Columbus Ohio real estate

 

I’ve written about buyers attending the home inspection, and I’ve written about buyer’s agents attending the home inspection.  I’ve never written about home sellers attending the home inspection because I thought this was a no-brainer... but I received a lot of comments on a member-only post last week that made me realize that many real estate agents don't agree with me.

When the buyers aren't there, great.

If the buyers aren’t going to attend the inspection, I have no problem with the seller being home for the inspection.  In fact, sometimes it’s actually nice because I have someone to talk to, instead of just talking to myself.  I can ask the seller about mysterious stains, I can ask why they installed something this way when it’s usually done that way… come to think of it, when it’s just me and the seller present, I ask a ton of questions.  I get to know the sellers a little, and I often get a call from them later when they’re read to have their next house inspected.  I’ll all for it.

But when the buyer attends...

On the other hand, if the buyers are going to attend the inspection, which is what happens with the majority of my business, I would much prefer that the seller take off.

On the rare occasions when the seller is present, it can sometimes make for an uncomfortable inspection.  It’s tough for a seller to have some stranger walking through their house pointing out defects.  Many sellers get angry or defensive, and oftentimes can’t help themselves from butting in with defensive comments or challenging me.  I stand behind my recommendations and opinions, but it’s a huge waste of my client’s time if I have to spend half the inspection justifying my words and actions to a seller.

I typically show up to inspections about fifteen to twenty minutes early, often before the seller has left yet.  If I get the impression that the seller isn’t planning on leaving, I’ll usually ask a few pointed questions.  "So, are you planning on sticking around for this inspection?” If the answer is yes, I’ll say “Ok… did you know the buyers are coming too?”  At this point, the seller typically gets a shocked look and says they had no idea that the buyers would be coming, and they rush to get out of the house.

On the rare occasion that the seller plans on staying, I feel out the situation.  If the seller says they’ll leave me and my clients alone, great.  If the seller answers the door with a scowl and tells me they’re not going anywhere, I politely tell them that I respect the fact that it’s their house and they can do what they want, but I would prefer they leave.  If they still don’t want to, that’s their business, but most buyers are very uncomfortable with the seller being home for the inspection.  The sellers should be gone during the home inspection for all the same reasons that sellers are gone for any showings.

The most common reason I’ve heard for people that do want the sellers present is so that they can answer any questions that the home inspector has about the house.  I have a very simple solution: have the sellers leave a phone number.  Done and done.

 

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections

                  

The phone rings and a loud noise blares straight to my eardrum via my blue tooth insert. No introduction, no hello.

"YOU SAY THERE'S MOLD IN THE ATTIC AND EVERYONE KNOWS THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS MOLD IN AN ATTIC!"  At the same time a finger came out of my phone and poked me on my chest emphasizing every syllable.  And I felt some spit on my cheek.  I recognized the voice of Myrtle McGirdle (not her real name), a well known real estate cutie, unpleasant on her best days.  She is the demure listing agent of the house I had inspected that afternoon.

This was going to be fun.  So I played along.  "Excuse me?"

"YOU DID AN INSPECTION ON MY LISTING ON PLEASANT PLACE (not the real street name) AND SAID THERE IS MOLD IN THE ATTIC!!"  The finger moved to my nose and the spit a bit heavier.  It was accompanied by heavy breathing.  The breathing did nothing for me.

Still playing dumb, but being very polite (remember the Scout Law - courteous, kind, cheerful, friendly), "Oh, Myrtle?  Actually I did not say there is mold in the attic.  I said ' there are conducive conditions in the attic space, including a complete lack of ventilation and a bath vent that blows air into the attic space, that are contributing to the substantial evidence of the amplification of molds and/or fungi in the attic structure, sheathing and insulation.' "

"THAT'S JUST HOME INSPECTOR MUMBO JUMBO!"  That time the spit flew into my eye.  I really hate that.

"Actually, as you know, Myrtle, in Virginia I cannot say that something is definitively mold unless there is a mold test which identifies suspected growths as mold.  So that is why the report reads as it does.  But just between you and me, what's up there is mold.  And a lot of it.  You do remember that the house is surrounded by large, high trees and it does not dry out.  That, combined with the lack of attic ventilation and humidity from the house, really contribute to that problem.  And your client covered up the gable vents!"

"THAT'S RIDICULOUS!  I HAVE NEVER IN ALL MY YEARS HEARD OF MOLD IN AN ATTIC!"

"Really?  Gee, I could be wrong.  Can I email you a couple of photos for you to look at?  You are very experienced, and maybe you could tell me what it is.  Would you do that for me?"

"YES, SEND THEM TO ME!  I'LL HAVE A LOOK AND CALL YOU RIGHT BACK!"  That softened her.  The finger stopped.  So I selected a couple of photos and sent them along.

 

 

 

 

 

Now, of course I can be wrong and am willing to be corrected.  If any of you can help the situation, please call me directly so I can get your diagnosis right to Myrtle.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know.  What do you think?  There are more photos.  It is really bad up there.

Please help.  I want some solid suggestions for when Myrtle calls back.

She still hasn't called.

I don't know why.

She said she would call right back.

For sure she will call any minute now.

I'm hearing crickets.

My recommendation:  Before you ASSail a home inspector to rip a report, don't ASSume anything.  Be sure before you make any ASSumptions.  ASSiduous care to proper information is an ASSet during a business conversation.  Doing that, I ASSure you, your ASSociations with others will improve and fewer adjectives will be ASSigned to your name.  Gee, I hope the photos ASSuaged her curiosity...  She'll call any minute now, most ASSuredly.  After all, we know what happens when we ASSume.

Mold - it's not just for basements anymore!  Got mold?

 

 

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia

www.jaymarinspect.com

We home inspectors are processing a huge amount of information as we pass through a house. Distractions can lead to the inspector forgetting something or making a mistake. While most inspectors use a checklist of some type, part of the job is intuitive and there is lots of data to record and any number of curve balls might be thrown at us along the way. Sellers who bring the wild kids along and, while the inspector concentrates, various underage family members tinker with things --- like the burners on the range -- can be a real risk as well.

There are situations that are out of the "norm." Situations where a homeowner has something setup differently than the average homeowner can be a sign of rough waters. You know, the fire-door to the garage is propped open for the pet raccoon, duct tape keeps the broken furnace cover in place. These oddities, and trying to get things back as they were, can drive an inspector to drinking. I had one the other day where it took me, and the realtor, ten minutes to get the hot water shutoff to a tub. I know it was like that before I began, but nobody provided a warning.

Sometimes the inspector has to connect the dots to cover the rear appendage. Case in point: Cat. Some people teach the cat to use the toilet. Clue: green insert and kitty litter.

I have no clue where said cat was. I know he was in the house because I saw a flash of orange when I was on the outside. Once inside, he was hiding from me.

Most homeowners want the lid left down on the toilet. Inspectors get used to doing that as a courtesy. I was done inspecting this first toilet of three and I put the lid down. Then I saw, psychic abilities on my part, a potential "stupid home inspector" complaint in my future. 

Fact: Despite the cat's low indoor profile, there was a cat lurking nearby. And this was a smart cat, obviously a reader and a doer -- a cat of action.

I had to assume that he was used to indoor plumbing because, despite my seeing a scratching post and food and toys, I saw no kitty litter box. If I was to, in my absent-minded delirium, close the lid on this critically situated toilet, I would be putting the cat's urinary tract and digestive system under duress. And, if the cat decided to go elsewhere, I could visualize the call in my future.

The phone rings, and I answer: "Hey you inspected my house and you owe me a new rug and a new hardwood floor. And, frankly, the poor kitty needs mental health counseling. What kind of dummy are you? My cat uses the toilet in the master bath, has for months now, and you put the lid down. You are such a moron, couldn't you figure that one out? I hope you are insured and have deep pockets because this is going to cost you a pretty penny."

This sounds far fetched, and probably is, but anyone who has been doing this for a few years knows that homeowners think that inspectors are psychic and can foresee all future eventualities, even when the homeowner has some odd ball situation at his or her house. I could have dodged a nearly invisible bullet that time. This is not a profession for those who are easily rattled or stressed-out by accusations or controversy.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

The one home inspection item that consistently causes home buyers to 'freak out' more than anything else is a gas leak. Gas explosions like the ones that recently happened in Edina and Saint Paul are probably the main causes of all the paranoia about natural gas.  Believe it or not, small gas leaks are actually quite common at old houses, and they're usually simple for a plumber to fix.  Today I'll share the most common locations for gas leaks, and I'll share my home inspection techniques for finding gas leaks in old Minneapolis and Saint Paul homes.

The most common place for me to find gas leaks is at gas valves.  Older style gas valves that aren't allowed any more today are often referred to as lube valves or plug valves.

 

These valves are easily identified by a nut or spring on the valve, across from the handle; newer gas valves don't have these.  I would estimate that I find leaks at about one out of every five of these valves.  Gate valves, which should only be used for water, are also common offenders.

The repair is always simple - replace the the valve.  In Minneapolis, if the appliance being served by an improper valve is replaced, the valve must be replaced at the same time.

The second most common location for gas leaks is at unions.  A gas union is a fitting that provides a disconnection point for a gas appliance.  If the union doesn't get tightened enough, it will definitely leak.  Notice the bubbles in the union below?  That's a small gas leak.

Flare fittings are the last common offender.  Here in Minnesota, soft copper gas tubing is allowed just about anywhere, but it takes a little more skill to properly install soft copper than other types of gas piping.  For a flare fitting, copper tubing gets flared out at the end and connected with a flare nut.  If this connection gets bent or isn't tight enough, it will leak.

  

To find these gas leaks, I mostly rely on my nose.  If there's a gas leak, I can almost always smell it.  To pinpoint the location of a gas leak, I use a combustible gas detector.  If I see any suspicious work or I run across old or improper gas valves, I just go right to my gas detector, and I quickly check the fittings.

I truly believe that my nose is just as accurate as my gas detector, but I look a little silly running my nose along gas pipes to find leaks.  That's why I use a tool.  If I find a leak with my combustible gas detector, I confirm the leak by using a gas leak detection solution; it's just an expensive blue liquid that does about the same thing that dish soap would - it bubbles if there's a leak.  To make it easier for the repair person coming in behind me, I also mark the location of the leak with orange electrical tape, and I write "Gas Leak" on the tape, along with an arrow showing exactly where the leak is.

I've heard stories about appliance connectors leaking, but I've never found one that leaked. Next week I'll talk about defects with appliance connector installations.

RELATED POST: Natural Gas Leaks

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections

                  

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this comment, I would be living in the Bahamas right now!

First, let me set the scene; I'm a retired General Contractor with sub-licenses in HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical. I've paid my dues arguing with City Inspectors for many years.  I'm not saying all City inspectors are lazy, crooked, or lax in their duties. There are some that are, just like in any other profession. Most are hard working professionals doing the best they can under the circumstances.

The biggest issue is lack of funding, under staffing and heavy workload.  Most are expected to do 15-25 inspections a day! And on residential, they are "All-Trade" inspectors, making the call on 12 or more trades.  No one can know everything about everything.  They pick their battles and let the rest slide, many times they are given the "fault de jour" to look for by the higher ups. (I think they pick them with a dart board)

Realtors! Listen up!  The City Inspector is far too busy to catch everything.  As a Home Inspector (for the last 6 years with over 2500 inspections), I spend 2-4 hours going over a house I'm inspecting.  The City Inspector spends 15-20 minutes if you are lucky because he/she has 20 more to do today. The shifty contractors are very good at dissembling and miss-directing to avoid getting caught out.  There are lots of little "tricks-of-the-trade" that can be used.  Little things like making an obvious glaring mistake that the inspector will be sure to find and then using up all his time on site "discussing" a fix for it that he will pass.  Now he/she just signs off the rest, often with out further investigation because he's waaaaay behind.

He never catches all the "cheats" that are usually there but gets waylaid by the phony defect placed there for his benefit. Believe me, THERE ARE LOTS OF THEM!  We find them all the time because we have the time to look.

Another issue is that the City operates under the shield of "In the Public good" and this basically means THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE for misses.  If they were held responsible for mistakes, the City would be sued every other day and they could never do the job.  Construction would grind to a halt!  Talk about a pissed off public! The houses would get build one at a time and take 6-9 months each. Every City inspection would take all day for each phase and there would need to be specialists for each trade.

So, the next time the Home Inspector says something is wrong, please don't say "the city inspector said.........". You might just get a knuckle sandwich! LOL Just kidding!  I usually just say 'that's nice, but it's still wrong and not safe". "You DO care about the safety of your clients, right?"   Not to mention the safety of your bank account and E & O insurance deductible.

Many people hear the words 'aluminum wiring' and think it is a death sentence, yet others have never heard of it, or why it is a problem. Many homes were wired with aluminum wiring, sometimes all circuits are aluminum, and sometimes only a few, or even one.

Between the years 1965 and 1975 (approximately), aluminum wiring was used, but the manufacturers realized ther was a problem, and the composition of the alumimum wiring changed around 1972 so it wasn't as problematic.

First of all, many utility companies use aluminum from the utility pole to your service connections due to its lighter weight, so it is not illegal. When connections loosen up, the lack of a tight connection is what causes 'arcing' which is kind of like a spark because of this loose connection. When arcing happens in an electrical service box and something like paper insulation catches this spark, you can have a fire.

If wiring connections at the receptacle or wall switch loosen up, this can also cause a fire. These things loosen up because all metals expand and contract at different rates when current passes through it. It gets hot, then cools down. After many years, this heating and cooling happens thousands of times. When aluminum expands and contracts at a different rate than the screw that holds it, this difference in expansion and contraction over the years causes connections to loosen up. Also, loose connections cause  more current to gather at this poor connection and wires get hot. Hot wires within walls can cause a fire. Did you ever hear of someone opening up a wall during a renovation and finding old newspaper? This is an easy way for a fire to occur.

Wire can also 'work harden'. This is when you bend and flex wiring and other metals. When you bend some metals, the point at which they bend tends to harden, and if you keep on flexing it, it eventually breaks. So imagine running a wire behind a wall where it has to bend and flex in order to be 'snaked' within walls. If you were to look at this bend location closely, you would see minute cracks. Work hardening can also cause wires to fail.

Pigtailing was the main way to alleviate aluminum wiring problems, but many electricians in my area no longer do this. They recommend the wiring be replaced. So, it is their call - follow their advice. - Ray