More often than not, when talking to friends in the real estate business, many people that purchase new properties forgo the inspection contingency because they buy into the line or lie that "It has been inspected by the codes department. There is nothing to worry about."

Well ... Kinda-sorta true but keep in mind that codes are nothing more than the MINIMUM building standards.

Brentwood, Franklin and Williamson County have tough inspectors and high standards, especially electrical. Having in the electrical engineering field in a prior life, I understand and know most of the commercial and residential codes affecting wiring and service panels.

Granted, home inspections are not codes inspections, but knowledge of the more common "accepted trade practices" are helpful in this industry.

The other day, I ran across a service panel which had paint on the inside of the cabinet and on the main buss bar. According to NEC (National Electric Codes), No paint other than the manufacturer's paint is allowed on the interior of the cabinet and no paint is allowed on the buss. According to NEC the panel must be replaced!

To make a short story long, I wrote the panel up as needing review by a licensed electrician and possible replacement due to the offending paint. The contractor was furious citing that the panel was inspected by "The Codes Department" who were there the other day and they passed it! I asked the contractor, "Did they also pass the missing ground on the GFCI plug in the bathroom and the inoperable plug on the other side of the cabinet?"

I understand that no one is perfect - especially me! In their defense, try as they may, I feel the codes officials in this are overworked and under paid for their services. And, they do not have adequate time to spend in each property to do a thorough assessment. 10-15 minutes v/s my 2-3 hours. I try to explain to builders and contractors that I am just another set of eyes making sure that their customer is satisfied and content with the product that they are purchasing.

That being said, wise buyers need to get their properties inspected.