Beware

I want to give you a heads up about repairs that are sometimes made during a buyer/seller real estate transaction. Often times the seller wants to get the cheapest guy in there to slap the job together. Most competent contractors can’t get there in 3-5-7 days to do the repairs in the first place, because they are too booked up.

First of all, I recommend that you the buyer get your own set of estimates to do the work, and then compare these with what the seller gets. Then, negotiate a price reduction, so that you can choose who you want to do the work. After this, you can then schedule the work at your own timing and convenience and also monitor the work that’s being done.

Now, if you the buyer are not in charge of the repairs that were made, you should call me back in before closing to do a re-inspection. You may be told (by “others”) not to do this because it “isn’t necessary.” This is not always true. I’ve seen too many jobs done by “handymen or retired folks” and even so-called contractors, making repairs on electrical, decks, or roofing, etc., who don’t know the codes and have in many cases made the conditions worse! Even if you get lucky with a competent contractor, they make mistakes too, and it’s still good to have another pair of eyes to inspect the work. Another problem is that the fellow who actually does the work has maybe not seen my report and doesn’t address all the corrections that were asked to be made. This is from a lack of communication, from so many people being involved in a real estate transaction.

Sometimes sellers “think” that I am “working for the buyer”. I tell the sellers if they had hired me to inspect their house before they listed it, the report would have been identical to the one the buyer paid for. I take pride in my 31 years of having a good reputation and character, integrity, honesty, and being an UNBIASED inspector in what I see, inspect, and report. I do hope all of this information on my web site helps in making your purchase as pleasurable as possible. Whomever hires me to do the inspection will get the added benefit of helpful maintenance information, stacks of printed materials (articles) on the operation of your home and what to avoid as a homeowner and even information on how to fix many of the items. I’m not only an inspector, but I am an educator too, but only to the person who hires me.

Now, when it comes to re-inspections, I don’t do roofs, because competent roofers are rare and are few and far between. I am not able to view how and what they installed under the shingles. Many got laid off from a factory job, bought a hammer, ladder, magnetic sign for their truck, and a bucket of tar, and now call themselves “roofers”. My nationally recognized insurance company has sent out notices to all their home inspector clients, recommending NOT, to perform roofing re-inspections for this reason. It’s a national disease. I will do other re-inspections though.