Hypothetical
ABC real estate agent Joe Schmo told me he would use me exclusively if we could work out a little arrangement where he got $50 for every inspection that he led me to. I told Joe Schmo that that wasn’t how I wanted to earn his business and would be prefer not to do business with him at all…
I have read the article regarding “A Garage Inspection” to find that you must be aware of, improper alterations and improper bearing points. The article pointed out the “Trusses cannot be altered without approval from a “Structural engineer”. Seeing that the roof is connected to the garage the article states that “Typical roof trusses should not touch any interior walls and should bear only on the exterior walls.” So looking for “triangular gussets, inadequate metal connectors, fasteners and Improper fastener installation”, should be a practice used in every inspection because this can become a structural issue and should be referred to a “Structural engineer”.
This is a hypothetical situation that could violate the inspectors code of ethics. A realtor/ buyer hired me to do an inspection. The occupant/ seller named “jill” is at the house. Jill is very friendly and personable, and engages in friendly conversation. At certain areas of the house she shows up to see what I am looking at. She asks if this or that is a problem and if it is going in the report. I tell her that I was hired by the client to do the report for them. If I disclose any information from the report to a third party it violates internachi code of ethics and my duty as an inspector. As an inspector one needs to remember to keep their mouth shut even if someone is very nice and friendly.
As someone interested in becoming a home energy inspector, the “10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home” article caught my eye. Simple things such as waiting to do laundry until you have a full load or installing low-flow showerheads can increase a homes energy efficiency. Home inspectors can become certified and provide a valuable service to their clients.
Hypothetical Essay:
The realtor informs you that the A/C isn’t cooling properly and he has a certified HVAC technician scheduled to repair it in a couple of days. The realtor requests the issue be left off of your report. As the inspector, you must refuse his request, for the integrity of yourself, the industry and your customer’s interest.
Hypothetical Conflict Essay:
A new home inspector goes out to market him/her self to realtors he tells the realtor that he has been in business for the past 15 years and if they use him to inspect homes he will make sure the deal gets done. Also he/she tells the realtors for every home inspection they send they will receive a check for $50.00. This is a complete conflict because 1. you can’t make false claims about your experience 2. how do you make every deal work and 3. you are not allowed to reward clients with cash rewards.
I read the library article on carpet in bathrooms.
Some houses and mobile homes built in the 70’s to 90’s had carpet installed in the bathroom. Many have been upgraded to tile, laminate, vinyl or hardwood, but there are some still around. When installing new floors in carpeted bathrooms, I have had a few where i had to replace a good portion of the subfloor due to rot.
The floor should be inspected carefully in a carpeted bathroom, especially around the toilet and shower/tub area. There can be rotted subfloor, and mold, mildew and bacteria under and in the carpet and padding. Since you cant pull up the carpet, you should visually look for heavy carpet staining and a toilet that is not level. Notice any strong smell of mold mildew or stale urine. You should also feel that the toilet is solid and feel for soft, spongy areas in the subfloor. I would consider rotting subfloor in a bathroom to be a material defect which should be addressed.
After reading the article on AFCI testers, I began to wonder if I needed to acquire one in addition to my GFCI tester. In Ohio any home built after March 28, 2008 is supposed to comply with NEC 2005,which states all bedroom outlets shall be protected by a listed arc-faultcircuit interrupter. In addition in February of 2016 Ohio accepted the 2014 NEC standards which expanded this to essentially every room in a normal house. Now for my quandary, in Ohio a lot of counties do not have the capacityto strictly enforce these codes. So it is quite possible I could be inspecting a home built in 2009 that does not comply with the NEC 2005 code for arc-fault circuit-interrupter protection. While my role as aninspector does not include building code compliance, in this example the home never met the building code at the time of construction. After reading the article on AFCI testers, Ibelieve two things. I should acquire a tester since the Ohio building codes now require the protection. Secondly I have a potential issue when I report that the home (in myexample) should have a AFCI circuit but does not, keeping the real estate agent from taking my head off.
I have a friend that is a real estate agent. If she asked me to leave information off a report, such as mold or cracks, to sweeten the deal for her client, that would be unethical and I would refuse. Even if they have already scheduled to resolve the issue in the future, I need to put it in the report.
The topic that I chose to research and write about is the hazards and inspection of the crawlspace. It interests me as an inspector because it seems to be one of the most dangerous places to work in the house. It is dangerous because of the cool dark environment. This makes it a popular spot for mold, fungus, termites, snakes, spiders, and asbestos. The other common problems to look out for are standing water or sewage, structural collapse, and improper wiring. Not only are there small annoyances in a crawlspace such as low light and a stench, there can be much more dangerous problems like being electrocuted, picking up a disease, or the house collapsing on you. It is very important to remember to be safe when entering and inspecting a crawlspace.
Question My Morales?
There was a time when everything was going so good in my life. Then, I got laid off. I had worked as a framer for over 15 years. After religiously looking for work, months passed by. I had to come up with an idea. Keeping my ears open I began to notice how many real estate agents I knew. After researching, I decided to start my own business as a residential home inspector. I began to network with friends and promises from them to give me the business made me feel this was the right decision. I became a certified inspector and began meeting with agents and passing out business card. Helen wanted me to meet with her after work to discuss my relationship with her company. She began talking about her ten agent office and how much business they could direct my way. I felt like there was a but coming. I thought she wanted special pricing. It turns out the agency had five houses they couldn’t seem to sell. These homes had issues ranging from safety to cooling issues. She stated, “its the winter time, no one will notice that the AC doesnt work until spring or summer”. I thought for a moment about all the business she could send my way. Then I thought about the people that would be buying these homes. I told her “thanks but no thanks”. That’s not the way I want to start my business. When a person pays for a service you should give them your best. Helen paused. I was surprised at what happened next. Helen said, “I am so pleased to hear your passion to do what’s right”. This was a test and Im so glad you passed. I needed to know who I was partnering with. Ive been in business for over 20 years and you dont stay in business this long not doing whats right.
Tony Rutledge 08/30/2016
Just starting the course.
Sample essay
I arrived at Home X for a 9am inspection. After completing the inspection I found several items that were in need of repair and notified the owner. The next day the owner calls me and asks if I would be interested in making a few extra bucks on the side and repair the few items I had found during my inspection. How should I answer?
You have been hired by a home buyer and you are on site performing the home inspection with the seller present. During the inspection the seller indicates that if this sale goes well he wants to hire you in the future. The seller mentions that he is confident the inspector’s report will be positive and attempts to effectively influence the inspector by handing him cash for an alleged future inspection. In such a scenario I think it is an apparent conflict of interest to accept money from the seller while you are representing the buyer’s interest, and an unethical way to conduct business.
Why is backflow a problem?
Backflow can potentially cause contaminated water to enter the distribution supply causing sickness or serious injury. Backflow devices are a common method of preventing this from happening.
As a new home inspector you are presented with this proposition: In exchange for regular home inspection customer referrals you are to offer to employ the Realtor’s brother as a home inspector in your company. This arrangement would violate the Inter-Nachi Home Inspector code of conduct and should be declined. A call to the Realtor licensing board may be necessary to stop this type of ‘offer’.
Realtor informs me that home has and has recently been painted over but wants me to not write the mold up in report. Clearly a violation of code of ethics.
Anti tip devices on free standing range.
All free standing ranges built after 1991 are to have a anti tip device innstalled and to check to see if installed correctly. the inspector should firmly grab the rear top of range and tip forward. It should not tip more than a couple inches before anti yip device stops the range.
The article that I researched was about solar enegy. One advantage is the raw materials used to make them are unlimited. Solar power is low emission so it doesn’t produce pollution. You won’t hear any noise from them because they don’t contain any moving parts. In the long run its economical. The initial investment may be costly but will be offset by savings on enegy bills.
Hypothetical Essay
Upon finishing a home inspection, I notice issues pertaining to the roof. The homeowner and realtor insures me that a roofing contractor has been contacted and is fixing the issue. They insure me that the problem will be fixed before the house is sold to the home buyer. They would like for me to leave it off of the report. However, I cannot do that due to what is right and wrong and InterNachi’s code of ethics.
One thing that would be a violation of the Code of ethics.Would be to charges a person based on race.Or offer to do side jobs like pools,roofing,cutting grass,or bribery for a good inspection report.