So you think if it "looks wrong"---it probably "is wrong?"

Well, if this was a test, I'd say the correct answer was the carboard box being placed on the wood stove -- that might be wrong.  But, seriously . . . sometimes what looks wrong is, or what seems funny is too!

yes if it walks like a duck.. we know what it is. glad we do have professionals on the lookout for our buyers

Charlie, Just looks like somebody had some very warm and cozy nights by a fire... A very hot fire!

It does look wrong.  That sort of interior should be intact, it seems to me anyway.  What did it look like new?  I don't know, but you were right to have it investigated by a pro.

Can't know if something is wrong if don't know how it's supposed to work. I wouldn't know either, but definitely can tell something is wrong. Important for experienced and knowledgeable home inspectors for today's buyers.

I am not sure what I am supposed to look at. The box on top of the wood stove? The funky looking air chamber? I will just call the pro! :)

It is important that we all gain knowledge about our profession. I am not an expert in fireplaces, I would need to gain the experience of knowing what they are supposed to look like, before having a good understanding of what is wrong.

Thanks for the featured post Charles.

Now let's take that same theory to the electric panel. Wires are wires, right? ;)

Charles: Great, great way to approach anything in life! "If it looks wrong it probably is wrong!" That little ditti could be applied to many situations that I can think of right now--I drove by a brand new house,  where the builder is installing some strange looking dormers. The dormers are covered with metal sheeting (copper maybe?)and these flat affairs slant slightly downward to the window-well which appears to be "lead-lined" in the same material as the dormer roof....but the edge of this small roof falls short by about a foot and appears to me to be a faulty installation or a major design flaw at the very least!! I was ready to go speak to the builder to let him know!!!Then  during the last snowfall where we had a good heavy 8" of snow, I saw those window wells piled high with snow and no one was panicking to clear the snow! After I got past the "What is wrong with the builder--can't he see that design flaw???"...I realized that this house is probably going to include rain/snow water as a part of a "green" design and I controlled my urge to stop to tell the builder about his "flawed" building design. Could it be that is something that is being used now in a "green" design?? Or am I seeing something that "looks wrong and probably is wrong"??? :(

THis is why I also like to follow around a home insepctor during my clients inspections.  I learn so much about houses that helps me in my daily activities. 

If it looks wrong, at least someone will take to time to research it more... Having the knowledge of what it should look like takes years of experience.

Charles, some things might look obviously wrong to the layman. However, it's the things that look right which may be defective is where the pro's experience is worth the cost.

This may sound naive but in the beginning, I used to just feed any old wood into my woodburning stove without even knowing how it functioned or what it could do, Not any more, now I have a healthy respect for them--and that includes the chimney which I personally clean.

Common sense comes alive when it meets uncommon sense. This is true all over the world. We "know" things aren't quite right. Good post

The inspectors version of using your gut - and that gut often requires experience!

In the mortgage world I rely on my gut quite often.. and for me it is the way a question is answered that causes that knot to begin to form...

In situations like these, I always call a pro. 

What's the expression... if it quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck, it must be a duck!

I guess things aren't always as they seem! VERY Interesting and good information ... thanks a lot for sharing! 

Even if a home is brand new, just built, it's always a good idea to get an inspection. You're relying on humans and humans aren't infallible. Something might not look or feel right, but there's nothing wrong at all - it's just how that particular thing functions. Sometimes everything may look a-ok, but a trained eye will spot a serious problem. We always encourage all of our buyers to have a home inspection done even if they think there's no way anything could be wrong. Surprise, surprise, we've had reports come back of serious structural issues where everything looked a-ok to the buyer.