I just got off the phone with a client that I did an inspection for that lives out of town and was not able to join me at the home they were purchasing. The Realtors set it up and gave me 2 hours notice to do the out of town inspection at the drop of a hat. The home is a 1904 Victorian and was remodeled and updated over the years (mostly cosmetic lol). So, when I was in the basement I called out the bulging brick wall, more than 4 inches off plumb!
Of course the Realtors are in a hurry to close the deal and don't want the inconvenience of further inspections by contractors and structural engineers, as I had recommended. I told the Realtors that if they had a structural engineer certify that there was no structural problem, that I would be happy to modify my report to reflect such. Well the buyer called me and said they were not sure why the Realtors wanted them to call me ,because my report was thorough and this issue was obvious. The buy told me that the sellers inspector said "it was just cosmetic" when they purchased the home. I let them know I was not that kind of inspector ;) and that unfortunately there are some people out there that will push deals through at the expense of the buyer. Luckily, this buyer was educated and a seasoned homeowner that also happens to adjust claims on housing defects for the insurance industry.
I feel bad for the sellers who hired an inspector that must not have had their best intrest in mind.
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