I'm not one of the home inspectors who think that one and only one type of inspection fits the needs of all people in all circumstances and only one price. Instead, I offer choices. Occasionally, I arrive at an inspection fully prepared to do one of my BASIC or STANDARD inspections, only to convince (and it usually takes very little convincing) my Client to choose a different service. One of yesterday's inspections was one of those circumstances:

When I arrived, I immediately noticed the new roof. Unfortunately, I also noticed that it had some installation problems, and I saw that walking to the property from across the street where I had parked my car.

My Client was a general contractor and had already looked at the electrical system and all the small stuff. He was going to gut & renovate, so all he really was interested in was hiring someone to go up on the roof and inspect the plumbing and foundation in the crawl space. So I switched from a $349 BASIC inspection to a WALK inspection at $110 per hour. Ultimately I spent two hours with him, charging him $220, saving him $129. Here's my report:

• All walls, exterior and interior, were damaged. (He already knew.)
• Zinsco electric panel present. Replace it. (He already knew.)
• Roof needs ridge row shingles. (He didn't know.)
• Foundation had buckled at southeast corner (see Figure 1). (He knows how to repair it.)
• Plumbing leaks under kitchen sink and in crawl space under bathroom. (He has plumber friends.)
• Cast iron main drain and laterals still in place, and deteriorated. (He has plumber friends.)
• All windows missing or damaged. (He's replacing with multi-pane windows.)
• Wall heater did not work. (The HVAC tech was there at the same time selling my Client a new Trane heating and cooling system.)
• Water heater did not work. (He's replacing it with a tankless water heater.)
• Exterior grading. Omitted at Client's request. (He's re-landscaping, and if you saw the "landscaping," you'd know why.)
• Excessive deferred maintenance. (That's why he's buying the place; great price and superb view of San Diego State University across the way; see Figure 2.)

   Figure 1. Buckled foundation wall.

   Figure 1. View of San Diego State University.

I sure hope I wasn't too nitpicky. I'm sure I wasn't since the husband-and-wife Realtor refer me exclusively. They love my "soft sale" reports. LOL

P.S. For railroad and train fans, that line in the center of the picture, clinging to the hillside and just above the freeway (you can see the two bridge pillars at the far right center), is the San Diego Trolley line to the real cool underground station at San Diego State.