Hello,
I’ve been an avid reader of this board for awhile. I rehab and sell homes in MI. I use this board as a tool to gain knowledge from a different perspective and this board has helped me in that area.
I recently listed a rehab of mine that we accepted an offer on. The buyer hired a home inspector that is ASHI/BOCA/CBI certified.
The morning of the inspection I get a call saying they can’t get the furnace to work. I turned the gas off earlier at the furnace because heating season was over. I told him were it was located and please go ahead and do whatever was needed to complete the inspection. Awhile later I get another call saying they left quickly as there were 5 gas leaks in the house and they don’t want to risk testing the furnace. I was extremely concerned and immediately left work and called the gas co. Within a 1/2 hour I had 3 gas co. field techs there and no one could locate any leaks on the property.
Also they said any H.I. should also tag the leaks as to help them locate them. In conclusion no leaks anywhere… Its not over yet…
I call my realtor to calm the buyer and they now tell me they are concerned
about the state of the Electrical box. The H.I. says the whole property is not grounded? I’m really about to lose it here. On the counter in the kitchen are all the permits and inspections on the house from the city the work was done in including adding circuits and inspecting the box. But I tell the realtor I will look into it. I use a circuit tester at all outlets and they show proper wiring, go to the box and see the newer ground cable going from the ground bar out the back of the house into the ground. Also it tests for continuity?
And the list goes on… These were to me very dangerous issues that could kill a deal. He made my house look like a dangerous place when I feel he was at fault.
My concern is I want call him up and have him explain to me how he came to these conclusions. Or should I just let it go…
I think this guy is dangerous … Any thought would be great.
Thanks
Dean
OK. If this guy really screwed up this bad, he could be a danger to any and all potential customers. If he is seeing problems that aren’t here he probably won’t see problems that are there, IMO. I would really consider calling him personally and talking to him. Then take it from there if you think further action is required.
He is probably in his 250 inspection learning stage. Personaly i would report him to ashi and see what they do for starters.
Personally, I would contact the inspector and ask if he could spare a few minutes of time and walk you through the house, pointing out and explaining what the defects are. If he refuses, then I would contact his organization.
Chances are he’ll say he can’t meet you on the property, and in my opinion that’s a red flag he has no idea what he’s talking about.
That’s just my opinion though.
guy sounds like a few butt-head inpsectors we`ve run into here in MI.
don`t get me wrong Nachi folks, not saying most-all of you here…are. Talking about some here in metro Detroit…sheeshus K-rist.
Have spoke w/one Nachi HI who does get this waterproofing thing, Mike Bazzo, common sense guy.
some of these TURDS somehow think theyre foundation/waterproofing experts,ran into several of them when giving some HOs estimates. They were all charged up saying… you waterproofers are all full of shtt and that most problems/leaky basements can be fixed-solved by raising grade/longer downspout extensions etc. I wanted to slap these incompetent-morons silly, imagine that…the Bubber man getting pizzed. Got Milk?
Did i miss something? what does this have to do with gas and electrical problems.
Ut oh…
just mentioned other nitwit Det area HI`s. Is that a problem?
No problem here just thought i missed something. Personally i like to list the different types of nitwits in there own thread. Its easier to show what to and not to do. easier to help teach for me.
sorry, didnt mean to throw anyone off. I do try pretty hard to stay on my own thread. just wanted to post there are indeed some pretty scary Det area HIs, as apparently Dean bumped into.
Dean,
If I can help in any way, Please don’t hesitate to call me at 586-855-7644
John,
Thanks for the kudo’s. Keep on keeping on.
Ok guys,
Thanks for the reply’s. I’m not really good at confronting people.
But I will try to contact him on monday to go over my concerns.
He was nice enough to leave his card on my countertop.
But shortly afterward will start contacting his credentials to report my
concerns with them also.
I just wanted some other opinions here first. I’m not good at being the mean
guy, but this one really pissed me off. I always expect a list from the buyers after a H.I. half of the time they never ask for anything and the other half
it is only minor things. I am not a perfect rehabber, but would never put a house up for sale with these potentially dangerous defects.
Thanks
Dean
Dean;
Don’t know your state or what licensing is required and all that. That would make a difference.
I have come behind some bad HIs here, in Illinois and know your feelings. What I do, when I run into this, is offer (with the permission of the client) to approach the other HI and talk with him.
Sometimes, he is an old guy who thinks that NACHI inspectors are full of feces. Sometimes they are new guys who don’t have much experience (BTW: You have to tune a gas meter before using it. He may not know this.)
Sometimes, the HI is correct, and I have to take the time to explain the problem with the contractor. You know the type, “I been doing this for 20 years!” he says, and I reply, “Well, then you have been doing it wrong for 20 years.”.
I don’t try to get in anyone’s face, I try to educate.
Did a condo conersion, the other week. Real nice and clean. The contractor showed up half way through. I remembered him from another conversion, about a year ago. He cam up to me and asked me about any problems. With the consent of the client, I told him that there were only two minor issues (Dishwasher not screwed to the countertop and the furnace had a lot of drywall dust). He told me he already knew about the dishwasher and was there to finish that and that he would have the furnace cleaned. Then he actually thanked me. He tod me that he had learned a great deal from my previous inspection and that all my comments were valid and that he makes sure that these things are not done in the places he works at now.
It’s not about confruntation. It’s about (or at least, in should be) educating and helping.
Fell free to call me (office #, below) if I can be of any help.
Dean, don’t be too quick to hang the inspector, the agent could be the weak link here. Call the inspector with an open mind. JMO
So now the utility company is defining our jobs for us. Hmmmmmmm. Not for me.
I welcome such conversations. Unfortunately, I know that I am in a minority here as most home inspectors will tell you that they can only talk about the inspection/report with their Client. I have heard that some are just flat-out rude and will call you names and hang up on you. So if you’re prepared for that, by all means explore the issues with him.
My issue with this is 'way back in the beginning of the story, as I do not turn any utilities on. My call would have been to have the owner / utility co turn on the (gas, water, electric); I can inspect everything else, or come back and do it all at once.
No Snap, Crackle, Flood for me, thanks . . .
Or light pilot lights
Hi Dean,
A few things to consider IMO.
You said the inspector was ASHI/BOCA/CBI - FYI BOCA is no longer, they merged into ICC http://www.iccsafe.org/help/redirect-bocai.html
Not Sure what CBI is? The reason I am bringing this up is this stuff happens all the time around here Builders/Agents asking are you BOCA or CABO certified, it’s like there in a time warp or their clocks are about 7 years behind.
Lot’s of good advice here to consider. For me I would call the inspector direct to take up these issues with him, anything other is a waste of time or will cause more frustration for all involved.
You mentioned you had permits from the city, meaning all work was approved I take it? Well to most of us InterNACHI inspectors IMO, it doesn’t mean much 
I say that cause I find issues or items missed by county/city inspectors every single week.
Not all inspectors are great ones, it’s like any other profession. Name one profession that doesn’t have flawed individuals. It boils down to the inspector not titles or associations like ASHI, INACHI, ICC, or any other.
In the end I hope you work this out and use the mishap as a learning tool and keep gaining that perspective.
(http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?p=353095#post353095)5/3/08 7:13 PMyour are such an *** kisser. Call me
I could have sworn I belonged to an association that tried to improve our profession by helping the public understand our industry through education. So by offering my help to Dean, so that he may have a better understanding of the HI and therefore becoming better educated, this willingness to** help*** is labeled as ***kissing. The only call I can make is that the person who left this reputation is less than willing to be ***helpful **and educational then me when it come to improving our profession.
Have you considered having the subject property inspected by an independent licensed inspector of your choosing. If the property conditions from the first report are inaccurate or have changed, you could provide that new information to the existing buyer and or any subsequent purchasers. You’re under no legal obligation to disclose inaccurate information regarding property condition to anyone.
I’m also wondering if the inspectors written report stated in detail the exact same information you received verbally from the realtor. I’ve had many ocassions where after pointing out a couple of plumbing leaks to the buyers agent, I hear them call the listing agent and report something along the lines of “You’ve got big problems out here, we’re finding plumbing leaks all over the place”.
Have you seen the finished report?