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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.
Must depend on where you are. I have let insurance company people in during escrow and they have had clients sign something saying X and Y will be fixed. And I buy at least 2 houses a year. None of them wait till a year later.
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.
When we bought our current place, the insurance company most definitely sent someone out to look at it and we only got the insurance on the condition that we put on a new roof within 30 days. Since we knew that it needed a roof and had negotiated that into the sales price, we were fine with it, but we knew about it well before closing.
My home inspector, realtor-recommended, laughed when I said I would report him to the BBB for a poor job. I would never use a home inspector recommended by a realtor now that I have learned my lesson.
Holmes on Homes does teach you a lot in what to look for - I think he has a book which I will buy before any future home purchase. But crumbing bricks are a red flag that most people would question.
My home inspector, realtor-recommended, laughed when I said I would report him to the BBB for a poor job. I would never use a home inspector recommended by a realtor now that I have learned my lesson.
Holmes on Homes does teach you a lot in what to look for - I think he has a book which I will buy before any future home purchase. But crumbing bricks are a red flag that most people would question.
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.
Wow! I can't believe that I missed this response to my post a few months ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
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.
Had I seen Accufitgolf's post, this would have been my response. I would also add that when I represent a buyer I'm not selling anything. I'm helping someone purchase which is an entirely different role. If an agent knowingly lets their clients buy homes that are falling down around their ears, they're not going to be in this business very long.
Take care of your clients and the business end will take care of itself.
The OP is getting bad advice. A home inspector is paid for their opinion using the minimum standards of their profession. That do not insure or guarantee that they will not be wrong or that they will catch everything. They do not offer insurance of potential repairs or damages down the road, otherwise that $400 fee would be more like $4,000 (most of which would go to an insurance company).
If their work is below the minimum standards of the profession (i.e. ordinary negligence), it means typically means your recourse is the refunding of your fee and their being subject to discipline by ASHI or the state. That might involve fines that may or may not be forwarded to you.
If the inspector was grossly negligent, (i.e. really really screwed up), then you have a better claim for damages including repair costs. But is has to be really, really bad. Stuff like him falsifying half the report because he was late for another meeting (and you can prove it) or he was related to the seller and never disclosed it. Your fact pattern of losing out on $6,000 of repairs doesn't seem in the range, as opposed to if something collapsed.
Like I said, you paid for an opinion that was wrong, not insurance or a warranty. That is why an attorney isn't going to pick up this case. It is a loser of one except for a $400-700 fee. That isn't to say that a home inspector wouldn't settle for more to protect his reputation or avoid litigation.
I bought a three story single family home last year, and hired a home inspector to go through before I bought it. The home inspector gave me a report that said the exterior was acceptable and in no need of any action. I bought the house, took out home insurance, and the home insurance's own inspector came and saw withing minutes of being there that the brick needed repointing and around almost the entire unattached portion of the house. They also sent me a letter saying that they would no insure me unless I get it fixed, and that's going to put me at least $6000 in the hole. I spoke with a lawyer who does not handle a claim this small, and he recommended that I hire an expert witness/home inspector who can go through and find out what below the professional standard and would be considered negligent/malpractice. That could cost another $1000 (at least the person he recommended) and the home inspector may find even worse things that were missed the first time. I want to get at least the money back for the repairs and the original home inspection, plus for the second home inspection if I can. how do I handle this? It sounds like its too small to hire an attorney, but I thought small claims court (in Massachusetts) was only for claims $2000 or less? Should I contact them directly to try to settle it? I filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney Generals office, but the lawyer I spoke to seemed to believe that it wouldn't get me anywhere. Any advice on how to move forward would be great.
Normally during a home inspection, the buyer is there either the entire time, or there at the completion so the inspector can go through the inspection with him and point out any issues.
The buyer is also responsible for viewing the home with open eyes. If the "the brick needed repointing and around almost the entire unattached portion of the house" and it's in such condition that the insurance company won't insure the home, then it's doubtful that the home inspector or the buyer would have missed it. It seems that if it was in that bad condition, that it would be something to have addressed with the owner in the purchase offer.
The OP has not mentioned if there was a real estate agent involved, or how the inspector was hired.
The first actions should be to contact the real estate agent if they referred the inspector, and also to contact the home inspector to inform him of what the insurance company stated. In addition read the report to see what is in there, and refresh your memory on what the inspector said to you about the condition when he went over the report with you.
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