what is the difference between minor defects and major defects?? Is a hole in roof shingles a major or minor defect, for example?
That’s a question for your clients when you discuss the SCOPE of the inspection!!
Have you not learned anything yet, from your other useless posts?
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Its a defect. Refer it out to a roofing contractor.
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wtf kind of response is this? did you not learn anything from the code of ethics part of the course??
ya but is it major or minor??
You were already told not that long ago…!!
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Some may feel they are working for the RE Salesperson and not the client.
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I’m just going to pile on.
Open your report software.
Search for the words minor and major. If you find them, delete them, save. If the language now doesn’t make sense, re-write it, then save.
This is a pass/fail operation. As per that prior thread, If the toilet continues to run after the tank is full, that’s a fail. If you want to describe the flushing of extra gallons each time the toilet is used, as not important, feel free.
“Toilet uses copious amounts of water. Over the next 10 years, it will consume an extra 73,000 gallons of water, costing you roughly $100/year. I consider this minor because I’m a fancy man and I toss hundies out the window because I like to watch them fly away.”
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As David said it is a defect…forget major or minor.
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^^^ That ^^^
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exactly this…
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There are many things all these guys have said that is right and wrong at the same time. If a defect is a defect, it might scare clients. As a crack in a driveway in no means compares to a large horizontal foundation crack. Or a tiny hole in one shingle to a large hole in the roof.
Or a deck board that has warped to a deck with rotten posts.
If you just put them in your summary classified as a defect, the client will think the whole house is going to fall down. That’s no good for your clients. But as a person who has done construction and inspections for 30 years, there are major and minor defects. And should be written as such in a report.
Sorry I’m writing this with the phone app, and it really sucks.
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My state is crystal clear on defects. There are only two classes. The first class are material defects, which are defects that substantially affect the value, safety, or habitability of the property. The other class is basically anything that is cosmetic, stylistic, or aesthetic in nature, like a stained carpet or grime on the walls. And as a P.E. I review a ton of home inspection reports, and for the life of me I don’t know why cosmetic defects are listed in the summaries of some of these reports in the same breath as a material defect. Wear and tear on an appliance is not a material defect.
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Yes you do! You’re just trying to be nice and not piss-off any ‘sensitive types’!!
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Absolutely NOT!
Those that do are depending on such statements to act as an actual narrative so they don’t have to write a proper one!
IMO, there are two methods for Clients to get the REAL information from a report, as they won’t get it from useless Summaries (which are solely intended to make a realtors life easier)!
The first is to show up for a ‘Walk-through’ and learn first hand from the Inspector what the (significant) concerns are all about!
Secondly… READ the FULL Report. Not any crap Summary. EVERYTHING that the Inspector deems of concern should be explained in every narrative. (A smart Inspector who truely cares about his Client, won’t even bother with including a Summary).
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SO you do not provide a summary in your report? what software do you use that does not have a summary feature?
Nope!
I stopped issuing Summaries in about 2009, and I think that maybe I have only been asked twice by an agent if they will be getting one since. Clients don’t even know they exist, and don’t give a rats ass about them when they do find out they exist. Up until Covid happened, nearly 90% of all residential clients attended the full inspection, about 5% only at the end, and the last 5% not at all. Because I spend real time with my clients, I rarely ever get a phone call with questions, and the few complaints were 100% from agents with bugs up their asses because I was in charge of my Inspection, not them!!
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Where does a leaky or loose gutter fit in these two classes?
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I would have to say that example fits in the material defect definition because of the potential for water intrusion and degradation of the home structure. Sometimes it boils down to a judgment call as to what defect gets the red check or black X or whatever icon your software program assigns it. If it’s a safety issue or affects the integrity of the home, I would assuredly classify it as a major defect that would automatically show up in the summary. Our narratives will go a long way in clarifying a defect to the client. And as Jeffrey has said, explaining things to the client during the walkthrough and emphasizing reading the entire report is so important to avoid problems or confusions down the road.
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That’s interesting. Something I will think about. It would also make my report a couple pages shorter!
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