Home Inspectors: A Love-Hate Relationship

It's like the old cliche..."you can't live with 'em, you can't shoot 'em." Home inspections are a pivotal part of the real estate transaction.  They are helpful, necessary and I highly recommend them.  But, all home inspectors are not created equal. The love-hate is that the inspection can be so important and educational for the buyer, which is how it's intended.  But, I have encountered some who come into the picture with some kind of weird imaginary chip on the shoulder, like his sole purpose is to scare the willies out of the buyer & have them run away in terror.

Many people don't realize, but home inspectors in SC are licensed and are subject to the Residential Builders Commission. They have a set of standards of practice that they are to follow.  This is a key point because, unfortunately, many inspectors don't follow these standards of practice.  In fact, I've had some tell me to my face that they know they are breaking the rules and they don't care.  For instance, a home inspector IS NOT supposed to walk on the roof of a house.  Why do you think this is?  Well, for one, he's not a licensed roofer.  If he falls off the roof and is injured, think the seller & his insurance company are going to be happy?  What if he falls and breaks his neck?  What if he damages the seller's roof while he's tromping around up there?  You see the point, I'm sure.

So, it's important to find a home inspector who knows the rules and is committed to following them, for his own and everyone else's safety.  It's equally important to use an inspector who knows his boundaries.  He's not a structural engineer, so he shouldn't make comments or judgments as if he were. The purpose of this inspection is to check the house overall for dangerous conditions, broken or non-functional components and anything that just doesn't work.  If there is a concern about how a breaker is wired, then the inspector recommends that it be followed up by a licensed electrician.  If there's an active leak under a bathroom, he'll defer to a licensed plumber.

What a home inspection is NOT is a time to seek out and focus on every imperfection that the house may have.  There is no perfect house, even if you have it custom built and you're on site everyday during construction.  They all have their blemishes. The home inspection's purpose is not to supply a cosmetic wish list for the seller to deal with. Cosmetic or minor issues are most often pointed out simply for the buyer's information. It's also not a time for a home inspector to convince the purchaser not to buy.  Nor is it a time for the buyer to talk himself out of the house.  It's intended to give the house an overall check up so that everyone knows what going on with that house.

Do we find things that need repair?  Sure we do.  Almost every time.  Do we panic?  Rarely, because most everything that an inspector finds is fixable. Do contractors who do this kind of work need weeks and weeks to complete it?  No.  They can rip out an entire bathroom floor, repair it, retile and be gone in a day. I think sometimes when we don't  know how to do something ourselves, we perceive that it must be super complicated and time-consuming.  But rest assured, to the people who do this kind of work everyday, it's a piece of cake.  Do we ever find serious problems like foundation movement?  Sure we do.  But guess what?  There are people who fix that stuff too. 

Once received, the agent (me) will review the inspection report with the buyer(s) and help determine which, if any, items need to be addressed by the seller.  Does the seller have to do what is requested? Nope.  He can tell the buyer to go jump in the lake (again, very rare).  What usually happens is that we negotiate, if needed, to come to an agreement on repairs and who is going to make them.  After all, the seller wants to sell and the buyer wants to buy. 

I believe in the importance of home inspections.  It can be the best money a buyer spends. But I am picky about the inspectors I recommend.  Ultimately, the choice is the buyer's, of course. We can provide a list of inspectors, however, that former clients have used with positive results.

What is a home warranty & what does it do?

Sometimes I mention "home warranty" and people start nodding their heads and they say something like, "oh yes, insurance on my house."  Well, no. It's not a homeowner's insurance policy.  Homeowner's insurance is the big one; covers fire, trees crashing through your roof, someone getting injured on your property, your belongings, etc.  A home warranty is something quite different.

The home warranty is a one year policy that covers the working parts of a house.  Working parts are things like the heating & air system, water heater, dishwasher, swimming pool, electrical system, etc.  They were originally created to give homeowners some coverage for the big ticket items like heating & air but have evolved to cover much more.  Typically, the process goes like this:

• Your water heater malfunctions or quits working.
• You call the warranty company's toll-free number FIRST. Do not call a plumber, or any type of contractor without calling this number first.  You will void the warranty.
• The warranty company authorizes the proper contractor to come to your home.
• You pay that person a deductible, which can be anywhere from $50 to $100, depending on your plan.
• The contractor evaluates the problem and determines if it can be repaired or if it requires replacement.  They report this back to the warranty company who then approves the repair/replacement.

So, as you can see, this type of coverage can be quite valuable to a homeowner, especially someone who has not owned a home before.  As the end of that first year approaches, the warranty company will offer to extend the warranty for you.  You just pay the annual premium and you're all set.  Usually this is no more than $500, depending on the size and age of the house.  I can tell you from experience, if your heating & air dies on July 3rd in South Carolina, you'd much rather write a check for $500 than $2500!  Because when it's 100 degrees and 105% humidity, you're writing a check!