Obviously, the stated purpose of a home inspector is to inspect a home. That is really the only calling for a home inspector. A watch dog's job is to scare intruders and a home inspector inspects homes. So, if that is what an inspector does, he or she should try to do the job well and with detail. That is my opinion of course. However, even when one is serious about the job and trying to find all of the significant issues, there are times when a person might be misled or miss clues to a problem. An inspector has to be very careful not to make wrong assumptions, based on partial evidence. For example, in the home where this photo was taken, all of the other plumbing drain pipes were plastic. It would have been easy to assume that all of these pipes had been upgraded. And, without good light, it would be easy to peak under this sink, find that there were no leaks and move on to the next of the three bathrooms present in the house. Had I done that, I would have missed a problem. As you can see, this drain, where it enters the wall is an old galvanized pipe with rust on it. Problem waiting to happen! Or maybe it is happening. Note that, to the right, there is an old galvanized supply line that is no longer in service. The point is that in trying to do an inspection, without letting things slip by, takes time and effort. It is for that reason, because my reputation is on the line, that I shy away from breezing around, over, through and under a house and completing all this in two hours. Sometimes that works but, with most homes of any age, that is not long enough to find the more subtle, but significant, deficiencies.
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