multi-plug adapters

You keep quoting codes. I’m not a code inspector. Never have been and don’t want to be.

I have had a few clients cancel the purchase contract and decide to buy a newer home because they didn’t want to mess with all the upgrades that they, and I, thought they needed in order to be safe in their own home.

There is no reason to call out multi plug adapters unless you are dong some kind of safety inspection for the current occupants.

Who cares.

You have no idea how it will be used by any future occupant.

The best observing one present can do is give you a clue more outlets MAY be needed if there are not enough present.

Report that not the multi adapter.

Who cares if 5 cell phone chargers are plugged into one of these things?

I sure don’t.

A recommendation is different from saying “My clients love it when the seller is the one who pays to add those outlets before close of escrow” because the buyer will use your suggestions to get the seller to pay for upgrades. I have spent many an hour commenting on inspection reports with things like this while working for the seller and refuting things like you should have a receptacle every 6’.

Sorry to be so blunt but if your report is inaccurate then it will cost the seller money just to say that your report is inaccurate.

Are you talking about these?

At the end of the day…I had 2 of these in my house which was wired in 2010 and quite frankly I think are safer than an extension cord. Anyway, since not enough information was given and since I don’t think it has anything to do with having enough receptacles…mine was at my computer desk and the other was at my woodturning station.

Why…well…why not.

My point was that if an HI addressed safety issues like open splices etc I would feel that the current owners should be on the hook to turn over a safe home. They should not be responsible to answer to whims of any future owners or trumped up wishes from someone that doesn’t even know what the code requires.

That is fine as long as you are prepared for how a tradesperson makes your report look foolish simply because you don’t care or know codes. It is examples like this that cause a frightened homeowner to cave into a potential buyer because of the “issues” raised in your report. Many look as an HI report as a source of knowledge from someone that should be reputable and believe what is written since they lack any basis to judge the validity of the claims.

Maybe the same clients want airbags installed in a 69 Gremlin too at the sellers expense?

I see our resident, non-inspector, sparkys are still having trouble with the concept of what home inspectors do for their clients.

Recommendations are just that, recommendations based on the home inspectors opinion. IF the client decides to NEGOTIATE with the seller over the addition, repair, or replacement of a particular item, that is their business. If the seller does not want to NEGOTIATE and sell their home to this particular buyer, they don’t have to. Nobody is requiring the seller to NEGOTIATE or accept without question the items being NEGOTIATED by the buyer. It is a choice the buyer and seller make.

While your sacrosanct codes are ever changing, remember this, “A house built to code is the cheapest home that can be legally built”. Perhaps our clients don’t want to live in a minimal home and want to NEGOTIATE something better. Their business, not mine.

If they want something better than they should pay for it and not try to leverage the seller. Just another example that personal responsibility has fallen by the wayside. Why pay for it yourself when you can sue or screw someone else?

I understand the intent of a HI and to report on the condition of the home and its’ systems. It is when it moves beyond observations with statements like “you need a receptacle every 6 foot” that frosts me because those with no knowledge of building systems take “advice” like that as gospel and fear unless concessions are made the sale will fall through causing them to spend money needlessly when the product may have satisfied even presently enforced codes. I had one HO have an HI state that a refrigerator needed a dedicated circuit by code. I showed the code article and how the HI was wrong. They said, “Just do it, I don’t want to lose the sale. The buyer has the report that says it is needed.” I don’t find that acceptable that decisions are made out of fear or based on incorrect “information” contained in a report.

Personal responsibility? Screw someone else? Once again, this is a NEGOTIATION process. The seller wants money, the buyer wants something as well. BOTH PARTIES MUST AGREE. It is not our job, nor yours as someone called for repairs or new installations, to question what is going on between two other parties and their NEGOTIATIONS. A GFCI may not be required on an old home. But if the buyer wants it and NEGOTIATES it with the seller, I don’t care. I am still going to recommend it be done.

Do you pay sticker price for a new car / truck? Probably not. You NEGOTIATE for a lower price or additional options. And if you pay full sticker price, you are an idiot. Housing is no different. Ever ask for a cash discount? Ever ask for any discount? No? Then you are indeed a rare breed and should feel very special… to yourself.

Inspectors that make false statements are an issue. There may or may not be regulatory agencies that take care of that issue. Chances are, their reputation will precede them and they will eventually fail.

Whether I pay full price or negotiate a better deal is on me to make a decision. It is not based on a third parties information being used to influence the seller that I may walk if they don’t lower the price. It seems that many fail to see how much intimidation power the HI report holds, especially in a buyers market.

Agreed… no idea why anybody has any issues with them.

It is ok to recommend something… but do not call it a defect.

So when you negotiate a better deal, are you: “trying to screw somebody else or has your personal responsibility fallen by the wayside” ? Your words for someone trying to NEGOTIATE a deal that favors their side.

I certainly don’t expect the seller to improve the price based on how I wish to use the house or add features it doesn’t have simply because I want them. If I want new carpet colors, paint or a pool or additional receptacles it is on me. However that is the way inspection reports are used many times as a strong arm to force a concession.

In a “buyer’s market”, where there is a glut of homes, the buyer can request anything they want. If the seller wants to sell the home quickly, many times they agree. When they don’t agree, they may end up paying months and months of additional mortgage payments before another sale comes along.

In a “seller’s market”, where there are few homes, or if this is a special type home, the seller can tell the buyer to stick it or even pay more. Do you feel bad for the buyers when there are multiple offers and they end up paying more than the listing price?

When buyer’s want something in a house, it is much easier on the budget to wrap those costs into the purchase price rather than come up with cash after closing. Sometimes getting items included mean a raise in the price, sometimes not. If those items become part of the negotiating process, and both parties agree, there is MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE. That is something that takes place with agent and clients, not home inspectors and surely not a plumber, electrician, hvac tech or handyman there to make the requested repairs.

I have seen too many concessions made because the fear factor generated by supposed defects listed in reports that were based on opinions and not facts. Realtors that urge these unnecessary repairs just to ensure a sale so they get their commission only add to the problem.

Help me out…Where exactly did I have trouble with the concept…?

Not meant for you Paul. Having performed home inspections, you are well aware of what we do. The discussion was with Jim.

But Wait…I am one of those Resident Electricians…:mrgreen:

Corrected. Cause you never want to dump on The Guru… :wink: :mrgreen: Now where is that picture? :shock: