Contractors: Contractors and Inspectors are motivated by different purposes. You hire us to help you identify problems or concerns with your home. A Contractor wants to encourage you to buy their services. Therefore, the relationship between Contractors and Inspectors is, at times, wrought with infighting, complaint and distrust, not to mention, our opinions often differ. So it is no wonder homeowners number one source of frustration with their home inspector is through “Contractors.” Keep in mind who is doing what and the ultimate goal of their endeavors. Contractors “Fix” things and get paid for it. Don’t be surprised if you get three plumbers to tell you that you need to replace your water heater but your inspector has said that it should last a couple more years.
Non-Invasive Inspection- Your Home Inspection is a non-invasive visual inspection. There is no way to know what is in the walls, or under carpet without causing greater expense or damage to the home. Therefore, not all issues may be revealed.
Why Didn’t We See It: We often hear of contractors who say, “You had this home inspected by a professional home inspector? I cannot believe he didn’t see this.” Here are some common things we like to remind clients.
Conditions at time of inspection- We do our best to inspect your home in its existing condition at the time of inspection. Conditions may exist which limit our ability to see everything. Some examples may include: An inspection conducted in the winter time with a foot of snow on the ground and the roof. Or the original homeowner has storage boxes all along a basement wall and the home inspector cannot see behind it.
Time- We do our best to provide the highest quality inspection as efficiently as possible to maintain a reasonable price for the services we offer. As an example, it would be cost prohibitive to completely dismantle the furnace to look at the heat exchanger. While we could provide this level of service, the buyer/seller/realtor would not have the time nor the budget for that level of inspection.
Non-Invasive Inspection- Your Home Inspection is a non-invasive visual inspection. There is no way to know what is in the walls, or under carpet without causing greater expense or damage to the home. Therefore, not all issues may be revealed.
Generalist vs. Specialist- Home Inspectors are generalists, we have general expertise. We will do our best to apply our experience and training to your home. However, there may be issues which will require a specialist, such as an electrician or plumber, who has expertise in their respective fields to fully evaluate an issue. We do have general training in structural, roofing, electrical, plumbing, framing etc.
Intermittent/ Sporadic or Concealed Problems: Some problems do not occur on and predictable or regular basis and some only reveal themselves over time and use. We have seen conditions where a shower stall was fine and drained properly when the faucet was turned on for a period of time, but the weight of a person in the shower will cause it to leak.
Clueless Problems: Some problems may have existed at the time of inspection but there were no signs/clues to lead the inspector to believe there was an issue. If there are no clues that there is an issue and there are no readily visible signs, it is unreasonable to expect an inspector to find such issues.
Minor Issues: With every inspection there are minor issues that are not recorded. As Home Inspectors, we are trying to inventory the issues that may cost the homeowners significant expense in the near future. Minor superficial defects like dings in drywall or a chip in a kitchen sink are small items that are reasonable to expect when buying a pre-existing home. We try to identify and highlight the major safety and repair issues. We will do our best to note the minor things we see along the way as well.
A Home Inspection is a great way for homeowners and homebuyers to better their confidence with home ownership. A home inspection is not, in any way, Insurance nor does it completely eliminate risk.
We promise we will do our very best to build your confidence in your home.
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