particularly important if the development borders a wide, multi-lane road.
* Make sure that if there is a trap door to the attic, that the trap door opens to a hallway, NOT into the master bedroom walk-in closet, like in our first home!! Lol !
*Try to purchase a home where groceries can be carried directly into the kitchen in a straight path, preferably not across any area with carpet.
*Just a personal preference, but we are so happy we bought in a school district that has K-8 schools with no middle schools. We also prefer a unified school district instead of one with separate elementary and high school districts.
Ours was supposedly one of the best in the city. Missed three cracked joists in the garage, and the fact that it is overspanned. Might not have missed the shattered garage attic ladder had he bothered to look at it. The one in the house before that missed bowed-out siding that turned out to be a sub-quality stud that had buckled. Our first home inspector, in another city, missed fascia board being physically pulled off the house by a porch that was gradually settling away from the house.
At this point I'm just resigned to the reality that the home inspector will surely miss something important that I'll discover within one or two years.
Inspectors don't warranty homes--and there's a reason for that. They don't have crystal balls. Neither they nor anyone involved in your home-buying process can foresee what will or won't need to be repaired years down the road. Houses age, that's the way it is.
An inspection report is only a snapshot, not a prediction--and they typically make this very clear, including having a buyer sign acknowledgement of this. Reputable inspectors usually offer a 90-day warranty. But as with all warranties, they are only warrantying their work. The report. Not the house.
In the case of the cracked joists, the liability for the inspector would have to be determined by theorizing a number of hypothetical scenarios--if you had known about the cracks, would you have renegotiated your offer? Would the seller have accepted? If not, would you have walked away from your deposit? How much would you have paid for another house? In any case, their liability would be pretty small--certainly not equal to the full cost of replacing or repairing the joists. The bulk of the responsibility, after all, lies with the contractor who built the roof improperly. Not the inspector.
I have to wonder....if all inspectors are shady, why do you bother with them? You aren't required to hire one. And many sellers would gladly accept a lower offer if you state that you want to skip the inspection.
5. The house is old. Granted older houses usually are built better than houses these days but an older house will have things break more & some of those things can get expensive. I.e. plumbing. Cast Iron pipes..
This is simply false. Newer homes are built to a higher construction code, higher insulation, more efficient windows/doors/appliances. No hazardous materials like asbestos/lead paint frequently found in older homes.
I moved out of a 1960 built house into a new 2001 house years back. Old house was fine but the new house was clearly a better home. The old house had plaster walls (thicker than drywall) but they were no where near straight! Both homes concrete block construction.
That I would have come out ahead buying ANY of the homes I looked at and location is more important than some would think...
A home in a good location with appreciation will have neighbors improving... a home in a bad location or losing value will have few in the neighborhood making improvements.
Avoid HOA and city taxes and fees most definitely....
I just closed on the first home I ever purchased as a single woman (I'm widowed). It was my late aunt's house and I got it for a great price. Didn't do a home inspection because unless it was built over a sinkhole, I was buying it regardless. I knew the roof had to be replaced which I am doing before I move in. But now there are problems with the 2 year old a/c and possibly some plumbing issues. The house was built in 1970. I might not be able to do the updating I was hoping to do depending on what these things are going to cost me. So my suggestion would be to always get a home inspection, no matter what.
*If you can buy a house from the listing agent, the double commission will entice them to do more for you than if they are splitting it with another agent.
Maybe, but the commission is paid by the seller, not the buyer. It's not possible for a person to split their brain and objectively work for two opposite parties. The seller's agent will always be biased toward the seller.
It usually won't be something overt, but before the buyer comes into the picture, the agent has had a lot of conversations with the seller. About how much they want to get for the place, and how much the agent thinks they will get. The agent can't simply excise those from their memory. They will color every conversation they have with the buyer. Maybe it won't make a huge difference in the outcome, but buyers deserve to have someone whose sole interest is looking out for them.
The only agents I've ever met who claimed that dual agency could work well for a buyer...were agents who routinely worked as dual agents.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
