Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
ok…under ‘Definitions and Scope’…the 3rd paragraph sez “a home inspection will not reveal every problem that exists or ever could exist, but only those material defects observed on the day of inspection”…ok…thats fine and fair, i guess. Although when it comes to basement waterproofing and cracks in the bsmt wall...its a kinda catchy-tricky assessment,"on the day of inspection'..doesnt mean there isnt a problem,a crack in the wall,just means that if there is 1 that you dont see it from inside and or it isnt leaking when your there,doesnt rain every hour of every day. And for those of you who dont know,on block walls...when your looking at them from inside the basement and dont see a crack..that does Not mean there isnt a crack on the outside of those Bsmt walls. Many block walls have cracks on the outside of the block that do not show on the inside. So when there is a crack on the outside it can and most likely will allow water into the 'cell' or 'cavity' of the block from the outside and drop-fall into and through the other courses of block and down onto the floor. Hey, like i say..most inspectors ive met are really nice people who seem to want to do a good job.
Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
you guys know many people put alot of stock in what is stated from a Home Inspector…in all my experiences here in Michigan i remember only 1 homeowner who had a SE come out…in 26 years! lolol…and that lady, who lives in Roseville was told by SE that she needed 1 wall(the back wall) and 1/2 of a side wall knocked out and replaced. So, she did…and the new wall bowed AND leaked within 6 months of having work done and called me back and wished she never called the SE and hired a lousy mason and waterproofer. They backfilled with a mix of slag and clay and used a thin-cheap tar…Oops!
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Mark,
Thankfully, I now live in the warm sunny weather and land of slabs on grade. I did inspect in the land of finished basements for 8 years. Thankfully, through careful observation of walls in the basement, floors, walls, doors and windows on the first and second levels, and careful observation of the visible portions of the exterior foundation walls, I never had a call back about basement leakage or structural issues in the home. Maybe in 3000+ houses I was just lucky.
I'm not sure about the tone or meaning of your posts. If you are attempting to give us further education from a foundation expert on how to improve our visual techniques, thank you. If you are trying to say we're not perfect or can't detect every problem, I will grant you that every day of the week. If you are attempting to say that we are not thorough in our attempts to ascertain structural issues or basement leakage issues, I will tell you the same thing 10 out of 10 homeowners would tell you if you told them they had to remove the paneling and/or drywall for a foundation inspection for home sale: Go to He!!.
BTW. Paragraphs in posts make them easier to follow. 
Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Blaine…ive never heard from any, not 1 homeowner who called an inspector back after they bought a home which did have a seepage-leak or a structural problem. Every homeowner who had a problem went after the Seller to recover money. Here in Mich, im no Hm Insp expert and i dont know all their dos and donts but…i think…until very recently here in Mich there was no state licensing and many,if not all Hm Insps have-had stipulations printed on their contracts that something to the effect"They are not responsible or liable for anything they may miss,not seen on their inspections"...i have yet to hear of a Hm Inspector who got sued here in Mich. So..if in some areas they are not liable and they state that on contract its kinda hard to sue em..no? Wont do any good to call them back and complain. I dunno...you prolly know. And...ill state again ive just seen way too many people get screwed,taken and only wish to inform,not trying to step on anyones toes and i only post of what i know,not what i assume so youll never see me post about electrical etc.
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. I’m quite sure there are others on the bb that can give you similar instances.
Please don't think that we can't be held responsible for things. There are these cold blooded creatures called "lawyers" who find a way to make money by suing any and all for any and all. 
Most inspectors tell their buyers that we are simply a more experienced and trained pair of eyes than the average homebuyer. I don't pretend to possess the waterproofing knowledge you have, nor quite frankly do I care to have that detail. My job is to spot problems.
I'm going to an inspection now. I can almost guarantee there will be problems, issues and defects, and I will do my level best to find them where they exist!
Originally Posted By: syared This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Mark, I’ve always said that the best day for an inspection is in the rain, for obvious reasons. By the time home owners have called you out they usually know where the problem is, be we inspectors don’t get the luxury of time on our side. Our inspections are only a snapshot of time at the home. We only have a limited amount of time and it’s a visual only inspection.
You are absolutely right that foundation cracks may exist on the exterior of the wall only and not inside, but we would have no idea based on a visual inspection, and we don't want to guess or unnecessarily scare our clients without actual facts.
Certainly things can lead us to believe that there is a problem, such as stains on the floor or wall and then we may recommend a service like yours be called in for further evaluation. But we can only report what we see.
what state(s)