Originally Posted By: dbowers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Last year, I inspected a ranch house on a crawlspace. When the old furnace in the crawlspace failed, the sellers had the new furnace installed in a hall closet where it was easier to get to. At the same time they did that, they moved the water heater out of the garage and put it into the same closet (behind the furnace). The closet was about 8" wider than the furnace. If the water heater failed you would have to remove the furnace to get it out. If the pilot light on the water heater went out you would need a service man with about 48" long arms to stretch by the furnace to lite it.
It had been that way for 2 years with no problems according to the seller. Then along comes the PICKY Home Inspector and scares the buyer with his ALARMIST COMMENTS. Oh by the way the electrical panel was behind the water heater as was the access panel to the attic.
I opened the closet door, took 1 look - laughed - checked the furnace and then wrote up a report stating the water heater, electric panel and attic were improperly installed and inaccessible as is and were not inspected.
I recommended having them properly re-installed SOMEWHERE by COMPETENT & LICENSED Contractors specializing in the applicable trade - with the proper permits and code inspections. ONLY AFTERWARDS having the components and systems reinspected by us (at an extra cost) prior to closing.
That generated a lot of complimentary remarks from the seller (present at the site) and his realestator (also present on site) about my keen observation skills. Then I went outside and got up on the 1-story roof. It was a real shallow pitch (under 3/12) and fairly NEW (the seller said it was only 9 months old). It laid down well but as I walked across it, it felt very lumpy under my soft soled tennis shoes. When I got ready to climb down, I raised the shingles and discovered GRAVEL.
Confused I stood up and as I looked down the block I saw 4 or 5 low sloped ranches with tar & gravel roofs. I went around the roof and everywhere I raised the shingles I saw more tar & gravel.
When I went back inside and described my observations to my buyer (with the seller and realestator looking on), it was obvious from the looks and comments the seller and realestator gave me, that I had just impressed them intensely and made 2 NEW BEST FRIENDS.
Gosh, thats the type of inspection that makes our jobs so enjoyable and helps build our REP in the inner realestator circles. One more happy realestator standing on a DESK during Tuesday Sales Meetings Screaming our Name to the Entire Office.