My job as a home inspector is to poke, probe and prod into a house. In doing my job I get a good sense for the homeowner's character with regard to home maintenance. Some people are clearly very into their homes, keeping the house in immaculate condition. I do love this rare kind of homeowner, it is always a quick and easy inspection.
Next we have the regular Joe. Most everyone falls into this category, keeping up with most stuff, but there are some things to be done. Usually I will not find a major problem in the average Joes home, just a fair amount of small stuff. When I do find a biggy, it is often the work of the homeowner or an incompetent contractor the homeowner hired. Through the years of inspecting Connecticut homes, I have come to realize that most of the major problems I find are done by the "professionals" hired to fix or install something by the homeowner.
Lastly we have people that just live in their house. These homeowners almost never fix anything unless it absolutely has to be fixed. Even then it may not get repaired. It seems that they go about their daily lives oblivious to the peeling paint, the water leaking into the basement or the plumbing leaks. Perhaps they are clueless these things are problems or hope ignoring them will magically make them go away. Some times I find a brand new bathroom or water heater, but the basement leaks like a sieve. It boggles the mind.
What I see from my perspective as a home inspector are major issues that often times could have been nipped in the bud. Problems that have grown from minor, easy fixes to the huge gorilla in the room. These problems are the show stoppers. They make buyers think twice about purchasing the home, planting virulent seeds of doubt. I pity the listing agent, I'm certain this seller is a challenging client.
As for my clients, they are informed and hopefully are at least the average Joe when it comes to maintaining their home. The live-in-the-house type of homeowner has unwittingly shown a valuable lesson to be heeded.
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