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Old 08-08-2018, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
25,118 posts, read 16,090,143 times
Reputation: 14408

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Quote:
Originally Posted by sacredgrooves View Post
Many of the problems you have seen a home inspector miss, a builder or contractor created that problem to begin with.
I don't know of any inspectors who go behind the original builder and install all this substandard s***. Do you?
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Old 08-09-2018, 05:19 AM
 
7,206 posts, read 4,478,932 times
Reputation: 11751
I have a similar issue. The master bedroom had a sunken floor. I might have felt it but it was cleverly hidden with berber rug. And furniture / boxes. My inspector and real estate agent said nothing.

When I moved in with no furniture and more than a minute to walk on the floor I notice but my inspector said he wasn't required to report things that weren't "noticeable" and with the rug and furniture it wasn't.

I am sure if I sued... the seller would say "it was open and obvious".

SOL
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Old 08-09-2018, 06:13 AM
 
599 posts, read 491,541 times
Reputation: 2191
Quote:
Originally Posted by sacredgrooves View Post
Nice job of generalizing and lumping us all into one category. I will counter with this; Many of the problems you have seen a home inspector miss, a builder or contractor created that problem to begin with. Plenty of people in all professions are substandard, and plenty are quite good. Maybe you operated in a state with limited licensing and oversight. This is a relatively new profession in the grand scheme of things, and has changed dramatically since i started in the late 80's, especially the last 10-15 years.
Sorry if the truth offends you, and I do not mean that personally. I spent thirty years building in a rural area of PA. In every business transaction, personal or professional, during that period, there was only one specialty where it was quite clear that the majority of players were either dishonest, incompetent, or even worse, corrupt, that being my dealings with individuals claiming to be "professional home inspectors" transactions were typically tangential to me personally, typically friends, relatives and neighbors dealing with absolute BS that was either created, or intentionally ignored by inspectors. This ranged in everything from multiple fraudulent inspections of highly troubled properties. Fraud that was perpetrated by corrupt inspectors, who were serving real estate agents that made it clear that their continued flow of work was a result of playing the game properly. In other cases it was the other extreme of deals that turned into nightmares due to inspectors nitpicking issues that were of little concern in the real world, or actually making statements that were absurd.

I had a buyer tell me, the day of closing on a 100 year old house solid brick and plaster house, that he had expected I was going to totally rewire the place, since the inspector flagged ungrounded Romex, and that the only remedy was to rewire the place. I then had to explain that no, I did not agree to spend $25K+ to rewire, replaster and repaint the whole house, and that the inspector was (shockingly) wrong. The NEC specifically addresses this issue with protocol for installing GFCI devices, and new, properly identified outlets to address this issue, and it was properly corrected. Hours before closing I have to teach a buyer that, once again he hired an idiot for an inspector, that as a licensed electrician I addressed the issue properly and legally, and will be happy to pay for an inspection by a legitimate municipal inspector, if it would reassure them. Honestly, this was one of countless examples of the BS these guys created in my life, and it got really old after awhile. I believe that there are really talented inspectors out there that provide a valuable service. I also believe that they are in the minority, and many, many buyers would of been better off if they had saved their money, since they paid for a service that ranged from nearly valueless to outright fraudulent.
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Old 08-09-2018, 06:22 AM
Status: "Made the Retirement Run in under 12 parsecs!!!" (set 1 day ago)
 
Location: Cary, NC
43,058 posts, read 76,592,428 times
Reputation: 45383
Quote:
Originally Posted by wharton View Post
Sorry if the truth offends you, and I do not mean that personally. I spent thirty years building in a rural area of PA. In every business transaction, personal or professional, during that period, there was only one specialty where it was quite clear that the majority of players were either dishonest, incompetent, or even worse, corrupt, that being my dealings with individuals claiming to be "professional home inspectors" transactions were typically tangential to me personally, typically friends, relatives and neighbors dealing with absolute BS that was either created, or intentionally ignored by inspectors. This ranged in everything from multiple fraudulent inspections of highly troubled properties. Fraud that was perpetrated by corrupt inspectors, who were serving real estate agents that made it clear that their continued flow of work was a result of playing the game properly. In other cases it was the other extreme of deals that turned into nightmares due to inspectors nitpicking issues that were of little concern in the real world, or actually making statements that were absurd.

I had a buyer tell me, the day of closing on a 100 year old house solid brick and plaster house, that he had expected I was going to totally rewire the place, since the inspector flagged ungrounded Romex, and that the only remedy was to rewire the place. I then had to explain that no, I did not agree to spend $25K+ to rewire, replaster and repaint the whole house, and that the inspector was (shockingly) wrong. The NEC specifically addresses this issue with protocol for installing GFCI devices, and new, properly identified outlets to address this issue, and it was properly corrected. Hours before closing I have to teach a buyer that, once again he hired an idiot for an inspector, that as a licensed electrician I addressed the issue properly and legally, and will be happy to pay for an inspection by a legitimate municipal inspector, if it would reassure them. Honestly, this was one of countless examples of the BS these guys created in my life, and it got really old after awhile. I believe that there are really talented inspectors out there that provide a valuable service. I also believe that they are in the minority, and many, many buyers would of been better off if they had saved their money, since they paid for a service that ranged from nearly valueless to outright fraudulent.
Great and wonderful.
You have a mission in life.
Rather than pouncing into threads to tangentially blabber about home inspectors and your wisdom, you need a blog, and CD offers them.
www.Wordpress.com also offers free blogging, where you can hold forth and never be off-topic.
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Old 08-09-2018, 06:52 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,517,928 times
Reputation: 43648
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal View Post
but not declare what it is. Most inspectors...
That comment led to agents and their local knowledge of what problems are known and commonly found.
First visit and long before any offers let alone the subsequent inspections.

The desire to sidestep responsibility, to disavow knowledge, to avoid direct statements, etc
when this sort of issue exists is a large part of why so many want to discount and avoid buyer agents.
Ya'all dig your own graves.
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Old 08-09-2018, 09:02 AM
 
Location: Beautiful Rhode Island
9,235 posts, read 14,784,563 times
Reputation: 10249
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tek_Freek View Post
In our area it was made known to home owners that their house had Kitec. If the seller was the original owner, or was the owner when the issue was discovered they should have received a written notification.

You have until January 9, 2020 to file a claim.

Kitec Plumbing System Products Liability Litigation - Frequently Asked Questions

Depending on your community there may a document like this available. It's 223 pages of addresses and type of pipe for our community.

http://suncitysummerlin.com/Resource...373645&print=1

The houses on our side of the street are copper. Across the street it is Kitec.
The above is the answer to your question, not whether the seller knew about it. File a claim against Kitec.
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Old 08-09-2018, 11:09 AM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
25,118 posts, read 16,090,143 times
Reputation: 14408
my post:

Quote:
but not declare what it is.

Most inspectors that I work with in my market will point out such items to the Buyer verbally/in person. But the inspection process/report has been made very "uniform" and opinions on what cannot be visually seen aren't part of it. The upside is that you know you're getting a licensed professional (in my market, we have no idea where wharton operated or when). The downside is that some "off-report" highly valuable info may not get conveyed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
That comment led to agents and their local knowledge of what problems are known and commonly found.
First visit and long before any offers let alone the subsequent inspections.

The desire to sidestep responsibility, to disavow knowledge, to avoid direct statements, etc
when this sort of issue exists is a large part of why so many want to discount and avoid buyer agents.
Ya'all dig your own graves.
let me try it a different way ....

I am very familiar, as are the good agents I know, of the substandard materials used during certain periods of time. I know about the problems with Omni-board hardboard siding, about polybutylene pipes, and about the fact that just because there's a 3-prong plug in a 60 year old doesn't mean the electrical system is grounded. And I point these items out to my clients as relevant.

I do not say, in a house that *may have had* Pb pipes, when what can be readily seen (at the water heater, under the sinks, in an unfinished basement, etc) is copper ... "this house DOESN'T have Pb pipes". I tell them what can be seen but there may have been Pb, and it's possible there's Pb in the walls.

When we see a house with hardboard siding, I can speak from experience (professional and personal) what the downside and additional maintenance costs are.

I can see minor foundation cracks, and tell them "usually the structural engineers are worried when the cracks are > 1/4 inch, or appear active, or there's deflection." But I can't tell them "don't worry about it".

It's not my place to tell them what a licensed/capable professional will tell them. It's the professional's place.

And when I don't know, I tell them rather than fudge it.

It's also why I said the highly-qualified inspectors we use (most are licensed GC's as well) will tell the Buyer what are the "real" problems and probably aren't problems. But those inspectors cannot write their reports that way, which is why it's important for the Buyer to attend some or all of the inspection, so they can get that verbal input.
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Old 08-09-2018, 11:17 AM
 
599 posts, read 491,541 times
Reputation: 2191
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish View Post
Great and wonderful.
You have a mission in life.
Rather than pouncing into threads to tangentially blabber about home inspectors and your wisdom, you need a blog, and CD offers them.
www.Wordpress.com also offers free blogging, where you can hold forth and never be off-topic.
Well, on a positive note, you are showing marginal improvement. Your last response on the topic was more typical of "witty banter" heard during an elementary school recess. You also managed to refrain from the thumbs up emogi, so you really are growing up. Keep up the good work and bless your heart.

As for the content of my posts and you desire to censor them, when you become the moderator, feel free to address them.
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Old 08-09-2018, 01:20 PM
 
6,503 posts, read 3,391,597 times
Reputation: 7903
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal View Post
I don't know of any inspectors who go behind the original builder and install all this substandard s***. Do you?
He said home inspector MISS, not install.
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Old 08-09-2018, 01:21 PM
 
6,503 posts, read 3,391,597 times
Reputation: 7903
Question - does your house have 3/8" drywall across 24" studs?
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