Home inspection is an opinion based profession and yes, it is true if you put 10 inspectors in a room, you will get 10 different views. Is this unique to the inspection profession? No, the same can be said about lawyers, doctors, appraisers, claim adjusters and REALTORS. The reason is that our opinions are shaped by our experiences. Home inspectors are generalists. We have to know about the thousands of different items that go into homes ranging from old coal furnaces to energy management systems.

Unfortunately, there are inspectors who can go way overboard with their opinion. Here are some tactics you can use to put dose of reality into the transaction. So when you get the inspection response from HELL the first thing to do is to step back and be objective. How realistic is the list? Is the buyer’s agent simple using this as an opportunity to get more price concessions? Let’s take the roof for example. The buyers are asking for a new roof. How old is the roof? Most roofs will last 20-25 years. If the seller has not supplied it, ask for the specific wording the inspector used. For example, if the age of the roof is mid-life, then ask what criteria they are basing there request on. Let say the roof has visible repairs, that doesn’t justify replacement; repairs are part of normal maintenance. Your best defense at this point is to get a roofer to inspect the roof. A specialist’s opinion will always trump a generalist home inspector.

Some agents will want to talk to the home inspector directly and negotiate with them. For most inspectors this would violate their association’s Standards of Practice, so they won’t do it nor do they want to negotiate directly with the seller. Secondly, once an inspector creates and delivers an inspection report they won’t be inclined to charge it. Personally I don’t mind getting and giving clarifications when I have the permission of my clients but I do have a problem when the seller’s agent starts to question my opinion.

Although home inspection is opinion based, we must use criteria to base our opinion. Using the roof as an example we are taught to look at granule loss, curling of edges, burn through, and cracking to judge its overall condition. All manufacturers have guidelines for installation and usage. If you think the inspector is being harsh or punitive, examine the criteria they use to form that opinion. If the inspector doesn’t have a solid basis for his/her opinion, ask for a clarification. “Codes” are a four letter word and often misused. Most experienced inspectors stay away from codes due to the inconsistent way they are applied. Every building department adopts the building codes at a time and place of their choosing. If a homeowner wants to remodel a kitchen a building department may want the entire electrical and plumbing systems upgrade while the neighboring city may not. One city may be using the 2007 plumbing codes but 2005 electrical codes while the neighbor is just the reverse. I have even seen in a brand new development where two inspectors from the same building department disagree on how to apply the current building codes. Get the picture? If a home inspector is using building codes to describe a defect, ask them for specifics and their qualifications to cite the building codes. If the home had been remodeled and approved by the city, then it met the codes as they were being applied at that time.

If you are listing an older home (especially if it has gone through a number of remodels) then I highly recommend a pre-listing inspection. Being pro-active is your best defense against an inspection. The owners will get to see their home through the eyes of an inspector. They will get an opportunity to correct issues at a time and place of there choosing. If they don’t want to correct them, then they can disclose them. Either way it lessens the shock and puts the sellers in a better negotiating position.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
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Toll Free 866-618-7764