John McKenna
AMERICAN HOME INSPECTION
The following article will give you a some idea of what confronts home Inspectors and causes them to dig deep into the possible problems of each house they inspect. This is just one of the many unknown land mines that await an inspector when they walk on to a property. This article was written by Keith Swift, PhD, vice president of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI). Even though most Inspectors will have a fungi-mold disclaimer, the possibility of being sued for it is still very real.
To read the entire article go to:
http://www.nachi.org/fungus2005.htm?PHPSESSID=bcdc9b38222279ddd02990e320bad725
By Keith Swift, PhD
One of the worst cases of Poria Incrassata that I learned about began innocently enough. Escrow had closed on an expensive two-story house, and a painter was finishing the inside of a kitchen cabinet when his brush broke through the surface of a wall. After further probing, it was decided that the cabinets and the countertop would have to be removed to expose a greater area. The new owners were opposed to this at first, but then agreed. But, it didn’t end there. Eventually, the entire wall had to be opened up, and revealed dank cavities and the remains of studs that looked like mummified skin, but which were all that remained supporting some of the second story floor joists. This explained why two bedroom floors were sloping, which no one had questioned before. But, to jump to the end of the story, the owners never did move into their dream home, and a lawsuit ensued with claims that far exceeded the purchase price of the house. Would a first-rate inspector have discovered this? It is possible, because the sloping bedroom floors were certainly symptomatic of movement that should have been recommended for evaluation by a specialist.
My clients, who were expecting their first baby, were quite naturally concerned about their health and that of their unborn child, but I assured them that to the best of my knowledge Poria Incrassata was not a health-hazard, and gave them the name of a specialist who had educated me about Poria years earlier. They were relieved and thanked me, and I left feeling like a Good Samaritan. A few weeks later, they sued me, the sellers, the termite inspector, both real estate agents, and a host of others for all I know. Their attorney failed to get my name right, misrepresented me as the owner of a termite inspection company, and related a long and overstated account of the pain and suffering and emotional distress that my alleged negligence had caused. Significantly, it failed to mention one indisputable truth, which was that I was the first person to come to their aid, and had made the appropriate recommendation for a specialist evaluation. Of course, their attorney had to have asked them how they became aware of the Poria in the first place, and yet this materially significant fact was conveniently forgotten.
To read the entire article go to
http://www.nachi.org/fungus2005.htm?PHPSESSID=bcdc9b38222279ddd02990e320bad725
John B McKenna is a Certified Master Inspector serving the East Texas area. John has been licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and appoved by TREC as an inspector trainer. He has more than 25 years experience in the construction industry and is certified by the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI). He continues to update his yearly education and testing requirements. Visit his company website at www.texas-inspection.com, or call his office at 1-888-818-4838 (Toll Free) for more information.
Complete Home Inspection Service For Conroe, Lufkin, Bryan, Crockett, College Station, Livingston, Palestine, Nacogdoches,Athens, Jacksonville, Huntsville, Lake Palestine, Lake Conroe, Lake Livingston, Corsicana.
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