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Did you take a shower today?

Well, did you? I'm going to go ahead and presume that the answer is yes, so did you also note the condition of the tiles, grouting, and caulking? You might not think that a cracked tile, cracks in the grouting, or little pieces of caulking missing is much to worry about, but I can assure you it is.

I regularly note the condition of bathtubs, showers, and sinks because water damage is the number one claim group of insurance companies, and the potential to do some serious damage from little cracks is tremendous.

Shower damage

In the picture above, I had reported to my Clients that the tiles and grouting were cracked. My Client ignored the cracks, moved in, and two weeks later this was the result. He called me wanting help, and when I asked him why he ignored the recommendations in my report, he told me that the Realtor said that I was too nitpicky, that tiles and grouting in every condo in the building was cracked, so if he wanted a condo in this building, he'd have to accept the cracks. This resulted in $15,000 worth of damage to this bathroom and floor, as well as the ceiling and walls in the bathroom in the condo below this one, and dare I say, a lawsuit against the Realtor.

Please, Realtors, I know that a few home inspectors have yet to learn bedside manners, but if you have a question about why your home inspector noted something and put it in the report, call him (or her!). Trust me, there really is a reason, and it's usually based on insurance claims or lawsuits. It's far better to address the issue now, while the home belongs to the Sellers, than it is to address Judge and Jury somewhere down the road. And for me here, all I could say was, "Not responsible for advice not taken."

Visit my other helpful blogs (you can get all your daily comments in right here, right now!). You can find quick links to all of them by using the widget just under my picture at the upper right.

Posted by Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector on 08/07/2008 08:30 PM

Comments (30)

Bathrooms in the ActiveRain Channel

bathroom, tile, grouting, caulking, lawsuits

Post is included in group: Ask the Home Inspector
Post is included in group: InterNACHI: Ask a Certified Home Inspector
Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: San Diego Real Estate Q and A

30 Comments on Did you take a shower today?

AUG

2008

Russell - As a professional Broker I would rather be made aware of any potential problems and deal with them before anything serious happens, as in your example. If agents and clients do not heed your advise, it's at their own peril.

Russel~ Why would someone get a report from a inspector and then second guess it? Do you go over these with the buyers personally with the report to make sure they understand you clearly? What a foolish realtor to make a broad statement like that and down play what you wrote? I always refer them back to the inspector if they have questions.

Hey, Vickie. I usually follow up 3-5 days after the inspection to see if anyone has any questions, but by then no one has any questions because the Realtor has answered them all. This is usually what causes problems between Realtors and home inspectors. Even though I was a Realtor in Texas many moons ago, I would not pretend to be a Realtor, and I'm personally of the opinion that Realtors should not pretend to be home inspectors. I think a correct response by the Realtor would have been, "Call Russel and see if he'll provide you with some more information."

Realtors here in San Diego pretty much control the real estate transaction process, even to the extent that rarely do I meet my Clients until the day of the inspection. Realtors call to schedule the inspection, inquire about the cost, call with any questions after the inspection, etc. Although I, and many home inspectors, are trying to change that process, right now it is what it is.

I would always refer questions back to the home inspector. That is what they are hired to do.

So I would have to ask why did they hire you.. if they did not want to listen what was the point ..I tell my clients listen to the inspector ask questions and what his recommendation are

Russel, I am showing a lot of homes lately where I am sure the homeowner did not heed the advice of the home inspector and now there is rotting trim, tiles falling off the wall, tree branches rubbing the siding and on and on.

Thanks for making the point that agents should not pretend to be home inspectors. Of course this makes sense--sometimes the obvious needs to be pointed out. I think the home-buyer should be present when the inspection is done, so they can discuss the findings while they're there.

RR,

I run into this on a regular basis. Even after I say that the client may call me anytime with questions, no charge, the client usually asks the realtor first. It would be easy and very convenient for the realtor to just forward the question on to the HI, but many of them don't.

That is not a good deal at all. Makes you really want to watch the bathroom area.

Shower, what's that? So over rated don't you think.... :-) Hey I had a bathroom look like that one day! Boy was that a pain to fix! BTW, I like your reference to other blogs, one thing I can say though, make them link to the actual blog article.

Russel this is amazing that an agent brushed an issue on the report under the rug.

Hi Russel, Believe or not over half of my inspections are with absentee buyers. When my office set-up the inspection, they are ask to call us for a review of the inspection report and that we are not responsible for any miss interpretation by other individuals. Good Post. Hey is that game tertis on the shower wall.~ Newbie Roy

Good one Roy!!

AUG

2008

We want to believe someone else because we want something and don't the house to go away.

AUG

2008

BTW Russel, I added something a bit different, but kind of like you had at the bottom of your blog, at the bottom of mine. It is a bit different than yours was, but it was modeled after your idea. Thanks!

Hey, Ronald.

And I took your suggestion to make them links. I'm currently creating something that I can easily put into each post to be proactive in addressing the time when I have a gazillion bazillion blogs. I'll have to check yours out.

Folks I have remodeled many homes and I can't tell you how many times after tearing old tile out or replacing a tub the kind of water damage I find due to poor maintenance. Keep them sealed or you'll be sorry!!!

Another thing everyone needs to keep an eye on is toilets that wobble. Ask any home inspector his two cents on that one. :)

Hi Russel... This is a GREAT example of the sort of issue that "seems" minor but turns major VERY quickly. Thanks for sharing this in such an illuminating way!

AUG

2008

Hey, Billy. Yes, wobbling toilets and even wobbling toilet tanks deserves more than just two cents.

Hey, Steve. Yes, some of us get eaten up alive by Realtors wanting to know why home inspectors comment on things that "seem" so "minor."

I'll have to keep an eye on what you add, and you'll have to let me know what you think of my addition.

Hey, Ronald,

You've got a lot of activity going on in your blog entries. Pretty cool. As you had noted, though, load time can be troublesome.

The first thing I had tried resulted in extremely long load times for my blog, so I deleted it. I'm a very patient guy, so if I get impatient, I know 95% of the rest of the world will really be impatient and move it on along.

By the way, I noticed that you like your music. I grew up playing the piano and violin, and singing. My Century 21 partner has two piano performance degrees and plays in chamber music groups in San Diego. Are you familiar with a site called Obsessed With Music? I'm JPGR over there (which is an acronym for John, Paul, George, and Ringo in case you didn't realize it).

DEC

2008

One day this will bite me in the behind but I always tap on the tiles to listen for that "hollow "sound indicating separation.

DEC

Wow - Because I always suggest my client believe the home inspector, or get that specialist out to examine, it didn't even occur to me that a realtor would say 'disregard the paid professional, they're just nit-picky'. I guess it's a bit of form over substance - the realtor can check off the box, but it's not as if they believed in the process.

An oldie back from the dead!! But a good oldie. Water can do some funny things.

I like Russel's sentiment of "Not responsible for advice not taken!" I think I may even have already stolen it.

Several realtors around here tend to do that "Let me tell you what the home inspector means!" I can only warn them about it.

DEC

Many homeowners neglect this area of the house. They think the holes are small and don't do any damage. I guess some agents feel the same way.

DEC

Water is the number one enemy or every home. Thanks for pointing it out. Just another reason a great inspector can save your life.

Betina

Hey, Betina.

My attorneys and insurance companies regularly tell me that water is the number one cause of lawsuits against home inspectors and claims by homeowners.

DEC

We don't use inspector much here in New York City, most of the condominiums and Co-Op transactions are completed with any inspection. I rarely encounter bad tiles/cracks in the bathroom wall situation, but I absolutely agree with you that it is not a minor issue that can be overlooked!

FEB

Russel,

The pink bathtub should have been the first clue. As with everything in life document, document, document.

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