I am a home inspector. I am also a licensed Professional Engineer. I
am educated, skilled and knowledgeable and I have high ethics. I am
"very through" (sic) (thorough) and don't care if Realtors think I am
a "deal killer" because my allegiance is to my client and not the
Realtor. I will repeat what I said befo Look for a full-time
inspector that belongs to a home inspector association, takes
continuing education classes, will do a thorough inspection and will
provide a detailed report.
SQLit: Why do you call your home inspector a "maroon"? I thought that
was a color. (Maybe you meant "moron".) It looks like the home
inspector you hired did an OK job. The new owners may not have dogs
that let themselves through the gates but instead may have children
that need to be protected from the drowning danger that latches like
that pose. If that and not finding your light switch were your only
complaints then I don't see what you have to complain about. Sounds
like you just don't like home inspectors.
DaveG: Home inspectors are generalists and usually recommend that a
heating technician inspect the furnace heat exchanger before closing.
Did your friend's inspector do that and did your friend have the heat
exchanger inspected? Did the inspector include the water softener in
his inspection? (Most specialty equipment like that is excluded.) And
did you friend not look at the water softener herself? I am also
curious as to what the inspector said about the water heater. Water
heaters generally last somewhere between 8 and 12 or 15 years so if it
is close to or over 8 years old it should not be any huge surprise if
it is "on it's way out". A home inspector cannot guarantee that all
the appliances will last for any amount of time; he inspects and
reports on its condition as of the day of the inspection.