Is your home inspector a deal killer? If he needs to be, you better hope so. In my experience, if a deal goes south after the home inspection, it actually went south WAY before the home inspector ever gets hired. It is a bit like spreading tacks all over the highway 10 miles up the road. You happily drive along without a care in the world thinking nothing but good thoughts and enjoying the scenery. But no matter how enjoyable the ride, or how beautiful the view, it will not alter the fact that there is trouble ahead—you just … (27 comments)
home inspections: Do the voices in your head drive you batty?
- 09/16/12 04:47 AM
I have a new friend living in my head. While I am use to having lots of voices in my head attempting to convince me of one thing or another, this "new-kid-in-the-block" is actually quite helpful. What could be better? Most of my readers will remember reading about my unfortunate encounter with a razor blade on an inspection a few months ago. That incident was the conception of this recent addition to the family of voices in my head. This friendly voice now speaks up whenever I am tempted to put my hands where they don't belong. If you look closely … (12 comments)
home inspections: Should pre-listing inspections be “required?”
- 07/30/12 01:52 AM
I have made the case for doing pre-listing inspections before and I thought I would take another stab at it. They are still VERY rare in my market. As a home inspector I have to overcome the obvious fact that it is in my best interest to have pre-listing inspections done. After all, if all homes had pre-listing inspections, it would double the amount of inspections and result in doubling the amount of money to be made doing home inspections. Since there is no way to get around this issue, I will simply ignore it and move on to my … (65 comments)
home inspections: What is a home inspection? Are you hanging 10 or afraid of the water?
- 05/10/12 08:08 AM
You can ask 100 different inspectors and 100 different agents and get 200 different answers. Each will be just as confident that their answer is the correct one. Most are some version of: “a visual, non invasive, look at a home, including a written report, that is performed according to the Standards of Practice of a particular State or Association Standards of Practice.” To me it doesn’t matter that there are so many different opinions as to what a home inspection is as it does that the buyer may not being taken care of as a result. I think that … (26 comments)
home inspections: Some things are indeed made warmer with insulation!
- 03/13/12 12:55 AM
Some things are indeed made warmer with insulation! Discover Uncover Sometimes home inspectors discover the darndest things while inspecting. As you can see in the picture below, we have some nice pink insulation. But what is it “covering?”
There is a “hint” in the picture but when you see the last picture you may have to go back to the first picture to actually see the “hint.” And what is there to discover when uncovered?
A different cover. Now it is time to recover.
Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
… (13 comments)
home inspections: How to find a Seattle Home Inspector---and avoid being mad at two inspectors---the benefits of doing your homework!
- 10/17/11 02:03 AM
The other day I did a post about being consulted to sort out some differences of opinion about some insect damage in a house.I said at that time that I don't mind helping out with these types of forensic questions---after all the truth is just the truth---and most of the time houses are not rocket science.In that post I took issue with the way the inspector used the English language to describe their findings and how what they said fell short of what was necessary to provide the best information to their client---and actually ended up freaking them out as well … (16 comments)
home inspections: Close but no cigar! Give the neighbor a cigar!
- 10/11/11 02:22 AM
Home inspectors often get to play a bit of detective. In fact, most home inspectors would likely confess to being wannabe PI's. Being a home inspector is just a little bit safer and not likely to get us killed by some jealous husband or boyfriend.We still must be careful to be objective and not jump to the wrong conclusions however. Sometimes our initial conclusions, while in the ball park, may be in another part of the park than initially thought.Take for example this nice young Douglas Fir tree.The first thing to notice is that it is standing all alone. Tall trees … (17 comments)
home inspections: If you can’t afford the inspection you can’t afford the house!
- 01/17/11 02:49 AM
I have had recent discussions with agents and inspectors about what to me is a scary proposition. These discussions are not scary because the result would mean less work for me and other inspectors---but because of the sheer risk to the consumer. It also reflects badly on how well the real estate industry has communicated about the importance of inspections. What I am hearing is that buyers are forgoing (and in some cases being encouraged to forego) home inspections to both save money and to avoid “one more obstacle” in the way of closing the deal. I can’t imagine the thought … (105 comments)
home inspections: What is the real value of a home inspection?
- 08/20/09 01:19 AM
The other day Robert Snowden had a featured post that asked the question, “Is there any value in a home inspection?” The post----and comments, pretty much overwhelmingly supported the notion of having a Home Inspection done. This post is about how sometimes we can leave a comment on someone’s post that becomes a post itself. My comment on his post was the seed for this post and it alters Robert’s question of, “Is there any value in a home inspection?” to the question of: “What is the real value of a home inspection?” It seems that … (15 comments)
home inspections: Is your home inspector a BIG Baby?
- 03/02/09 04:45 AM
Home inspector newborns. Is your home inspector a baby? Yes they are. We all are. As a profession we are in our infancy, which explains the huge range in quality of home inspections and the associated reports of those inspections. There is much bickering among home inspectors and various associations as to which one is the best, and inspectors will argue themselves blue in the face as to why they are better than inspector “X.” The point I would like to make is that----unlike doctors and lawyers----or even hair dressers----or even massage therapists----we have virtually NO … (28 comments)
home inspections: Dear Mr. Washington State Home Inspector,
- 02/07/09 07:34 AM
Dear Mr. Washington State Home Inspector, We are moving to the Seattle area this fall and will be buying a house in the Green Lake area. It would be helpful if you could give us an idea of what you charge and any other information that might be pertinent to our choice of a home inspector. Sincerely, Sally & Sam Homeowner
Dear Sally & Sam, Thanks for contacting me about the process of inspecting your future home. The cost of the home inspection can vary depending on the size, age, number of bathrooms and other factors … (65 comments)
home inspections: October Sky
- 02/05/09 12:46 AM
The title of this post is only loosely related to the post----it is a super inspirational movie that is based on a true story of a real Rocket Scientist. I wish my job was Rocket Science----but for the most part it isn’t. Home inspectors need good observation skills. Some would argue that teaching that part is the difficult part----if it is possible at all. With enough time and commitment one can learn everything one needs to know, and can become very good at figuring out things, but the ability to “SEE” is more difficult to learn … (20 comments)
My blog is intended to provide information related to home inspections in Seattle, surrounding communities and anyone else interested. Sometimes I will provide information that has nothing to do with home inspections. Enjoy!
.JPG)
;)
;)
;)
