The Truth About HOME INSPECTION REPORTS! What They Leave Out...(Homebuyers SHOULD WATCH This Video!)

My report template categorizes defects as: red (significant) or orange (moderate)
In my area a problem customers are facing is the "cheapening" of insurance inspections. Some cgarge as low as 60$. Inspectors are in and out in 10 minutes and check of the items on the form and head to the next one...

I bought my house purely because my real estate agent said "why is this wall so thick" then knocked on the wall and said "sounds like cinderblock..."

Didnt get it inspected and its been plenty fine, the cinderblock walls were a benefit to me for numerous reasons including the lack of a roof overhang which would usually rot a stud wall, but doesnt do much if its block

the usa low money corupcion !!! bla bla bla & joe

A recent home I purchased I went out and hired an electrician and HVAC technician to inspect the equipment and give me an honest opinion of the life of the equipment! Ya it’s more expensive but boy did it pay off, the home inspector missed and or didn’t inspect the furnace and my HVAC tech reported the heat exchangers had cracked ( a known issue on these Lennox models) an expensive miss!! It’s always buyer beware it’s like taking a vehicle your purchasing and going to mechanic shop for an inspection vs kicking tires and saying window is cracked!!

Is your inspector using state-of-the-art tools to inspect

Why do not those reports, lower the price if there are many problems

Great video that makes a lot of sense. Experience in a field usually makes a big difference in knowing how serious a flaw or defect is & what to do about it. That tip about checking out their bios is priceless!

great information

What if home inspector misses major foundation problems in basement…. The cement wall was hanging 2 inches over the footing

CROOKED THATS WHAT THEY ARE!

LOOK, AFTER INSPECTION THEY MESSED UP MY TV AND BLEW OUT ALL MY NIGHTLIGHTS. NOW THEY WANT 2,500 AFTER ALREADY ACCEPTING 9,500 LESS. IM GETTING A LAWYER

As someone who has been buying property for 30 years or more. I agree wholeheartedly. More recently, we purchased a new home. I was against hiring an inspector. Instead I wanted to hire indiv professionals (construction, electrician, plumber, etc). My spouse nixed it (probably because of cost involved, and he still thinks inspectors are made of the same metal as years ago). Anyway, nightmare inspection. After inspection, meeting with inspector at property, I asked a simple question. His reply told me everything. The question was: This home was built 16-inch on center, correct; or is it 18-inch on center? The man had no clue what I was asking, and was confused when I tried explaining it. I knew right then and there we might be in trouble, as did my spouse. Had specifically ask that while he was on the roof he get HVAC make, model, serial numbers. He "forgot" and did no offer to climb the roof again to get them. At 120 deg F, was not about to demand he get up there again at 2pm in the afternoon. We purchased property anyway. He stated he had checked all appliances except the washer. Washer requires items in it in order for it to run, sensor device automatically senses how much water is needed. Red flag ref drain. We brought a few items the following day w our realtor, started the washer, ended up flooding the laundry room. Drain clog big time, but could have been worse. Seller's realtor notified, and it was fixed wi 24 hrs. Contacted inspector thinking it might be helpful to him in regard to future jobs only to be blasted, told off, and informed that appliance inspection was not required in this state. Confused, I explained the washer was fine; it was the drain. He again heatedly told me off about appliance inspections not required. Politely said my goodbyes only to be bombarded w texts quoting AZ home inspection requirements. Knowing it was fruitless to tell him again it was the plumbing not the appliance, I let him vent for hours. In the end, made the same statement.....drain, sewer problem not machine problem. His comeback was that what made me think I knew more about his profession than he did. Told him my 30 plus years of buying and selling properties, experience, plus my knowing the difference between a drain problem and a machine problem. Deleted his next text, blocked his number.

God forbid you don’t have working smoke alarm detectors though

So now I’m going to need an inspector a carpenter a plumber and an electrician to check on the condition of the house and expose the major issues or design flaws so I don’t buy the house that needs $100,000 in repairs.
I’ve bought some pretty awful homes and suffered from my mistakes and mistakes in thinking that the inspector had any clue what condition the house was in.

As a home inspector that also spent time in the trades, I would say evaluate where your home inspector went to school, was it accredited. Are they licensed and certified. I work in Florida and would say it’s one of the most strict licensing states in the country. Would definitely not pick an inspector that is not organized in their scheduling, website, or has no pride in their vehicle or uniform. Generally these things by themselves mean little to nothing but together they may paint a picture of complacency. And well when your job is attention to detail complacency is the killer. Find someone who looks like they take pride in what they do and in themselves.

Sadly I have noticed several negative trends in the Home Inspection Industry. Some larger companies are telling the buyers to sit in a room and wait till they get done to learn of the inspectors findings, some even go so far as to tell the buyer not to show up until the inspection is complete. On top of that some Inspection firms are offering warranties they buy from a shyster corporation. The warranties are basically useless and allow the buyers personal information to be harvested and sold to solicitors. Sad, the Inspection Industry is not what it was when I started in 1985...

Most licensed contractors won't move people's belongings, access tight spaces and yes not even know exactly how a home is built. The buyer DOES NOT own the property, how would you expect them to tear the place apart? Haha as well. A good inspector will recap major issues on site, if they don't then the client just picked a hack. In regards to all the legal stuff, most contractors may avoid saying anything positive and just point out things that will actually make them money. Looking at you foundation guys haha

You are all over the place. Much of what you say is in fact home inspectors are bound to report what is in the standards of practice set by each individual state. You are making general statements which would hurt legit home inspectors because they are complying with the standards of HI mandated by the state boards of home inspectors. Home inspectors cannot make recommendations because the state laws say they are no permitted to do so. IE, if there are clues that suggest there is an issue with a foundation wall, They have to recommend an expert who can check, then fix the problem if it is warranted. That also goes for for windows and doors, Roofing, HVAC, Plumbing, etc. A home inspector is not required to be any of those experts. They are as you said, "trained eyes." So again you'er all over the place because of something that was created by bureaucracy's. States Boards created this.

Thanks so much

Pretty good video. One note about having a qualified contractor inspect and repair: any tradesperson knows the importance of giving an "estimate" on a job. Because once you open up the drywall the damage can be much worse than you initially thought. So many inspectors, including myself, will put that line in a lot because prescribing a specific repair often gives false expectations to the client.

Thanks for an important video. I spent all my working life in construction and did home inspections on the side. The best were when the prospective buyers came along for an in depth look at what they were getting into. In my opinion, the corporate agencies have as their first priority protecting themselves from liability, not getting at the truth of the matter.

Thank you for the advice with this video. As a new Home Inspector running my own company these issues that you've covered seems to reign true. During my training and education the "need' for previous experience in the construction industry or various trades was not necessary. However the training I went through did a great job at teaching as much about the building process to allow me to have a better understanding of how all the components are put together. Though I personally do not have a background in the construction trade I want to be the best inspector in my area and am always learning from people within the construction industry or various trades about more insider information.

Oh Heck Yeah! You ROCK!!

In Southern California , many home buyers DO choose their own Home Inspection Co.
Preferred Inspection Svcs does an incredible job. Thorough reports, with nothing missed.

Honest info as always - living up to your name :)

It’s a yoke — homeowner spending 3/4 of a million or 350,000 on a home and will not spend $800 for a proper report. As well as , realtors that will rush a home inspector, And state during the inspection how much longer will this take.

Best place to get a home inspector is from your attorney, and not from your realtor.

Why are they still using paper with black and white pictures? No digital? Dope video though. Very informative.

we just had an inspection done .. the house is for sale .. and the inspectors seemed to be knowledgeable.. we have done many homes ..15 and have a fair good knowledge of codes ect.. this home was fully replumbed .. with pex 2022 the inspection report came back stating pex products and he named the uponor aqua brands discontinued but heavily insinuated all pex were potential problem raising considerable red flags not just for a buyer but also a mortgage lender..w will try to get him to recant.. reprint .. we did lose the deal.. this was just one issue..

Pretty good flick. I’m going to repost it in my Social Media collection. As an inspector I cringed a little at a couple of your comments but remembered I’m not “one of those” inspectors. This post fairly represent’s my industry, and I could make a similar post about any profession or trade. I just talked myself into subscribing to your channel.

So is it better to find an inspector with a construction or a contractor’s background? Where and how can a homebuyer get a good inspector?

Thanks, Ethan! I'm watching this again because I'm in escrow and will be doing a home inspection soon.

Great Video! As a fairly new inspector (2 years) with over 20 years of construction experience including a Red Seal Carpentry ticket, I can tell you that there are definitely real estate agents that recommend the fast/easy inspectors. I am extremely thorough and it has definitely negatively impacted my business. If a realtor can get a multi inspector firm in and out of a house in 1.5 hours vs solo me taking 5 hours to pick the house apart, 95% will take the fast and easy.

So you pay 500 dollars for someone to look at things and do zero real tests? what i'm paying for another set of eyes because mine arent good enough? I don't need glasses

In South East Wisconsin 90 % of Home Inspectors are NOT Qualified. Many Sales and Deals are not closed due to their Lack of Knowledge. The Lack of Knowledge of HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical is Mine Blowing, Payiung Money for Opions Not Facts

I’m sorry but I have to disagree. Although some of the things you say are correct as long as you frame it the way you’re framing it. But you’re not telling the whole story. A home inspector is not meant to be a $500-$1000 an hour foundation expert who’s gonna come out there with lasers and building plans from the city archives. We’re not two to $300 roof inspectors that are going to come out and lift shingles.
We are also not two or $300 an hour licensed and union paying electricians or plumbers that are going to come out with cameras to flush down toilet bowls to check the pipes going into the city system. We are $300-$400 inspectors that are going to look at all eight major systems of a home and report on our findings with the recommendation for those expensive three to $400 an hour licensed union paying specialists to come out and evaluate BUT ONLY IF NEEDED! The thing about a home inspector is we are a very affordable set of eyes to report on the current condition of the home, and to give information to a potential buyer that would otherwise be unattainable. I don’t like to use the term, it’s not my job, but it is actually the realtors job to take our report and to sit down with the client and explain the report and the findings of the report and make a decision if they want to call in the super expensive specialists. It is the realtors responsibility to fill out what we call a TRR report based on our findings and negotiate with the seller. I think this video loses the fact that we are a very inexpensive set of eyeballs trained to look for deficiencies in a home and report on those deficiencies. Nothing more! That is what the client is paying for. They have every right to not get a home inspection by a licensed or certified home inspector and they can request a $300 an hour plumber and a $300 an hour electrician and a $1500 an hour structural engineer and a $300 an hour roofer and the Maytag repair man and a $500 an hour landscape engineer to all come out to the house and give their professional evaluation if they would like to spend that type of money. They don’t. That’s why they call us. To give a very inexpensive professional opinion of the property they are looking to buy. Also, your comment in your video about how we just bullet point things with no prioritization. A general home inspection is eight sections with each section having its own faults (and weights) if found. If we are looking at a pier and beam home and the pier is leaning or has fallen over or anything of concern, you will find a COLOR picture of the concerned area, an arrow pointing to the concerned area, and a bullet point saying why we are concerned with that area. That has the same weight as the date on the data plate of an HVAC system, which has the same weight as whether or not we find rust on the upper rack of a dishwasher. Each section holds its own weight. Our reports do not just bullet point 20 items in a row UNLESS they are viewing ONLY the summary which is an option many report programs offer. Our reports are separated by section. Our pictures are high resolution. Our descriptions are color coordinated with red being a safety issue, orange being a high concern for maintenance required, and or evaluation of the component and Blue is for general information that we are providing to the client. I noticed in your video you showed a home inspection report with black-and-white photos. That is not the report we deliver to our clients. Sorry about my grammar, I talk text when I’m driving and Siri hears what she wants to hear. The point of my comment is, we are not going to cost a potential home buyer $2000 in evaluation‘s. We are three to $400 inspectors and of course that is subject to change according to any ancillary inspections they request that are meant to inform potential buyers, if they should, in fact, require the big guns to come in at a much more expensive cost WHICH CAN THEN BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE SELLER. My goal is to save our client a minimum of the amount of money they spend on our report and any home inspector worth their weight in salt knows that when they find something of significant value to their client, they did their job and the real estate agent will just have to get over it. I hate you generalized home inspectors. Just like Carpenters. Some suck. Most don’t.

To me, this video shows just how important it is to use a buyer's agent.
You need a realestate professional on YOUR side.

I agree

I worked in the trades for years, then went to college and obtained a C.E.T. designation. I worked as a municipal inspector for years. My experience, during that period, is the trades generally don't know much about each other's codes or design requirements. There are some exceptions where you will get a trade that is very knowledgeable about all aspects of construction. The area most trades fall short is carpentry/structure. I agree that the home inspector needs some practical construction knowledge but also needs to know what they don't know and educate themselves. People also need to realize that someone who is excellent at construction will make considerably more money working construction. Someone that leaves construction for reasons other than looking to slow down or has sustained an injury that limits their ability to do their trade probably wasn't that successful or possibly talented. You don't want to hire an inspector that hides behind all their standards of practice rules. What is important is to find an inspector that has thorough knowledge of all aspects of construction and will actually bust their butt and get into every area of the house they can without doing any destructive investigation.

Great advice! I think your recommendations are spot on. I have a carpenter background and have worked as laborer in every trade in the past 20 years. I am currently a home inspector in Utah and Nevada.

Imagine a state passing legislation that requires the seller provide an unbiased inspection that’s available to anyone making an offer. The same house for sale will have several inspections…it’s just a money making industry. Why can’t there be one unbiased report? If you want one, you pay, otherwise it’s just another home buying fee.

Great job! I'm half way through my training to become a licensed inspector in upstate NY. Everything you say rings true. By the way, thanks for being complete by including how limited we are in what we can say. Off now to polish my website bio to include my 20 years "swinging that hammer". Thanks for the great information!

They all work for the buyer real estate agent, not for you.

Home Inspectors are also not code inspectors. It's not the job of a home inspector to report every single code violation. The report may have observations based on code but reported as a safety issue. Many inspectors will in fact place the most important issues at the beginning of a report in a summary, so the client will know the difference between small and big issues. And if an inspector does not report smaller issues, they know the client will, later on, say why was it not reported.

What can this carpenter tell me about my roofing, electrical system, HVAC system, energy, efficiency in my home, sewer system, termite, radon etc? What about ground water or foundation? What about septic system or my water well? Home inspectors have a baseline which we refer to as a standard of practice. The individual inspector can go beyond that standard of practice based on his or her own personal knowledge. You can’t lump us altogether like this. You can pull furniture away from the walls all you want but the wall is still blocking the studs isn’t it? It’s still blocking the insulation behind the wall isn’t it? And to be quite honest man you are a damn fool if you don’t think we distinguish between defects. Your problem isn’t with the inspection or inspector, but more so the inspection report.

I am a Home inspector for 35 years. You are exactly right. To much legal involvement.

Thank you for being so clear in this video and providing examples!

Excellent. Over 35 years as a GC and semi retired working as an inspector. My desire to provide insight is reined in by the state standards of practice and liability concerns.

I started swinging a hammer in 1971 (Union 1622 SF Bay Area) and transitioned to home inspection in 2010. 80 percent of home inspectors could not frame a hip roof if their life depended on it

Here's a point that seems to have been missed. Yes I agree that home inspectors probably should have some building experience but I know that a lot of inspectors are retired trades people who get into this business as a retirement gig. This too is not good if the inspector is charging like it is a retirement job. They just want to make enough to pay for a couple vacations a year and pay for their golf membership dues at their favorite golf course. They also lots of times are not very thorough because they are older and don't or can't crawl through an attic space/crawl space etc. Figuring all this now you have people who get into the trade with no building experience and are doing it as a full time job. The fee schedule is so low that what in the hell do you think is going to happen. You are going to have a crappy experience. Things are going to be missed and not reported on. I also blame lazy and greedy realtors. The person most to blame in my opinion is that person who is buying a $500,000 home but only wants to pay $295.00 for the inspection. You get what you pay for.