That's what I was told by the listing agent when I began my inspection.  She stated the house had fallen out of escrow.  She also told me the only item pointed out was the water heater platform.  I smiled and said, "That's great, it makes my job easier," but what I really wanted to say was, "I bet I find some pretty good defects."  But I was on good behavior and held my tongue.

Here's some of the items I found on this previously inspected house.

ledger board

It's kind of hard to tell by the picture, but the patio cover was attached to the fascia board and not a ledger board.  The fascia board is merely cosmetic and provides no structural support.  It should have been attached to a ledger board.

 

dryer duct for furnace flue

This is a picture of the furnace flue.  They used a dryer duct for the furnace flue.  You can see that it didn't fit right, that's why so much metal tape was used.  The same was true for the water heater flue.  There was also a refrigerant line insulation cover that was too close to the flue and was beginning to melt, thus a fire hazard.

There were also numerous ungrounded receptacles even though they all had 3-prongs.

And all of this in a previously inspected house.  It just goes to show you the various degrees of professionalism in home inspectors.

I hope this gives you a little more information about home inspections and their value.

 

 

6 Comments on It's Already Been Inspected, It'll Be Easy For You

JAN
30
2008
261,713 Points 26 Featured Posts Outside Blog
I love it when a listing agent provides me a copy of a previous home inspection - and they say all the work is complete - and I send another inspector in to find it was not completed correctly or that there are other BIG ticket items
11:09pm • #1
292,128 Points Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

You can take the inspection report from a prior escrow but never let it become your only source of information.

Always get a 3rd party inspection for your buyer in a transaction.

11:33pm • #2
JAN
31
2008
381,110 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Joseph, you bring up a great point.  The situation you describe shows why we are so needed and yet one of us already fulfilled that need in a mediocre fashion.  I can sort of understand why we still have to sell ourselves at times.  I think it is getting better, but I see these sorts of inspections with old timers as well as newbies to the profession.
12:11am • #3
4 Featured Posts

Thesa, I'm glad you still recommend a home inspector in those instances.

Michael, great advice.

Charles, good points.

9:36am • #4
1 Featured Post

It looks like a patch-work quilt type of a house. It is always amazing that people will put their lives and others in danger to save a few dollars.

I did a blog on attending inspections. It is so important to have first hand knowledge of the property. I am also a visual person. I have a lot more clarity of the condition of the house when I can see the highlighted issues versus reading a report.

Thanks for the pictures.

1:04pm • #5
4 Featured Posts
Dionne, I always like it when the clients attend the inspection, I encourage them too.  Sure, they're going to get a hard copy of the report, but it still helps to see it in person.
8:11pm • #6

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Joseph Lang - Southern California Home Inspector

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

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Address: Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91701

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