Originally Posted By: dandersen This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
How much disk space do you have?
Gutter maintenance.
The most neglected. Most often the cause of roof, wall, floor, foundation and footer damage. Results in structural movement and mold issues within the house.
Reversed polarity.
Is a simple fix. If not done will kill an unsuspecting occupant (maybe a child) changing a light bulb!
Stair case design: Not to code in older homes. Are we going to require re-construction?
The wording in your report is the most likely source of "nit-pick".
Just list the issue. You don't have to report on the cause and do not have to tell them how or that they must fix it. When you start doing this, your making a big deal over something they may feel is un-necessary. Let them decide what is important to them. Just point it out.
Agents remark that some things I point out are minor issues. I respond that I must report everything I see if I don't know what the client feels is relevant. It's up to the client to determine what is important. If I don't mention it and they feel it was important, they will sue me. I try not to make a big deal out of anything if I can help it. "Just the facts".
You need to understand the clients family dynamics. Some little things may be catastrophic under some conditions.
I asked a client if his brother was Bob Vila once! It turned out that he was a qualified re-habber on a small scale. He understood what he was getting into. Planned on spending several years and $50,000 (+/-) in improvements. That was the important thing that needed to get across.
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
At least in my experience, Realtors haven’t called someone a nit picker for items like receptacles with reversed polarity, gutters in need of maintenance (although here in FL we don’t usually use gutters), or other safety related items.
Most of the inspectors I've heard called nit pickers are those that call out multitudes of cosmetic issues, squeaky doors, worn or dirty carpet, etc.
Originally Posted By: jbushart This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Last Wednesday, I inspected a home with 11 year old composite wood siding that was rotting off the house. At one point water from the gutter was actually being sent behind the siding and running down the side of the house. Of course, it had all been recently painted and, in many spots, the paint was the skin that was holding together the crumbs that used to be siding. There were no signs of house wrap and the plywood sheathing behind the siding was delaminating.
The agent was already ticked because the buyer had selected me instead of a home inspector "on her list" and was even more upset that I would make such a big deal about the siding since she "had already checked on it and it is not Louisiana Pacific, so it should be just fine".
Originally Posted By: bkelly2 This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The house was owned by a gun show dealer, specialty automatic weapons. He had a large walk in vault, and a climb in vault in the floor under a movable cabinet. Lots of amunition throughout the house and a few misc weapons.
I did not touch the suit case. I was a sceerd 
-- "I used to be disgusted, Now I try to Be amused"-Elvis Costello
Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
bkirby wrote:
In my opinion your responsibility is to your client first and foremost.
Absolutely! That's why it is difficult to cater to realtors and protect your clients interests.
It's a line that has hurt my business. I won't cater to realtors because I maintain my clients interests first, and realtors don't call because I don't cater to their interests....well that and I stopped wasting money on brochures that ended up in the trash.
Originally Posted By: lwillick This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Derek: What realtors don’t quite understand or get the drift of - is that we are protecting their interest too. Prior to inspectors coming onto the real estate scene many realtors and brokers were being sued constantly. Realtors must learn to stop butting into our business. We don’t control their profession, so how is it that they are always medling in ours ?
Originally Posted By: fbartlo This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
so as not to have a great psychological effect on one’s decision to purchase the house. And when they are minor issues, I emphasize the fact they are minor issues.
Come to think of it, many if not most of the seriously potentially dangerous conditions I come across -- inappropriately rated breakers or fuses, disconnected ground wires, etc. -- are very easy and inexpensive to fix. So that's what I tell the homebuyer: "this could kill someone because ..... but all that needs to be done is ...... which will only cost about ......."
Sometimes when I come across something like a porch that has settled about 1/2 inch (minor stoop rotation) in a 70 year old house, and there is no evidence of impending structural failure, I'll say something like: "this porch has sunk about 1/2" in 70 years, and from what I can tell it is not likely to sink any more than another 1/2" in the next 70 ... don't worry about it." In fact, I often find myself reassuring home buyers about things they are concerned about based on appearances that really aren't that big a deal.
Originally Posted By: lwillick This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi:
I quite often advise the purchaser that a lot of the information presented in the report can be looked at as a to do list. Along with the more contentious situations found during the couse of the inspection. Problems that need to be remedied rather quickly are high lighted. I never do pricing. Have found that you can leagally be sued over incorrect price quotes.
Originally Posted By: dnice This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I’ve known a Realtor or two who would follow me around and try to explain to the buyer that what I was pointing out as a defect was really a “feature”.
Originally Posted By: lwillick This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi David:
I once had a realtor yelling and verbally hassling me during an inspection. The buyer was a R.C.M.Police officer. He tapped the realtor on the shoulder and said I would like to see you out side right now. Never did hear from that realtor again.everrrrrrrrrr
These strange looking rings in the hard wood floor were caused by termite damage under flower pots after further investigation this is what I found in the crawl space.
I too was told by the realtor that cosmetic damage to a hard wood floor was not needed to be in any report because it is some thing that the client could clearly see.
was a major thing to my client.
Originally Posted By: thejnicki This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Realtors whos say you are nit pickin’ in my opinion dont know how to do they’re job. A good realtor would advise they’re client about minor defects as well as the inspector…
Originally Posted By: dnice This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
troberts1 wrote:
I too was told by the realtor that cosmetic damage to a hard wood floor was not needed to be in any report because it is some thing that the client could clearly see...
Using the same logic it goes without saying that its presence in the report would do no harm. I take my clients around with me. If they clearly see everything that I find and I apply that logic, it would be a very short report.
Report everything, assume nothing! Even cosmetic damage needs to be repaired at some point. If they see it in the report, and already know about it, they can just move on to the next item.
