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jams92
Member since 1/12 6105 total posts
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inspector - vent
i am so annoyed at our inspector - he missed two $1,500+ repairs needed on our house that we would have negotiated to get done if we knew about them in advance. now we have to take care of it on our own.
i understand they cant notice everything (although that is what you pay them for) but we have been told these were two very obvious things (one was a leak that my dad noticed the moment he walked into the room) and the other was a chimney issue that someone noticed the moment they got on the roof (and the inspector did go on the roof so we dont know how he missed it).
im so frustrated
vent over
thanks for listening
eta - is this common? has this happened to anyone else? i guess i should be glad they arent two $5,000+ repairs but still
Message edited 3/3/2014 11:09:15 AM.
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Posted 3/3/14 10:38 AM  |
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ISpoilHim
I think I got this
Member since 11/10 1523 total posts
Name:
K
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inspector - vent
When we had our home inspection done, the inspector told us that we had about 5 years left on the roof. 4 months later, we had to have repairs done to the roof because a tree fell on the house during sandy. When the roofer went up on the roof, he was like you know your roof is shot right. I told him what the inspector said and his answer was he lied. And this was in areas of the roof that were not affected by the tree falling. Cost us $16K for a new roof.
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| Posted 3/3/14 10:46 AM |
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jessnbrian
Only God knows His plan for us
Member since 4/13 7238 total posts
Name:
Jessica
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inspector - vent
I think I would have been weary if our inspector didn't get on our roof, that's such a big thing. We found issues with our chimney like that.
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| Posted 3/3/14 11:05 AM |
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Mrs213
????????
Member since 2/09 18986 total posts
Name:
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inspector - vent
Sometimes they miss things, but sometimes things that look ok at first glance can deteriorate quickly, especially with the winter we've had. how long ago did you have your inspection?
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| Posted 3/3/14 1:59 PM |
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Re: inspector - vent
To the OP - You are saying you have to pay to repair the leak yourself, so I am guessing you already closed? So I am thinking that the inspection was done 2-3 months ago, before you went to contract, if you are already in the house. Is it possible the leak (not sure what kind it is) occurred after the inspection took place?
I mean - Here's the thing: The inspectors are generalists, and they can only look at what is visible. They can't open the walls to see if pipes are corroded and may start leaking, for example. They can and should run the water and inspect for signs of leaks. Many of them have instruments that can check for moisture in ceilings and that type of thing. But whether you hire an inspector or an engineer or whomever, the scope of their inspection is limited.
Also, they are only looking at the house's condition at the time of the inspection. In a house, things can and do break all the time. About a week after I bought my house in 2008, the washing machine broke. It worked fine at the final walk through. And then it broke. And I had a 5 week old at the time. So welcome to homeownership to me and dh! LOL.
In my experience, the inspectors are very conservative and overly negative about a home's condition, because they want to CYA. Also, they will point out a ton of things that aren't even problems, per se, just things to be aware of or perhaps upgrade, because they want to earn their fee. Some inspectors/companies are known to be unscrupulous because they will bash a house, give the buyer a discount on their next inspection, and therefore try to get 2-3 fees from one buyer by tanking the inspection of the first houses.
So that's why I am surprised by the poster who is saying their roof is shot and the inspector lied. He has no incentive to lie and say something looks good when it doesn't. The inspector would have the opposite incentive! I mean, when I bought my house, the inspector said our roof would need to be replaced very soon, and almost 6 years later, it's still fine. The roofer, on the other hand has the incentive to try to get more work, right?
If it makes OP feel better - the sellers may not have agreed to cover the cost of repairs (or have the repairs done), even if they had come up at inspection. I don't know what the nature of the chimney problem is, but if it's something like it needs to be repointed or something that is in the normal wear/tear category (this comes up a lot), then you may not have had luck negotiating that. The leak would be something the seller should fix, but not all sellers agree to do anything, and they don't have to. In the increasingly competitive market with low inventory, many sellers say they are selling "as is." (That's also common with estate sales).
Inspections should always be done, and the inspectors should be thorough. I agree with all of that. But I always try to make my buyers understand that the scope of the inspection is somewhat limited, and there are no guarantees that something that is fine today won't be broken tomorrow. So the inspection is an important step, but there has to be reasonable expectations about what it will accomplish.
Sorry you had to deal with the repairs right away, though! It's always a rude awakening to us all when the reality of home ownership kicks in! 
Enjoy your new home anyway, though!
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| Posted 3/3/14 2:03 PM |
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ISpoilHim
I think I got this
Member since 11/10 1523 total posts
Name:
K
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Re: inspector - vent
Posted by Century 21 Dallow - Christine Braun
So that's why I am surprised by the poster who is saying their roof is shot and the inspector lied. He has no incentive to lie and say something looks good when it doesn't. The inspector would have the opposite incentive! I mean, when I bought my house, the inspector said our roof would need to be replaced very soon, and almost 6 years later, it's still fine. The roofer, on the other hand has the incentive to try to get more work, right?
My general point was that things happen and sometimes things are missed. I was not saying that the inspector lied, the roofer did. The roofer came to repair holes that were caused by sandy and is a lifelong family friend.
Basically I was saying that the OP should be glad it was such a small repair.
Personally I agree that inspections should be done, but I think that sometimes people put too much stock into them. I see people here refer to pass/fail inspection. Like you said Christine, inspectors are generalists and only commenting on what they can see. There is no pass/fail. I also think that buyers expect too much from sellers after the inspection. Regardless of if we had 5 days, 5 years or were on borrowed time with the roof, we would have been purchasing the house. The cost of the house and the cost of the roof still brought the house in under value, so it was a good purchase as far as we were concerned.
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| Posted 3/3/14 2:40 PM |
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Re: inspector - vent
Posted by ISpoilHim
Posted by Century 21 Dallow - Christine Braun
So that's why I am surprised by the poster who is saying their roof is shot and the inspector lied. He has no incentive to lie and say something looks good when it doesn't. The inspector would have the opposite incentive! I mean, when I bought my house, the inspector said our roof would need to be replaced very soon, and almost 6 years later, it's still fine. The roofer, on the other hand has the incentive to try to get more work, right?
My general point was that things happen and sometimes things are missed. I was not saying that the inspector lied, the roofer did. The roofer came to repair holes that were caused by sandy and is a lifelong family friend.
Basically I was saying that the OP should be glad it was such a small repair.
Personally I agree that inspections should be done, but I think that sometimes people put too much stock into them. I see people here refer to pass/fail inspection. Like you said Christine, inspectors are generalists and only commenting on what they can see. There is no pass/fail. I also think that buyers expect too much from sellers after the inspection. Regardless of if we had 5 days, 5 years or were on borrowed time with the roof, we would have been purchasing the house. The cost of the house and the cost of the roof still brought the house in under value, so it was a good purchase as far as we were concerned.
I understand - we definitely agree! And wasn't calling your roofer a liar.  Just more expressing shock that an inspector would underplay some issues, given they are usually so negative and point out everything, even when it's typical for a house of a certain age (normal wear and tear).
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| Posted 3/3/14 3:33 PM |
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MrsG823
Just call me Mommy.
Member since 1/11 5570 total posts
Name:
S
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inspector - vent
How long ago did you have your inspection done? Things can happen quickly especially with the type of weather we have had the past few months. Leaks could happen over night especially when things freeze and then thaw. I am in my house about 11 months and it has been a rude awakening especially since my house is older--Things can be fine one day and the next day you have a leaking pipe (this recently happen to me). It is possible that the inspector missed some warning signs and it could not hurt to call and discuss your concerns with them but it is possible things looked good just a couple of months ago and now there is an issue.
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| Posted 3/3/14 3:49 PM |
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jams92
Member since 1/12 6105 total posts
Name:
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Re: inspector - vent
i definitely am grateful they were such small repairs knowing what other things cost (new roof, boiler etc). this inspector did in fact on many instances note on the report "should be reviewed by a master electrician", "should be inspected by a certified plumber" etc...so much so it made me wonder why i paid him?!?! but i get it, its his job to just point things out. even knowing the electrical issues we went fwd with the house (FIL and BIL are both electricians so we were not too concerned about that)...plus as mentioned, the inspector did point out things that were not even problems, he was just being safe.
the roof/water damage however was before the winter. we had the inspection in october and we went to contract. my father came to see the house shortly after the inspection (we were in contract but had not yet closed on the house) and noticed the water damage as soon as he walked in the room. DH and i were clueless being first time home owners what to look for and yes we did assume the inspector would point out water damage. as soon as my dad saw it, he went outside got up on a ladder and was able to feel a "soft spot" as he put it which is where the rot was. this was all before the winter...but bc of the time of closing and the terrible winter we have had, we first got to do the repair now and found out the price which is why i am venting now (granted i am sure it rotted even more bc of the winter we had).
it is just frustrating to have things like that missed when as mentioned, inspectors try to point out everything and are overly cautious.
if it were something like an appliance breaking, or a pipe bursting/leaking i would understand that not being reported bc no one can predict those things (i wish they could though  ) but we were told in this specific instance that the water damage had to have been there for a while bc it rotted out wood and seeped into the house all before the winter.
ETA - we just got our first oil tank fill up and learned the oil tank leaks...but i dont blame the inspector for missing that bc its something he wouldnt have known
the joys of home ownership
Message edited 3/3/2014 4:22:58 PM.
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| Posted 3/3/14 4:11 PM |
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Re: inspector - vent
Posted by jams92
i definitely am grateful they were such small repairs knowing what other things cost (new roof, boiler etc). this inspector did in fact on many instances note on the report "should be reviewed by a master electrician", "should be inspected by a certified plumber" etc...so much so it made me wonder why i paid him?!?! but i get it, its his job to just point things out. even knowing the electrical issues we went fwd with the house (FIL and BIL are both electricians so we were not too concerned about that)...plus as mentioned, the inspector did point out things that were not even problems, he was just being safe.
the roof/water damage however was before the winter. we had the inspection in october and we went to contract. my father came to see the house shortly after the inspection (we were in contract but had not yet closed on the house) and noticed the water damage as soon as he walked in the room. DH and i were clueless being first time home owners what to look for and yes we did assume the inspector would point out water damage. as soon as my dad saw it, he went outside got up on a ladder and was able to feel a "soft spot" as he put it which is where the rot was. this was all before the winter...but bc of the time of closing and the terrible winter we have had, we first got to do the repair now and found out the price which is why i am venting now (granted i am sure it rotted even more bc of the winter we had).
it is just frustrating to have things like that missed when as mentioned, inspectors try to point out everything and are overly cautious.
if it were something like an appliance breaking, or a pipe bursting/leaking i would understand that not being reported bc no one can predict those things (i wish they could though ) but we were told in this specific instance that the water damage had to have been there for a while bc it rotted out wood and seeped into the house all before the winter.
ETA - we just got our first oil tank fill up and learned the oil tank leaks...but i dont blame the inspector for missing that bc its something he wouldnt have known
the joys of home ownership
Actually, I am surprised that the home inspector didn't point out evidence of water damage. Usually if there is water damage, they try to figure out if it's old (sometimes it's old from maybe a bathroom leak/or tub overflow, or even a problem with the old roof if a roof was recently replaced, and sellers just never bothered to repair sheetrock/paint) or an ongoing, active issue. And they usually try to troubleshoot where water is coming from. So I agree it's strange.
Usually the contract has standard language representing that the roof is free from leaks... if the water was seeping in through rot, perhaps you could have tried to work something out with the seller (credit, etc.) to address the issue. Maybe it would have been successful, but maybe not. Anyway, it's water under the bridge now.
I think the oil tank is actually something that the inspector would have picked up on, unless it's inground (hope not!) or in an inaccessible spot (crawl space). But if it was visible to the inspector, then they usually look closely for signs of cracking, patching, etc.
In any event, you will probably find that things calm down once you deal with these fixes. I know in my own house, I feel like things tend to go/break all at once, and then I go years with no major issues. Last summer/early fall, my CAC broke, my washing machine broke, and my dishwasher broke!  But usually everything is fine in the house and other than paying for maintenance type stuff, I don't find that we've had constant repairs or anything. So try not to be too upset! 
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| Posted 3/3/14 5:35 PM |
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