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Muffins generally have more sugar, calories and fat than do(ugh)nuts. Don't be fooled by their grainy, fruity appearance. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. I avoid both.
That makes good sense. I particularly like how the dynamic that you describe does not involve an unsavory agent following you around with an implied (or explicit) threat that you will not be recommended unless the report content is compiled as the agent wishes. I don't think that this kind of atmosphere creates a healthy environment for an independent inspection report.
Even if this agent feels that he's doing the right thing, it's creating the wrong dynamic and context for the inspection. One of domination, control, influence, and an air that the inspector is beholden to the agent. That kind of environment will not create the best result for the client.
Ohfertheluvofpete! Now it's unsavory for an agent to accompany the inspector through the property and ask questions on behalf of our client? Domination??? Really? Do we have to wear the outfit and carry a whip?
You really have to be a bent up little pretzel to get into that position from anything that's been said here, JB. It's amazing really.
I should have stopped with the muffin post. The real useful conversation ended there.
I, for one, love to subconsciously dominate home inspectors with my network of shadow agent-inspector brethren, while simultaneously demanding posters on CD listen to my commands and not respond to internet trolls with unlimited data plans
Buyer can ask for anything, regardless of inspection reports or even if an item is a defect. A competent inspector just gives them a bit more leverage to inspection items.
Heck, the buyer can request to have the chartreuse laundry room repainted to Agreeable Gray.
If an inspector leaves something off a report out of spite, they will not ever get further recommendation, and could face a demand for a refund.
Examples?
I hide nothing, fer cryin out loud. But, to cater to your whim:
An item:
We were behind the house. Inspector was wrapping up his observation of that area, and heading around the side.
I asked him, "Did you see that split pipe boot?" He had not, and got cranky about it. But, he wrote it.
I have never recommended him again, and that was part of the reason.
Would you have mentioned it, or kept your mouth shut to avoid liability?
Another item:
We were in the attic.
The plumbing vent pipe was missing a support strap. It was a long lateral run, and had significant reverse slope that could collect water and cause the vent to be less efficient.
I pointed it out, as the inspector was done in that area and ready to go down.
He saw it and said, "Yeah." And didn't write it. But, I ascribe that to incompetence over character.
I don't have to "never recommend him again." This is one the buyer found and used twice. The second time was laughable. Missed foundation cracks, which I then showed him. Blabbered on at length about items, and forgot to write them.
Lesson: When the inspector is available every one of the next 5 days in prime season, no one else is recommending him either.
Would you have mentioned the foundation cracks or the reverse slope vent run, or kept quiet to avoid liability?
Thank you for answering. I have no idea what a pipe boot is. Are we expected to know this stuff?
I recommend a home inspector.
He knows if he screws up regularly (no one is perfect) and my clients are impacted, he won't get the recommendation.
And, I work with any legitimate, licensed vendors my clients may choose over recommendations I make. I have seen clients pick good inspectors. I have seen them pick real dunces. Both are within their right to choose.
"pass the home?"
Pass/Fail are not the inspector's concern.
They are providing you with a general assessment.
Now, should the basement wall have been cited in the assessment? Probably, yes.
100% agree. My wife is a home inspector. She is a nitpicky one. Home inspections, like many other services operate on the principle of, "The cheap comes out expensive." Don't go cheap on home inspections, tattoos, or car purchases (among other things). The cheapest inspector typically will not do the best job. She does one inspection a day so she doesn't have to rush to get to another inspection. She takes her time, comes back to the office, writes the report, and sends it off to the client the same day so they can negotiate on the issues ASAP. She charges about medium for the market, not the cheapest, and not the most expensive.
Mike is exactly right with his pass/fail comment. A home does not "pass or fail" an inspection. A home has X and Y issues. A buyer can choose to fix the issues or not, buy the house, or not. Here in TX, an inspector is not allowed to advise the buyer on whether they should purchase the home. That decision is up to the buyer and realtor. Every house has problems, even brand new ones. That's because houses are built by humans and humans are imperfect.
Inspectors are required to buy insurance to protect themselves in the event that they miss something big. If neglecting a big issue costs the buyer a lot of $$$, the buyer has legal recourse via arbitration and/or the courts. The buyer can collect more than just the inspection fee. If you believe you have been financially damaged, you can look into that. But be sure the fault lies in the inspector, not you. Many times, the buyer assumes the inspector should have detected a problem that they could not have been able to detect (such as a problem located inside a wall) or they assume the inspector would have inspected something that they were not certified to inspect (such as a general inspector detecting the presence of mold).
Good agents are not blind, deaf, uninvolved drones during the inspection. We should be active and participating, as much as we think is prudent, to make sure we ask all the questions, and encourage our clients to ask all the questions, that should be asked... No more, no less.
And most inspectors are happy to have us there.... or at least, they interact professionally with us, as they should. It should be an interactive learning experience. Of course any inspector who resented or discouraged my presence, or my client's presence, would not get recommended again.... no leather or riding crop necessary, just a goal of building good, engaged, approachable relationships with the other professionals in the process. I'm going to recommend the inspector who provides the MOST information to the client, in the most approachable and conversational way. For the client's best interest!
Thank you for answering. I have no idea what a pipe boot is. Are we expected to know this stuff?
the collar around the pipe vents you see poking through the roof, typically for the various bathrooms. they are sometimes covered in rubber and can dry out and crack, allowing water to sneak in. Easy fix, $20 part, just a little labor to get someone up there to replace.
I'd say 25% of the resale homes I'm shadow inspecting have a failed boot.
meant to edit in and say that Mike's pipe collar example is the exact reason why an agent should IMO speak up and not just stand aside and 'let the inspector be the inspector'..
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