Let me first set the scene. I WAS going to include an email correspondance from a listing agent in regards to the inspection findings that were present (Mind you I said PRESENT, not CREATED by the inspector).
Let's get a couple of things straight first. For a very,very old home there were the "typical" items that are prevalent to all older homes. As a professional home inspection agency, we always preach "calling like it is" but also keep in mind the time frame that the home was built. Simply stated, there are things that an inspector is more likely to discover and often feel more comfortable about than if those same conditions were in a more modern home. Many of these "item" are typically things that occur over the course of time, lets just call them "wear and tear items".
Regardless of the age of the home, you will often find things that may have been done that are more current, such as upgrades to electrical, plumbing and hvac items to name a few. When these more current upgrades are present, they have to be looked at with a more "modern eye". Concerns such as workmanship relative to the installation of such items with an eye to safety is always a focus during the inspection as well as the "professionalism" of installation (for example, work that was professionally done OR done by the home owner who knows enough to tackle the job themselves OR a professional installation who just isn't that good at what they do). In looking at these items, the concern is always are they "big ticket" items to remedy and/or in addition to being safety related.
It was at this point that I was going to include the email....but I decided not to. But let me just say that in the thousands of inspections that our company has performed, we have NEVER found a home that could be deemed PERFECT. Granted, you will have your newly built home that have no "wear and tear factors to contend with but really are just an examination of the installation of components to verify that they are done in an appropriate manner or to make sure something has not been forgotten. And yes, even though a NEW home is also inspected along the way for code compliance by the municipality ,which by the way, technically a home inspection does not include code compliance specifically but examines the condition of the house and its components in the capacity of being done right and in a safe manner, things are still often found not to be completed or done right. Code enforcement officers are human too and sometimes can't catch everything in the 20 to maybe 30 minutes they are there. Mind you there day is often filled up with anywhere from 8 to 20 inspections in the same day. There is absolutely NO WAY that even the most competent person can direct themselves thru the home and inspect the necessary items in such a short time.
Then you have an existing home. Depending on the age and maintenance factors involved you can have a number of different scenarios present as far as the condition of the home. This is when it's especially important to be the unbiased, professional inspector that we all strive to be and "call it like it is". Now ones ability to do this is completely based not only on the inspector's knowledge of the home and its systems but also on their ability to systematically go thru the home and gather the information in a way that can be understood by everyone in the written form. This report should be straight forward and be easily understood by the first time buyer who knows nearly nothing about homes to the well educated tradesperson or to the person who lies somewhere in between and may have obtained their education from "Google University".
Home inspections,quite simply stated are based on following the protocols of your association's standards of practice or the guidelines' of your State. "If you can't see it, then you can't inspect it". So here lies the dilemma of the knowledgeable home inspector or company that has a group of well trained home inspectors with a keen eye on the visible conditions of a home, both good and bad conditions mind you. How will the parties involved understand this information that is ultimately provided. Well , that's also the easy part, at least at first.
When something is present AND visible, then we can ALL see it to be the way that it is. That's the easy part. Now, for the inspector that happens to know more than the average inspector, an inspection can turn into a much more potentially educational situation as compared to an inspection done by a lesser experienced inspector. With this "extra" knowledge that the inspector may be able to share comes the responsibility to allow all the participants, especially the client to understand what's going on.
The reality is that everyone has different comfort levels with certain conditions of the home and as much as some issues are simple to discuss or fix, they may still be "big ticket" or safety concern and STILL have to be addressed, either by the buyer, seller or a collaboration of both. There are some situations where a contractor may need to be involved in order to further evaluate the condition that was visible by the experienced home inspector. To some parties this may seem to add another inspection to the home inspection and technically it does but keep in mind this is often necessary because the protocols of the home inspector DO NOT ALLOW us to take certain components apart where as this is basic protocol for the contractor to do in their "inspection" of the same component or system.
Now I know what some of you are saying....why not just get a contractor to look at everything and skip the home inspection. The fact is that the home inspector is evaluating the condition of the home in an unbiased way. The contractor should only be brought in when certain conditions are apparent to improper workmanship or "wear and tear" or lack of normal operation/maintenance or safety related and could potentially hinder the functionality of the system of put the occupant in harms way. The reality is that most home owners are not aware of when these conditions exist or should be done because quite frankly unless something breaks down many people may not stay ahead of the curve and properly maintain things. Also, everyone has different comfort levels with the "wear and tear" that surrounds them at their home. It's up to the home inspector to determine the "functionality" of the systems and detail if something should be done as result.
So, to all those involved in a real estate transaction, buyers,sellers and real estate professionals alike, I would like to provide some concluding thoughts......the conditions that exist at a home are there before the inspector gets there. Contractors sometimes exhibit their trade at different skill levels and in some cases may allow an unsafe condition or less than professional workmanship to exist. Also, the reality is that things will occur in the future that may not be quite apparent at the time of the inspection (this is the responsibility of the home inspector to make especially clear that the client understands this). Any item that falls under the protocols of inspection and is inspected but reveals itself to be free from significant defects and be functional can be concluded to be fine at the time of inspection. If these conditions are not met, then it's our obligation as home inspectors to identify these items and explain the circumstances to the client.
Because everyone is different, this is where the comfort level of the client may differ, even once everyone is educated on the situation. Let's all behave like rational professionals and move forward knowing everyone wants what best for themselves (I'm talking about the buyer and seller) based on CURRENT conditions of the home. The concerns of the buyer moving in should NEVER be trivialized by the listing side (realtor and/or buyer) ASSUMING that the conditions stated TRULY do exist and should be addressed. It's obvious that one side is leaving the property and the other side is coming to hopefully stay for the long haul. Each have different perspectives when looking at "the deal". Rational minds will often prevail when we look at what's in front of us and usually things turn out for the best when the BEST INTEREST OF OUR CLIENT IS THE OBJECTIVE. This is done by each of us doing our respective jobs and letting the system work itself out.
Enough said ....for now.....
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