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General Inspection Topics General Inspection Discussion
21

Damn $199 inspectors! :mrgreen:
LOL.

Don’t let your blood boil Gary. I’m just messing with you. :wink:

22

I am older and in some ways smarter and I set my fee and stick with it. You discount once and it may stick where you don’t like.

I learned one thing well as a contractor, not everyone should be my customer and the only work I want is good work. Better with fewer jobs that go and pay well than lots of jobs that sap your energy or bite you in the ***.

I would be thrilled to do 150 this year. That’s a good start in my book.

23

I’m gonna post this in 2 places to see it gets seen. In a way the older days were often easier … YES they did NOT know what we did; YES the RE contracts around me did NOT give our buyers a right to get an inspection; YES the REA’s did NOT want us, YES the REA’s did NOT know what the heck we did (nor care), YES we did NOT have the internet and social media to help us, and YES it was the Wild Wild Midwest because it was EXCESSIVELY still Buyer Beware from the REA’s perspective.

BUT social media AND the internet can kill you as easily as help you.

Last week, I did a 55-60 year old house. In doing it I discovered:

  1. HIGH radon … Over 20 pCi/l
  2. Unrepaired Termite Damage ($900-$1,000)
  3. Orphaned Water Heaters on unlined flues / wrong size
  4. Old Tiled Shower Leak at Lead Pan
  5. 90% Eff Furnace intake stops in a room about 100sf in size in bathroom
  6. Deck Steps collapsing & deck separating sat house wall
  7. Hollow Sounding Bath Shower Tile … Needs Reset
  8. Recent Invoice for Foundation Repair of about $6,000-$7,000 with PE’s Report saying all is OK and structurally sound. BUT there were 5-6 hidden cracks as wide as yellow pencil with water stains on them; grading, patio and drive all slope back to house AND in looking at foundation repairs … I see 3 types of steel restraints PLUS 2 different types of injection AND the latest set of 14 steel restraints were not anchored properly compared to how ceiling joists run. SO my comments were MORE repair needed OR will happen again in a few years AND explained why.
  9. Newer electrical sub-panels installed 8 years ago per info on panel AND put in wrong location (bathroom in linen closet with 20" clearance in front) AND lots of electrical wiring issues in house (buyer tells me quotes around $1,500-$2,000 to fix)
  10. Buyer got about $15,000 in concessions or Repair.

Yesterday I was told the REA had gone a social media review AND told how unprofessional we are AND how they’d never REFER us or WORK with us.

  1. Apparently we did not say Hello when she arrived (she was late, we had already done the outside and roof … been talking to buyer for 15 minutes & everybody was waiting at the front door for her AND she was gabbing on her cell as she approached us) so I just smiled and nodded. She felt that was RUDE.

  2. The seller had little blue booties by the door and wanted people to use them. We carry the black lined “BOOTIE SHOE COVERS” that are washable and last us 4-6 months apiece (I guess she didn’t notice we wore them).

  3. Although several times during the inspection we chatted with her while making notes, she indicated she had on 2 occasions asked a question to 1 of us and we had not answered her question. Can’t remember … She was a set down agent that stayed by sofa or dining room table mostly. Anyway she felt that we were rude to her.

NOW for the real question … DO we call her and TRY and grovel somehow OR just ignore her and go on with life??

BEING old school, I was trained to please my buyer AND not be rude to REA’s but if they get testy with us to let REA’s take care of themselves. SO for us older guys … This Social Media crap can be a pain in the butt AND hurt your reputations (ESPECIALLY if you have a sneaking suspicion that the complaint level is in direct relation to the PROBLEMS you found).