Hi,
First post, just started on certification classes. I saw this article and was wondering what someone with experience thinks of it. Are her complaints regarding the flipped house she bought reasonable?
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bought-flipped-house-home-inspector-36974128
Regards,
Tyler
Many of her issues that she described in the article would not be observed during a visual home inspection. As far as sizing the HVAC system this is outside the scope of the home inspection. There was a mention of codes, we are not code inspectors.
The poorly graded gutter should have been discovered and reported on.
One thing to keep in mind it appears many of the items she describes were working properly and then stopped working. The home inspection is not a guarantee of future component operation.
Agree with @mwilles. Maybe some, but not enough to throw the HI completely under the bus. Then again, she could have gotten the $295 special that many HI’s are doing. Not enough info from her end.
Sometimes the posted story is not totally accurate. In her mind it is.
You get what you pay for 
Always 2 sides to a story. We have heard hers. Maybe there was no washer to run and even a cheap HI might have suggested a drain scope. If not he should have on an older home.
Agree, Might have gone with the bargain price and got what they paid for.
I will do it for $195.00, NOT
I agree. Most of her issues came up later after she moved in or could not be discovered during a visual inspection.
But at the very end, the light bulb goes off…what you get for $295
“I wish we had stopped to find one with more experience dealing with flipped properties.”
Ya think?!
I agree one red flag was a loose fuse in the fuse box resulted in a switch not working in the hallway. I’m sure that fuse would have affected more than a switch in the hallway.
“The electrician tightened fuses…” - what a load of bull. Total fiction!
One thing that stands out in all ‘flips’ and would have been reported is poor workmanship! All flips I’ve done have gotten the accelerated disclaimer. That basically says that this home has gotten a cosmetic makeover that will HIDE certain defects. This is a common feature of “flips”.
I agree completely that you get what you pay for, but in my experience you also don’t get what you pay for. That seems to be more true these days than it’s ever been.
It’s been “revealed” in a separate thread that I am considered the lowballer in the industry with a starting price at $249. My main competitor is a multi-inspector firm, we’ll call them Anteater Inspections, whose starting price is $320. They give everyone a $25 coupon, a “free” 90 day (worthless) warranty, and a “free” NPMA-33 pest inspection(worthless unless you’re getting VA loan).
Their inspector employees start at 30% of the inspection fee or about $96 per inspection. They use their personal auto and they do not even get reimbursed for mileage. They are also given a realtor referral bonus incenting them to suck up to realtors. What incentive to perform a thorough inspection and detailed report does an inspector have in this scenario?
I have on multiple occasions been called to to perform repairs on properties inspected by them. Without getting into specific details, I am shocked at what they miss and even their misunderstanding of what was reported.
Getting back to the OP, the inspector could have just as likely been an underpaid multi-inspector firm employee.
I am always a little suspicious of “flipped” homes. I tend to be a little more thorough in the hopes that I will find something that they tried to hide, such as a bootlegged outlet. Because the housing market is still super hot in my area, many flippers will lipstick a pig and advertise it as updated.
If I inspected the alleged flipped house in the article, I would have certainly called out the outdated fuse box. In my experience, flippers never update the electrical service.
Definitely something I need to start adding to more reports!
I prefer “Substandard” workmanship as the word “Poor” is too subjective.
Good call and very valid point!
Good call. That’s better language.
I can’t “see” anything that the inspector reasonably would have picked up on except maybe the “rain gutters not installed at the correct Slope”…I mean it was Raining on the day of the inspection, was it not??? or seeing no rain Why didn’t the inspector go up with his level and check that?? (crap there is more than 400 lineal feet of gutter surrounding my hipped roof house…)
And how many flips do we see with a washer and dryer installed??? (frankly I only run these if the house is vacant otherwise and appears the old crappy (not worth the trouble of moving) Laundry Equipment is staying or it is a rental and I know that there is a good chance the furnature as well as the washer and dryer are staying.
Oh and yes the Fuses… yeah you bet that inspector was to check the torque of them babies against “bubba’s fuses for dummies torque guide”. We have one of two things going on here…either the sparky is making crap up or “the Writer” of this fabricated story pulled that out of her butt…(I believe it is called journalistic license for embellishment and fiction to enhance readability and or for entertainment)
Gads you know for a professional Writer she really missed the opportunity to call out The “Black Mold” that was missed “Under The Fresh Coat of Paint”…of her Flip. I mean what hit piece on an inspector is complete with out the words “Black Mold” included?
Great point. In retrospect, the price was immaterial. She did not qualify her inspector, regardless of the price she would not have found value in his service.
How about “looks like shit” ??? 
I agree “substandard” is a better term over poor but have used both a lot over the years.
“Flipped” houses are just such a landmine of liability. Buyers (and agents) think everything is beautiful and new and what they can see often is. Of course, the one paying for everything doesn’t want to spend a dime more than necessary.
As for her specific complaints? Meh. Sure there are things that could have been found but lots of things beyond the scope or stopped working after she moved in.
One of the two full blown lawsuits my company has had over the last 20 years was on a “flip” and sounds a lot like this. In the end, the buyers’ expectations on flips are usually not realistic and they don’t want to hear us. They just want to gawk at the new “open concept” kitchen.
