News
12-20-2006, 04:47 PM
An Entire Profession Takes It on the Chin
By Barry Stone
Saturday, December 16, 2006; G05
Q: DEAR BARRY: Home inspectors perform an inadequate service, a fact that is overlooked in your column. I hired an inspector not long ago and found his work to be a waste of money. All he did was look around and report the obvious. I could have done as much myself instead of paying a so-called expert. Home buyers deserve better than this. For example, why don't home inspectors look under carpets for asbestos, mold or signs of vermin? Your interest in promoting home inspectors prevents you from understanding this. Get a clue. -- William
A: DEAR WILLIAM: Home inspection can be a waste of money or a valuable benefit, depending on the quality of the inspector you hire. If your home inspector did little more than "look around," you have a legitimate grievance, but not a case against an entire profession.
I frequently discuss negligent home inspectors in this column. I also frequently recommend that home buyers hire only inspectors who are qualified and experienced, who provide detailed evaluations of homes, and who disclose defects that could not be found in the course of a simple look around.
For example, one inspector I know found the following defects in the past week:
· Over-spanned framing in an attic that caused the roof to sag.
· Rust damage in the burner chamber of a gas furnace.
· A disconnected safety shutoff switch in a forced-air furnace.
· Circuit breakers that were oversized for the wires in the circuit.
· Faulty grounding in an electrical subpanel.
· Buried gas piping that lacked rust protection.
· A bathtub whirlpool pump that was not grounded.
· Lack of tempered safety glass at a staircase landing.
· A fireplace chimney that was too short at the roof.
· Improper placement of piers under a home.
These are examples of defects routinely reported by qualified home inspectors. Such defects would not be discovered by home buyers conducting their own walk-through inspection or by inspectors with inadequate experience.
As for your suggestion that home inspectors check beneath carpets for asbestos, mold or vermin:
· How much carpet should home inspectors lift? Should they raise a few corners or roll back the carpets in each room? If they don't do it all, how can we be sure they will not miss a serious problem?
· How do we explain to sellers that we must move their furniture to inspect beneath the carpets? If sellers agree to this, how many additional hours will be needed to complete the inspection, and how much should inspectors charge for this time?
· If furniture or personal items such as a vase are damaged while being moved, who should pay for repair or replacement?
· Once the carpets have been laid back down, who should pay the carpet layer who refastens the edges to the tack strips?
Practicality imposes limits on home inspectors. An inspector cannot view everything without creating unacceptable problems. Still, a qualified home inspector can find many defects, providing valuable disclosure to home buyers. If you should ever hire another inspector, be sure to find someone who is truly qualified.
Barry Stone is a professional home inspector. If you have questions or comments, contact him through his Web site, http://www.housedetective.com, or send mail to 1776 Jami Lee Ct., Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 93401.
Distributed by Access Media Group
By Barry Stone
Saturday, December 16, 2006; G05
Q: DEAR BARRY: Home inspectors perform an inadequate service, a fact that is overlooked in your column. I hired an inspector not long ago and found his work to be a waste of money. All he did was look around and report the obvious. I could have done as much myself instead of paying a so-called expert. Home buyers deserve better than this. For example, why don't home inspectors look under carpets for asbestos, mold or signs of vermin? Your interest in promoting home inspectors prevents you from understanding this. Get a clue. -- William
A: DEAR WILLIAM: Home inspection can be a waste of money or a valuable benefit, depending on the quality of the inspector you hire. If your home inspector did little more than "look around," you have a legitimate grievance, but not a case against an entire profession.
I frequently discuss negligent home inspectors in this column. I also frequently recommend that home buyers hire only inspectors who are qualified and experienced, who provide detailed evaluations of homes, and who disclose defects that could not be found in the course of a simple look around.
For example, one inspector I know found the following defects in the past week:
· Over-spanned framing in an attic that caused the roof to sag.
· Rust damage in the burner chamber of a gas furnace.
· A disconnected safety shutoff switch in a forced-air furnace.
· Circuit breakers that were oversized for the wires in the circuit.
· Faulty grounding in an electrical subpanel.
· Buried gas piping that lacked rust protection.
· A bathtub whirlpool pump that was not grounded.
· Lack of tempered safety glass at a staircase landing.
· A fireplace chimney that was too short at the roof.
· Improper placement of piers under a home.
These are examples of defects routinely reported by qualified home inspectors. Such defects would not be discovered by home buyers conducting their own walk-through inspection or by inspectors with inadequate experience.
As for your suggestion that home inspectors check beneath carpets for asbestos, mold or vermin:
· How much carpet should home inspectors lift? Should they raise a few corners or roll back the carpets in each room? If they don't do it all, how can we be sure they will not miss a serious problem?
· How do we explain to sellers that we must move their furniture to inspect beneath the carpets? If sellers agree to this, how many additional hours will be needed to complete the inspection, and how much should inspectors charge for this time?
· If furniture or personal items such as a vase are damaged while being moved, who should pay for repair or replacement?
· Once the carpets have been laid back down, who should pay the carpet layer who refastens the edges to the tack strips?
Practicality imposes limits on home inspectors. An inspector cannot view everything without creating unacceptable problems. Still, a qualified home inspector can find many defects, providing valuable disclosure to home buyers. If you should ever hire another inspector, be sure to find someone who is truly qualified.
Barry Stone is a professional home inspector. If you have questions or comments, contact him through his Web site, http://www.housedetective.com, or send mail to 1776 Jami Lee Ct., Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 93401.
Distributed by Access Media Group