Easy REMEDY. Checklist below, and hire an independent on your own if you aren't comfortable.

file:///Users/Apple_Owner/Downloads/totalhomeinspectionchecklist.pdf

Nobody will write you a novel on any item, unless in need of repair or replacement. Do all the windows open and close? Did he check the circuit panel? Would you feel better with a ladder and a guy UP on the roof vs. a phone on a selfie stick? Then you know what to do. Almost none of them would actually RUN the dishwasher, and if the fridge is cold, and burners and all seem to work? If the garbage disposal comes ON with some water running. ....caution and logic/reason go together.

You should read the report before passing judgement on the inspector.

An inspection is an overview. It is not meant to catch every single small issue. I have personally bought and sold more homes than I can count. I can promise you that even with the best inspector, once you move in, you will find items that are not perfect.

Inspectors have really declined in quality of service over the last decade - the franchises are the worst- while I still use them at times as a "check the box" i have found my contractor who is a stickler for detail is far better. Make sure you have the sellers disclosure from the seller as that is what you will go back to if there are problems w the house that were known and covered up by the sellers. This is what is used in NJ http://www.realmart.com/pdf/SellerDisclosure.pdf

I'm not going to comment on your particular inspection or inspector, but I would like to offer a couple of thoughts about the home inspection process in general to calibrate folks expectations.

First, a home inspection is intended to be fairly comprehensive--from foundation to roof and everything in between. Inspectors typically have a long checklist and issue a (painfully) long report in an effort to justify their fee for services provided.

Home inspectors aren't typically structural engineers nor are they typically licensed in any trade that would suggest any level of particular technical expertise. The majority of their inspection is visual, and in my experience, point out potential issues that most prospective homeowners can identify without them e.g., leaking fixtures, water stains that suggest potential leaks, etc.

Home inspectors don't catch everything. Indeed, they can miss big, serious, costly to repair stuff. Their liability is typically limited to the cost of the inspection (read the fine print in their contract) so if you need to pay to remedy a big problem, they'll refund the $300 +/- you paid them for the inspection and be off the hook.

In the last week I was contacted by two different Realtors who had prospective buyers that passed on nice homes because their home inspector had misread visual cues and elevated the potential buyer's anxiety (another way to justify their fee.) If your home purchase decision hangs on a couple of issues identified by a home inspection, you would be well served to get someone with the specific technical expertise needed to evaluate the extent of the problem (if it's even a real problem) and prescribe a remedy. You might even get the homeowner to pay for it. Caveat emptor.

1. We had an inspector that provided us with a binder with details of everything he could possibly check with pictures and because we were not at the house but in another city he kept one copy sent us one and went over the issues on line with my husband. Yes it cost more but we were buying a 50 yr old house and needed a heads up for issues since wr were planning on a big renovation
2. I would never get the realtors inspector since the sale is all the realtor cares about.

If not to late have the sellers purchase you a one year homebuyers warranty. It won’t cover everything but it is good to have.

In CA resale home inspectors are not licensed. They vary widely in skill and ability to understand what they have to dig for. The really good ones can kill deals. Consider separate pest, roof, sewer, fireplace inspections. One year home warranties (insurance policies) are good, but often will not cover issues that are called out in inspections but left unrepaired. All homes need ongoing maintenance and repairs but are often sold with them long deferred.

IMHO, inspectors are mostly worthless. They are typically used by buyers to renegotiate the price. I do not care who "certify" these inspectors.... And we are not talking about countless filings

with the county, since they did not pull a single permit.

In our first house the inspector missed:

- PB plumbing that was leaking everywhere

- Low AMP AL wire (It is ok to have 40A+)

- Well

- Badly done HVAC (Oversized, and you could easily tell)

- Structural issues (but he noted, that walls a great framed with 2x6)

- Windows, doors

- Rot

I got a job working for Construction Manager to figure out some of these issues. We fixed a LOT of issues and left some. The buyer inspector did not notice anything.... LOL

First time buyers error is going with a realtors recomend inspector. They tend to overlook some problems for the realtors repeat business.

If you feel uncomfortable with your inspection get a independent inspection. Yes, it will cost you more but it might save you in the long run. Does your state have a inspector association board? I would start there to find one.

Home inspectors are limited to non invasive inspections. Visual inspections only, and only via non extraordinary means. They also are not structural engineers, electricians, plumbers, or roofers. If you have specific concerns about any part of the house, then a closer inspection from a trade that specializes in that area would be a wise added expense.

First timers are understandably nervous, but don’t worry yourself into trouble and issues until you see the report and level of detail provided. Then if there are unanswered questions, that id when you can decide to hire your own roofer or engineer.

Dont fall into the trap of thinking that an older home must be “perfect” in order to be a good choice. Even new homes will have issues that can be found. A used home will have issues also. It’s expected. There are only a few potential things that need to be deal breakers.

There are many things on the typical inspection list that can be DIYed. That weekly fix and repair list as will be generated by the inspection report is just part of owning a home. As is that savings account for the inevitable bigger maintenance tasks. It may feel at times as though the home owns you rather than vice versa, but very few would ever trade home ownership and go back to renting. Welcome to the club!

I would wait to cast judgement until you get the report back.

We really lucked out with a fantastic inspector. We wanted our plumbing lines inspected separately by a plumber (older home) and they are the ones who recommended our inspector. Since they worked with tons of inspectors in the city they knew the ones to avoid and the ones who did stellar honest work. We were incredibly happy with how thorough they were. If you aren't pleased with your report's thoroughness, maybe that might be a route you go for obtaining unbiased recommendations.

Good luck!

Seriously? You're expecting folks to be able to tell you if your inspector missed anything? On an existing house we cannot see...?

Seriously?

The real estate agent wants to make her commission which is why she suggested her inspector. Find your own inspector and get a truly independent inspection

I don't think your Realtor is steering you to a particular home inspector in an effort to have them overlook items in order to close the sale. Realtors generally can't tell the difference between a competent home inspector and a hack. They just want the inspection done by whomever is most readily available.

Agree. There are honest real estate agents who are looking out for you and know that referring an incompetent inspector is not good business in the long run.

If you really like the house, but feel you just don't have enough information to make a decision, I would hire an electrician and a plumber each to do an inspection for you.

I always take my realtor's advice for an inspector. I don't buy this idea that a realtor who has been in business for any reasonable amount of time would recommend an inspector who would intentionally miss things. It seems counter to their staying in the real estate business.

Furthermore, I don't know any inspectors. Calling around in the phone book isn't likely to produce results better than their recommendation. As for trades recommending inspectors, guess what... your plumber is going to recommend an inspector who is great at referring plumbing work in their inspection, the HVAC guy is going to recommend the inspector great at referring HVAC work, and the electrician is going to recommend the inspector great at referring electrical work.

I am quite confident that both realtors I have used in the past few years were interested in selling me a house that I would be generally happy with. I do think that realtors prefer inspectors who catch signs of big problems and don't make big problems out of little problems. But I also believe they will recommend inspectors who haven't gotten them too many angry customers after the sale. I feel confident that thorough but not dramatic is the recommendation I got for an inspector.

My husband is a home inspector. 1. They are not "worthless". 2. They offer a VISUAL inspection of the property only. 3. They do not move appliances to look behind them. They also do not move furniture, vehicles, dirty clothes, etc. 4. A good inspector will walk through the property with the potential home buyer to educate them on the issues and potential repairs they will need to deal with in the future. Given that they are purchasing a USED home, knowing the condition of the home is essential and important to their decision. 5. If the inspector notes potential issues with the home, they will recommend further inspection by a licensed plumber, electrician, roofer, etc. They are not there to diagnose problems or offer an estimate of the cost to repair problems. 6. It is not the inspectors fault if a water heater or furnace stops working after the purchase of the home. If it was working properly the day of the inspection, then that is all they are obligated to note (other than the age of the appliance). 7. They will not go onto a roof in dangerous conditions (snow/ice) or if the roof is too steep or too tall. If they cannot walk on the roof, they will take photos from wherever they can see it. 8. A licensed home inspector takes on a lot of liability when engaged in a formal inspection. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I cannot image an inspector not reporting issues with the home in order to help the sale go through. A licensed home inspector is legally obligated to follow the rules of their trade. 9. They will not help you to negotiate an adjustment in the price of the home. They present the inspection report and you and your realtor can decide if further negotiation is warranted. I hope this offers some insight into the role of a home inspector.

First, wait until you can review the report(s).

You should have several different reports: whole house inspection, WDO (termite), Wind Mitigation (if applicable) 4-point (if applicable), well water (if applicable) and septic (if applicable).

There may be other types of inspections needed for other geographic areas.

Having good, qualified, knowledgeable, detailed inspectors is important to the purchase process. I have a short list of excellent inspectors. As a Realtor, I would rather that the issues of the house get discovered immediately at the very front end of the purchase process when we have the time to either negotiate the repair or credit for the repair or cancel the purchase.

There are some excellent inspectors with GC licenses. Bry911 is right about Realtors that have been or intend to be in business for a long time don't recommend inspectors that miss things. Why would we? There is nothing but trouble for the Realtor that recommends a bad inspector (one that glosses over issues). Timing is critical in a purchase so having a comprehensive, well done inspection is important to the main issue to the buyer - are these items repairable and if so, at what cost? Not that the inspector should be giving cost estimates IMO. The cost estimates come from the repairmen needed for that particular repair. And, those estimates need to be provided immediately so the buyer has a true idea of the scope of work and its associated cost in order to decide to either continue with the purchase or cancel the purchase. Far better to have the buyer cancel than take on a property they can't afford to repair.

You should have your report the same day as the inspection or at the latest, within 24 hours of the inspection. There is no reason for the report to take a long time to prepare and provide to the buyer(s). With a report provided the same date as the inspection the buyer then has the time to hire a specialist (electrical, plumbing, roof, HVAC or engineer) for an area of concern in the report to get an accurate idea of the cost to cure.

As mentioned in a post above, there are no perfect homes. Even new homes need inspections.

All as Kristin.

More important? There IS no perfect. Buying a home is no different than buying a car! Of course you don't want the " lemon""!

But to expect to never need repairs, or be shocked that something could "die " the day after move in?!!

Welcome to home ownership. Don't shoe horn yourself into any house . Keep a contingency account that has not one thing to do with DECOR.

Requirements in Massachusetts

Associate Home Inspector License

High school diploma or GED

Complete 75 hours of approved training.

Pass the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE)

25 fee paid home inspections under the direct supervision of a MA licensed home inspector

Renews every 2 years

12 hours Continuing Ed per year

Home Inspector License

Engaged as an Associate Home Inspector for no less than 1 year

Have 100 home inspections documented

Here's a 65 page sample report

If you were buying a used car, wouldn’t you take it to a mechanic that actually worked on cars? And translated to houses, if I were buying an older home, I’d have a roofer come out to look at the roof , and give me a ballpark price of what a new roof costs . Ditto with plumbing/ plumbers and electrical/electrician if I had any concern about those areas beyond the normal home inspection.

You don't need to be a roofer to identify roofing deficiencies. A home inspector is not expected to actually repair the roof. It would be a rare roofing contractor who would be willing to inspect a house that you didn't own.

I agree with RES. A home inspector is a generalist who can perform visual inspection and identify most issues. I wouldn't bring in experts in each trade for a first inspection. If there are specific problem areas identified by the home inspector, then you may wish to bring in a trade professional or two for a more detailed diagnosis and prescription and an estimated cost. If you need one, please compensate them for their time and effort; they're not sitting around waiting and hoping for the opportunity to provide a free service.

@Res 3D a roof that looks fine can still leak, and leaks can cause serious issues with everything underneath it. Can my dentist identify roofing deficiencies? How about my cat sitter? I’ve had my roofing company to come out and look at a roof of a house I was considering, built in the 30’s with a slate roof, seller said they thought it was original and since my dentist was busy I paid the roofing company to take a look, give me an estimate on replacing and try to guess how much life the current roof had left. After buying a house, closing costs, down payment, moving costs and all the other costs associated with it, the last thing I wanted to face was a huge repair or replacement bill on something that can’t be put off.

Please stop the consumer comparisons; they're specious and condensing.

A home inspector cannot be expected to know if a roof will leak nor can a roofing contractor. All they can do is tell you the general condition of the roofing, specific deficiencies that should be repaired, any indication that the roof leaked in the past and estimate the remaining lifespan.

To be able to say a roof will not leak, someone would need to spray the entire house with water (as if that were possible) or wait for a big rainstorm.

Sounds like the plumber missed the crimp issue 3 times. Are plumbers also worthless?

A home inspection is for the purpose of identifying what a buyer might ask the seller to fix, or grant compensation for, before the closing. It should not be considered a substitute for hiring pros to inspect all systems afterward.

This has turned into a typical consumer complaint thread. Even the OP has lost interest.

I back up a home inspection with my own personal inspection. I operate all systems personally. I open all windows and doors. I inspect every room and all of the exterior. I make DH crawl under the house with a flash light. I have also learned to hire some of my own workmen and get specialized reports from them, too. These include HVAC, plumber, electrician and roofer. If any of them finds an issue, I get a cost to repair.

Even when I do this, something will be missed. This last house is about the age of the house that the buyer is considering. It was a custom home, but things are beginning to wear or age out. The house needed a new roof, so we priced that in the offer. The HVAC has required a lot of work that was only discovered by living in the house and the change of seasons. HVAC is the most expensive element to fix after a serious foundation issue.

Bottom line, don't be shy about doing things yourself or hiring subject matter experts to determine issues or educate you on potential issues.

The reason home inspectors exist is the fact that there is limited opportunity for an inspector to visit the house with both realtors present after its under agreement. Scheduling inspections by multiple trades is usually unrealistic

Where I live, to get an offer accepted, its often necessary to waive the inspection or limit the amount of a potential claim.

If your agent can't show up or can't find someone in their office to baby sit inspections, you need another agent. Make your agent earn their commission. They are in a service business and this is a service that you will be paying for.

Follow up inspections by technical experts are suggested in most inspection reports. It's on the buyer if they don't do the follow up. In my case, I'm an experienced buyer. I determine the scope of my inspections. It's my purchase, my responsibility.

I don't know where you are getting your information. An agent is required to be at any home inspection. A home inspector does not receive lock box codes. Perhaps you did not hire a qualified licensed home inspector which is why you had a negative experience.

And why would you get discounts from having numerous individual trades inspecting a house as opposed to one home inspector? Everyone charges for their time. Just the trip charges alone for half a dozen tradespeople could equal the cost of one home inspector.

You have to remember, a house for sale belongs to someone else. There is liability in inspecting a house that does not yet belong to you. The current homeowner is not the one hiring all of these tradespeople or inspectors. You cannot just bring a dozen people through someone else's home without permission from the current homeowner and with THEIR agent present. None of these trades can do anything invasive. They cannot put holes in walls, disconnect mechanics or move the homeowners belongings until the home belongs to you. The best path forward is to have a general home inspection and then bring in a trades person per the recommendation of the home inspection report.

Our HVAC, electrician and plumber did not charge anything to come look after she closed.

If they came out after she closed, then how would you get discounts on the purchase price?

A home inspector is not smart to walk through a house without an agent present. The homeowner could claim something was broken, stolen, etc. and there would be no third-party to resolve it.

A Home Inspector is your General Practitioner. They are the clearing house for a general overview of your home’s health. If your annual physical uncovers a black mole with irregular margins, then they refer you to a Dermatologist. They don’t try to diagnose or treat it. If the Dermatologist feels the need to refer you to an Oncologist, that’s when you should really worry.

You had a bad experience with a home inspector, but to suggest that ALL home inspectors are worthless because of it seems disingenuous, especially considering your daughter was able to get a "major discount" on the purchase price because of the home inspection report. I'm presuming you received this discount because the home inspector discovered many other deficiencies with the home? Seems like there was some "worth" to the home inspection after all.

Also, I'm assuming the home inspector noted working carbon monoxide detectors, which should have alerted your daughter to the dangerous conditions. Did they?

Ive been a realtor for over 30 years and can tell you unless the house is over 3000 sq feet, most inspections take about 2 hours. From what you listed, it looks like he looked at all the major systems, roof, plumbing, electrical, structure, and even pulled out the stove to check that. (Never seen that done before). (You didnt mention well and septic, so I am assuming you have water and sewer) Inspections are done differently in every area. People expect home inspectors to tear the house apart and look behind walls. They can't and dont do this. Hes looking for signs of problems. Had a problem been found, he would have referred you to the appropriate trades person. As for people that say, dont use the inspector referred by your agent. This is just stupid, we know which inspectors are worth their money and which "miss issues". Trust me, we dont want the house to have issues, but if there are issues there, we want them found. Its the only way to either renegotiate to have those issues fixed or make sure the buyer isnt buying a money pit. If this house doesnt work out, there is always another one. If agents used inspectors who deliberately overlooked things for future business, how long do you think either of them would stay in business? The same inspectors that I recommend are the same ones I use when I purchase my own properties.

allison0704

Hone Inspectors/Inspections are the worst thing to happen for buyers.

allison0704

She did get a major discount based on the HI report

________________

It seems that the worst thing for buyers would not getting a major discount...

I am fine with an inspection of major systems and I am fine with an inspector but if a buyer started running around trying to schedule a dozen different inspections for everything in the house without any indication that they were needed I would tell them to pound sand. Or moreover I would just refuse to fix anything and let the deal go away. My houses are good enough and priced well enough that someone reasonable will buy the house.

While an inspector isn't perfect neither is anyone else. The idea that the plumber or HVAC pro is going to walk in your house and give you an unbiased inspection report is just as fantastic as the idea that an inspector will catch everything.

As with any professional, it is critical to evaluate the inspectors work by reviewing sample reports and independent reviews on sites like Houzz, Yelp and Google. Sometimes, recommendations with the best intentions are not the right fit. And remember, the inspector is working for you, not the real estate agent.

independent reviews on sites like Houzz, Yelp and Google.

Ask friends, co-workers, and neighbors for recommendations. With all due respect, review websites are now worse than useless; they can give you a false sense of security.

Online reviews were great 20 years ago, when the net was young. Once the tradespeople themselves discovered them, that was the end. They post positives and their competitors post negatives. You can't hear the signal for the noise. You can do about as well playing eenie-meenie-miney-moe.

Realtors want the deal to go through and steer you to the inspector that will assist in this. If the buyer cant afford house they will recommend someone that will tear every single little detail apart. They will tell you to get multiple inspectors. If they know the home is a dump its amazing how much that inspector misses. Realtors convince themselves they are just making the deal work when in reality they are the most shady group of necessary evil I have to deal with.

Now if thats not you and your furious at my statement thats great as that means it doesn't apply to you. I buy enough homes and if I show you the games these people play its just disgusting.

Get your own inspector and do not fall for that realtor BS that they are your friend. Believe me that all goes away the day after you close and there is an issue. It's all a game don't get caught in it.

RES...I read that entire house inspection report. Whew, did that house actually sell?

Realtors want the deal to go through and steer you to the inspector that will assist in this. If the buyer cant afford house they will recommend someone that will tear every single little detail apart.

The second sentence stands in opposition of the first.

The principle-agent problem is certainly alive and well in real estate transactions and realtors add transactional friction. Having said that, the idea that realtors will be completely self serving in picking inspectors doesn't pass the smell test. There is far too much liability to go around and too much word of mouth for that to be rational.

Realtors convince themselves they are just making the deal work when in reality they are the most shady group of necessary evil I have to deal with.

I will do more than a dozen real estate deals this year and had 10 last year. I used multiple agents last year and will use multiple agents this year (properties are in different areas). I simply don't share your experience, and I don't know how common your experience is. I have never had two bad realtors in a row, and overall they have been a rarity. If I kept having problems, I would be concerned that the realtors were not the problem at all.

The best inspector I've ever had was recommended to me by a realtor. The worst, too. What does that mean? You tell me.