THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HOME INSPECTOR AND A "COUNTY BUILDING INSPECTOR".

MISLEADING HEADLINES SHOW NEWSPAPER IGNORANCE OF THE HOUSING INDUSTRY!

A staff writer for THE DENVER POST, has a very misleading headline to an important article about a tragedy involving a contractor and a MUNICIPAL INSPECTOR. 

This tragedy did not involve a HOME INSPECTOR and by writing the headline as he did, the consumer is mislead to believe that a HOME INSPECTOR's negligence, along with the negligence of the contractor led to the deaths of a family of four.

If you read the below headline, what would you think?

Contractor, home inspectors indicted in carbon-monoxide deaths of family  By Jason Blevins

Fact is, there was no HOME INSPECTOR involved in the matter.  The following indictments reveal no mention of a private Home Inspector. 

"Marlin Brown, owner of Roaring Fork Plumbing & Heating, and now- retired City of Aspen building inspector Erik Peltonen were each indicted on four felony charges of criminally negligent homicide. The two, as well as Brian Pawl, a Pitkin County building inspector, also face misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. The indictments were announced Sunday."

FURTHER COMMENTS are enough to send chills down the spine. 

"Mordkin said the home, which was for sale for $8.95 million, had been approved for residency by county inspectors in 2005 or 2006, roughly a year after it was built."

"At some point, the building-inspection process broke down",Mordkin said.

THE ARTICLE FURTHER STATES: "The Lofgren family, in a statement, said the criminal charges and pending civil action "will send a clear message to contractors, and building inspectors and even manufacturers of heating equipment to ensure that such senseless carbon-monoxide deaths are prevented in the future."

Since there was no mention of a real estate agent.  If there was a contract offer for this home, a Home Inspection should have been completed before any prospective buyer spent the night in the property.  Inspecting for safety is paramount for any home inspector I've known.

NOTE TO CONSUMERS, REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND SELLERS.  It's a good idea to NOT rely on municipal building or code inspections for the quality of construction.  HIRE YOUR OWN HOME INSPECTOR AND GET AN OBJECTIVE AND THOROUGH INSPECTION OF ANY HOME YOU PLAN TO BUY. 

And do it BEFORE YOU SPEND A SINGLE NIGHT INSIDE THE PROPERTY. 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988

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