During the inspection the water was turned off. It is very difficult, well impossible to do a complete home inspection without water. My client's plan was to have me return for their final walk through when the water was on to see what we could and test everything water related.
One thing I noticed without the water being on was a severely wobbly toilet in the master bathroom. There are ceramic tile floors there, so I explained to my clients the situation, that the transition between the floor and toilet bowl is a wax donut, how water can leak down and rot the sub floor UNDER the tile, compromise the structure, etc, etc, etc.
ALL TRUE, CERTAINLY.
The buyers requested that the toilet be situated properly and any wood damage repaired.
The seller got back saying that the toilet may be wobbling and he will have it fixed, but that just because it is wobbling does not mean it is leaking so there will be no sub floor moisture or damage.
Oh, and not to pay attention to the man behind the curtain.
He suggested through his agent that the buyers would be better served by not hiring A HOME INSPECTOR WHO IS IN BUSINESS TO SCARE PEOPLE and just do his job.
They called me to ask about that. I said, "Of course wobbly toilets can leak!" And, I said, we will just wait and see.
With the water turned on, I returned and flushed the toilet only ONE TIME. Just doing my job, you know.
Wonderfully dry, as you can see...
In fact, the area underneath was mucky, there were leaks in more places than one, and the smell was glorious.
And it was my turn to suggest. I suggested that the seller had himself been under there with a can of infamous polyfoam, sealing holes so they "would not leak." Gee oh gosh oh golly, did he know it leaks?
And, to prove I am not speaking out of school, I took a couple of dem dere fotygrafs!
My recommendation: YOUR HOME INSPECTOR IS AN OBJECTIVE VOICE IN THIS PROCESS. HE/SHE/IT WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING, AND THAT IS ANYTHING, TO SIMPLY "SCARE" YOUR CLIENTS. Similarly, the home inspector does not say anything because there is a financial benefit in it for him. And, may I say, by the way, the seller is NOT objective in this process.
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