GFCI protection is found in and outside of most modern homes in wet areas only. One of the benefits of GFCI is that it is faster than a breaker, but not always completely reliable. I have found that GFCI outlets do not always trip when tested. This can be due to multiple problems.
The GFCI outlet is bad and needs to be replaced.
The GFCI outlet is positioned improperly along the circuit. The GFCI outlet should be the closest outlet in the series to the sub or main panel.
Your tester is bad. Always carry two when in doubt.
In reading the section about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide, I found a few things interesting. CO has always been referred to as the “silent killer” , but it seems that in most states where I have lived there is only a requirement to have one detector.
In reading the article, the recommendation is to have multiple detectors throughout the home:
-within 10’ of every bedroom
-every floor
-near the garage; or over it if there is a living area
-near all combustible appliances
As someone who has worked as a contractor in both the commercial and residential industries, the focus on ethics with InterNACHI has been refreshing.
There are so many facets of the building industry that suffer from lack of ethics from the bid process to the actual work performed. To become a part of an organization that has this as their central and initial topic is really intriguing. I look forward to continuing the courses.
As a home inspector, there is a wide variety of conflicts of interest that may arise.
I am a licensed contractor in my state, and a potential conflict of interest that best relates to me is being offered to do any repairs or work on the house/property. This would make the results of any inspection I do questionable at best.
I operate a business as a Washington State Home Inspector, Structural Pest Inspector and was a General Contractor for 13 years, with 30+ years of residential and small commercial construction experience, consisting of clearing lots or plats as large as 22 acres and building structures from foundation to landscaped or turn key final inspection and occupancy. In June, 2016 I closed the General Contracting division of my business and decided to do Construction Consulting in all phases of construction including feasibility studies.
I was recently (March 2017) called by a buyer and asked to perform a home inspection on a previous client’s home which I had consulted about necessary repairs needed for the client to sell the home in a timely manner and receive maximum profit. Additionally, I performed the repairs so I was obligated to tell the new buyer that there was a conflict of interest and I could not perform a home inspection for them because of this.
Article: Why Get a Home Inspection If You’re Buying “As Is”?
Many homes are sold in an “As-Is” condition. When sold in this manner, many sellers are looking to invest as little as possible prior to the sale of the home.
On the buyer’s side however, a home inspection will give them a much clearer perspective on the state of the home they are buying and if any substantial work will need to be done. An inspection will either corroborate what the seller has told them, or reveal items even the owner is unaware of that needs attention.
Obviously, the more information a buyer has on the property before purchase, the better able they are to make a truly informed decision on how much they want to spend on the house, factoring in any repair work that is needed. It might also go the other way and show them that there is too much work to be done for the seller’s asking price.
I was once offered multiple leads from a Real Estate Agent if i were to help write favorable inspection reports for not so favorable Homes on the market that were having trouble selling. I was told if i scratched his back his agency and all agents would scratch mine. I told hime that while i appreciate him thinking of me, my loyalty to what i write in my reports will always be to the house.
I chose 10 easy ways to save money and energy in your home. I feel it is a great addition to any home inspection and would be welcomed from most clients. From better ways to heating and cooling ones house, to tankless water heaters, or something as simple as replacing incandescent lights. It is a great way to help educate future home owners and boost you companies value to your customers.
The client has read the inspection report and asks to pay the inspector to repair the roof for some extra money. This was 1 week after the report was repaired. The repair is very simple and quick.
I read an article about presenting your knowledge to help realtors and giving them information to pass out to their clients. This allows you to market and inform the realtors of safety standards and concerns. By informing the realtors of your knowledge and concerns, the perception that you care and are ethical will help build a posture that helping their clients stay safe is important to you. They may be less likely to inquire about you compromising on ethics.
A potential conflict of interest arises if you approach a real estate agent and offer them financial compensation for providing your information to their clients. This causes a clouded judgment when recommending an inspector.
You complete your inspection. There is a large horizontal crack with a large bow in the wall. The realtor asks you to leave it out of the report because he does not want to deal with structural engineers. This would be a violation of interNACHI code of ethics. PERIOD!
I read an article on the u-factor of windows. The u factor is a rating that is used to describe the energy efficiency of the entire window unit. To compare u factor to the more commonly know r value you simply divide 1 by the u factor. So a window that offers a u factor of .5 would provide an r value of 2. This rating is crucial in controlling the energy efficiency of a home in cold climates. It can be beneficial in warmer climates but not as impactful.
I chose dryer vent safety. There are several requirements for the vent of a dryer, including discharge out the back or bottom. The dryer vent has requirements to avoid fires as the dryer blows lint out the exhaust that can be highly flamible
You go to the real estate office to drop off some brochures. The real estate agent says that for a small finders fee they can recommend you verses another inspector.
I read a article on Asbestos. With so many older houses on the market I feel like asbestos is a major issue which could be easily overlooked by many people when trying to update there homes. Without taking the proper steps and precautions it could have lasting effects.
An example of not abiding by InterNACHI code of ethics would be as followed. As you come out of the crawl space the realtor is there waiting for you. She asks “How did it look?” You let her know that there was some structural damage that will need a contractor’s attention. She asks if you will not disclose to her client about the damage because they are older and will not be going into the crawl space anyway.
While searching through the article library, I found an article on aluminum wiring. While I was aware of the issues with aluminum I was unaware that this may void some home owner’s insurance policies. I feel like this is good information to share with my clients.
Hi
I have currently been in the construction business for more than 11 years, I now hold a master electrician liscence and a safety officer designation within my province. As a professional electrician, there may arise sutuations where the electrical installation may be inferior and down right dangerous to human life. This would be a conflict due to the ethical code for electrical work states that you have cannot turn a blind eye to such conditions, as well not to offer a remedy may also cause issues. I would have to be able to separate the home inspection and the electrical contractor business. I think to bring up the findings to the client stay unbiased and not to offer the remedies with my contacting business would be the best option.
A real estate agent only refers his/her brother-in-law, who is a home inspector, to his/her clients, and the relationship is never disclosed. The relationship could compromise the inspection results.