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Have you ever had a home inspection with not a single issue found? Does this really happen? I read that even new homes have an average of 15 items found.
What is the closest to perfect you have ever seen?
Usually... a perfect inspection means that = Not 1 single item (that cost over $1000-1500) was found to be a defect. If there were no smaller items found either, good for you. Where did you get the "average of 15 items" statistic?
I have seen it happen twice, once when I bought and then again, when I sold. The house was a then 75 year old tudor with a brand new slate roof and copper gutters. To be fair, the inspector we used did mention that the 100 year old blustone squares that comprised the sidewalk in the entire town, were likely to be somewhat slippery, when wet.
Usually... a perfect inspection means that = Not 1 single item (that cost over $1000-1500) was found tobe a defect. If there were no smaller items found either, good for you. Where did you get the "average of 15 items" statistic?
You posed a good question about the average of 15 items. Now what's the source of your definition of perfect?
I think the best inspection I have seen noted 7 items. They were all "pocket door latch loose" and things like that. That was on a new construction home. They were all things that would take about 10 minutes to fix.
Usually... a perfect inspection means that = Not 1 single item (that cost over $1000-1500) was found to be a defect. If there were no smaller items found either, good for you. Where did you get the "average of 15 items" statistic?
The dollar cap placed on the inspection contigency usually applies to all findings total, not "1 single item." What if you have 30 items all at $500?
To me, anything noted in need of repair or a potential safety issue would eliminate a perfect inspection.
The dollar cap placed on the inspection contigency usually applies to all findings total, not "1 single item." What if you have 30 items all at $500?
To me, anything noted in need of repair or a potential safety issue would eliminate a perfect inspection.
We don't have dollar caps in Oregon. There is no mention of repairs in our home inspection contingencies. Buyers can take it, leave it, or try and negotiate repairs after their inspection.
It is, 1 (not thirty) item that exceeds the cost of $1000 - 1500 (these numbers may differ in different areas). If you have 30 different items but NONE of them (by themselves separately) exceed $1000, then it is a good inspection. Perfect...not really.
We don't have dollar caps in Oregon. There is no mention of repairs in our home inspection contingencies. Buyers can take it, leave it, or try and negotiate repairs after their inspection.
It is not mandatory to have a dollar cap (as u stated you do not have a cap). This is a different (not mandatory) clause based on your area.
I've been a professional inspector for 20 years.
I've inspected well over 8,000 homes and hundreds of commercial properties.
There is no such thing as a perfect house.
That said, I have had several inspections where I really didn't find anything "of note". Perfect inspection? Depends on definition.
Keep in mind we are there to report on things that are " significantly deficient or near the end of their service life". That's the minimum standards we are required to inspect to. Obviously, most of us exceed the minimum standards.
I inspected a 2 year old house a week or so ago. My report really had nothing to report as a major defect. In fact there wasn't much of anything wrong anywhere. It didn't even need caulking.
Now if "Uncle Charlie" came over, I'm sure he would be able to point out something that he would claim I missed. There might be a scratch on a kitchen cabinet, or marks on a wall, or an outlet cover thats not straight.
I do not need to find something just to justify my fee, as some people like to assert. If I find nothing, good for my client. If I find 2,000 things, good for my client I found them, maybe not so good for the deal.
Why some people claim that we inspectors like to kill deals is beyond me. First of all, its a lot more work for me when I do find lots of stuff. I have to document them, and take a lot more time to write the report.
Second, why would I want to have a bunch of people unhappy if the deal goes south? My client is not going to buy the house they have really been counting on, and maybe have fallen in love with. The sellers are pissed because they thought they had it sold, and they were planning to buy their new house. Both sets of Realtors are pissed because their commissions have vanished. So, when a deal goes south, I probably only have 1 out of the 4 parties that are going to be happy with me (for saving their butt and pocketbook), and 3 of the 4 very unhappy.
However, I want to stay out of court, so I just try to do the best job I can for my client, and call it like it is, and let the chips fall where they may.
So, yes, I have seen a perfect inspection I guess. Sorry for the drift.
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