If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding. To start with, the
bathroom fans were not vented correct, I had an entire wet wall in
the laundry room that had to be replaced, new ice line run, my a/c
unit was not sealed correct, and the new discovery - -My second floor
bath is rotting out the floor and the ceiling below and there is major
water damage to the lower wall were water has been slowly running down
it. I think at this point it is time to follow up with the inspection
company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out. Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form. It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

"cheaphomeowner" wrote in message

company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out.

Did you expect the guy to climb inside and check it for you? You bought an
old house with an old water heater - should have looked at the mfg date -
even that would not tell you the condition, as it depeneds on the design and
water you're getting. Have you flushed the WH at least once, since you're
owned it?

RichK

cheaphomeowner wrote:
If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding. To start with, the
bathroom fans were not vented correct, I had an entire wet wall in
the laundry room that had to be replaced, new ice line run, my a/c
unit was not sealed correct, and the new discovery - -My second floor
bath is rotting out the floor and the ceiling below and there is major
water damage to the lower wall were water has been slowly running down
it. I think at this point it is time to follow up with the inspection
company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out. Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form. It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

Not easy to hold professional home inspectors liable in most states.
Also not easy to go after previous owners that have no construction
experience.

Best place to start is by making a few phone calls to real estate
attorneys. You can call your real estate agent and curse them out if
it makes you feel better, but it won't get you anywhere.

Sounds like some of your repairs need to be done immediately. Get
professional estimates and take lots of pictures.

The entire home-buying process makes little sense. Most people spend
more time on purchasing a car than buying a house. There is too much
money to be made by realtors, inspectors, title companies, local,
county, state govts and of course the banks for anything to change.
Even a 10% drop in home sales would mean billions in lost revenue, why
would the politicians make the process fair to all involved? They just
want the titles changing hands rapidly so they can pull in more ca$h.

I think that if you missed it and the inspector missed it, the previous
owner can easily say they were not aware of it either. You only have
to disclose what you know.

As for the inspector, who knows. They will probably claim it was
hidden damage. For example, if the exhaust fan sucked in air and blew
it out the other side, that's about it. What is in the wall is in the
wall. As for an ice line, the old one put out water, that's probably
the test. You problem is that you corrected a bunch of stuff. So to
some extent, you may have "destroyed the evidence".

It's probably worth contacting the inspection company for no other
reason than to rant and blow off steam. To pursue it, you make need a
lawyer and you know what that means ....

OTOH, if you lender required the inspection and "suggested" the
company, you should talk to them.

Good luck.


cheaphomeowner wrote:
If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding. To start with, the
bathroom fans were not vented correct, I had an entire wet wall in
the laundry room that had to be replaced, new ice line run, my a/c
unit was not sealed correct, and the new discovery - -My second floor
bath is rotting out the floor and the ceiling below and there is major
water damage to the lower wall were water has been slowly running down
it. I think at this point it is time to follow up with the inspection
company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out. Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form. It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

"cheaphomeowner" wrote in message ...
If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding. To start with, the
bathroom fans were not vented correct, I had an entire wet wall in
the laundry room that had to be replaced, new ice line run, my a/c
unit was not sealed correct, and the new discovery - -My second floor
bath is rotting out the floor and the ceiling below and there is major
water damage to the lower wall were water has been slowly running down
it. I think at this point it is time to follow up with the inspection
company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out. Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form. It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

Reading the contract you signed with the inspector would be educational.

Bob

In article ,
lid says...
If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding.

That's not unusual. The inspector typically has, at most, a few hours
to look at the house, and isn't supposed to cause damage looking into
concealed spaces. A good inspector can take a close look at exposed
areas and sometimes see signs of concealed damage, but not always.

If a slow plumbing leak inside a wall has caused lots of rot inside the
wall but hasn't caused any staining or deformation on the outside, how
is an inspector going to find it? The seller isn't going to allow an
inspection that involves cutting holes in all the walls for interior
inspection -- if you decide not to buy, he's left with a house that
looks like Swiss cheese.

Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form. It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

Can you prove the previous work was done with the previous owner's
intent to hide the problem? Or will the homeowner defend himself by
claiming he was taken advantage of by a handyman who claimed to have
really fixed the problem?

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Infrared Photography Gallery:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/photo/ir.html

It would be worth hiring a lawyer to find out your rights and hopefully get
some compensation: however, if to go to trial, you may end up spending as
much money as it would take to fix the problems with uncertain results, at
least spending the money on fixing the problems will get certain results.
Also did the previous owner sign a discloser of known problems.

"Joshua Putnam" wrote in message
...
In article ,
lid says...
If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding.

That's not unusual. The inspector typically has, at most, a few hours
to look at the house, and isn't supposed to cause damage looking into
concealed spaces. A good inspector can take a close look at exposed
areas and sometimes see signs of concealed damage, but not always.

If a slow plumbing leak inside a wall has caused lots of rot inside the
wall but hasn't caused any staining or deformation on the outside, how
is an inspector going to find it? The seller isn't going to allow an
inspection that involves cutting holes in all the walls for interior
inspection -- if you decide not to buy, he's left with a house that
looks like Swiss cheese.

Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form. It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

Can you prove the previous work was done with the previous owner's
intent to hide the problem? Or will the homeowner defend himself by
claiming he was taken advantage of by a handyman who claimed to have
really fixed the problem?

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Infrared Photography Gallery:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/photo/ir.html

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 14:40:38 GMT, lid (cheaphomeowner)
wrote:

If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding. To start with, the
bathroom fans were not vented correct, I had an entire wet wall in
the laundry room that had to be replaced, new ice line run, my a/c
unit was not sealed correct, and the new discovery - -My second floor
bath is rotting out the floor and the ceiling below and there is major
water damage to the lower wall were water has been slowly running down
it. I think at this point it is time to follow up with the inspection
company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out. Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form.

I've been through five home inspections over the past four years. My
current home - I waived the inspection (no regrets). Ever inspection
was as different as the inspector himself. The best one was recently
when the inspector reported an item, that only I knew about. Others
nit-pick, because there was really nothing broke or failed.

If you have a warranty, file with them on the water heater. The
inspector probably looked at the date and determined there were no
changes that were out of code, plus, the water got hot.

It is very clear that there was some previous hide
the problem work done.

Or someone accepted their own poor work.


Oren

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 14:40:38 GMT, lid (cheaphomeowner)
wrote:

If you had seen my earlier post with the issue in the attic then this
post will back even more sense. If not, short version, my inspector
missed alot of problems that I am finding. To start with, the
bathroom fans were not vented correct, I had an entire wet wall in
the laundry room that had to be replaced, new ice line run, my a/c
unit was not sealed correct, and the new discovery - -My second floor
bath is rotting out the floor and the ceiling below and there is major
water damage to the lower wall were water has been slowly running down
it. I think at this point it is time to follow up with the inspection
company and get this resolved. One more thing, I found out also that
my hot water heater is rusting from the inside out. Any suggestions
if this is worth going after the inspection company, file with home
warrenty or better go after previous owner for not putting on
disclosure form.

I've been through five home inspections over the past four years. My
current home - I waived the inspection (no regrets). Ever inspection
was as different as the inspector himself. The best one was recently
when the inspector reported an item, that only I knew about. Others
nit-pick, because there was really nothing broke or failed.


I was called to look at a furnace in a house that wasn't lighting off, per
the inspectors report. Amazingly enough, he was right!

Even more amazing, he missed at least 4 major code violations, a countless
number of minor violations, and a nearly completely plugged up condenser
coil on the outside unit. He did catch about 6 or 8 missing screws from
light switch plates.

HeatMan wrote:

Even more amazing, he missed at least 4 major code violations, a countless
number of minor violations, and a nearly completely plugged up condenser
coil on the outside unit. He did catch about 6 or 8 missing screws from
light switch plates.



How is that amazing? It seems about right from my experience. That's
why the contract usually says the inspector is not responsible for the
accuracy of the report nor liable for any problems that they missed.

Best regards,
Bob

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
HeatMan wrote:

Even more amazing, he missed at least 4 major code violations, a
countless
number of minor violations, and a nearly completely plugged up condenser
coil on the outside unit. He did catch about 6 or 8 missing screws from
light switch plates.



How is that amazing? It seems about right from my experience. That's
why the contract usually says the inspector is not responsible for the
accuracy of the report nor liable for any problems that they missed.


You got that right, Bob.

"Oh, I missed something and your house burned down. Sorry." Next customer,
please.

Sold a home recently 2 different inspectors first buyer backed out.

2 inspections looked like they were on diferent homes I KNEW what the
issues were they missed some while creating others.

One inspector wrote up no GFCI on sump pump, so I installed one

Next inspector wrote up GFCI that it shouldnt be on a sump pump


wish 60 minutes would do a investigatrive report on inspectors the
industry is messed up

IMO if you are already somewhat "handy" then you should do your own "home
inspection." You can do the mental calculations as to how much to deduct
from your offer to cover repairs.

One real estate salesman I dealt with claimed that he knew a case where a
"home inspector" spotted some plywood in the roof that had been subject to a
recall. If your inspector (and his company) keeps on top of these things
then it might be worthwhile but once you know what to look for, your can
look for yourself. If the inspector doesn't know he is useless.

Unless the inspector is stupid he will find SOMETHING wrong. The home
inspection gives you a change to withdraw your offer without penalty if your
offer has a home inspection clause. That's the BEST reason to pay for the
inspection.

When it comes to HVAC stuff, if you are in the right season, you can just
"fire it up." Since good HVAC techs make more than "home inspectors" if
you want a HVAC system checked out right you call in a HVAC company.

So long as you are selling into a hot market, the home inspection is
something you can just ignore. When I sold a townhouse, the inspector tore
up a indoor/outdoor carpet to show that the patio slab was cracked (duh!
WTF do you think the previous owner put down the carpet?). His other
"findings" were that the roof at leaked at sometime in the past (old water
damage found in a closet) and a knob on the stove was broken.

If the market isn't hot the buyer will use the report to get you to cut your
price. You have to use your own judgment as to whether to cut the selling
price. The only repairs you want to do when selling are those the lender
demands. To the buyer, you just offer CASH.

DItto RayV ! Good to see another curmudgeon online.

Housing, at least in the US, is in large measure a scam. Even if you
have your own realtor as a buyer's agent they will do everything they
can to slam you into a house. Appraisers go with the flow so that they
get repeat business from the real estate agents. By 'go with the flow"
I mean they deliberately pad their assessments.

First time home buyers are like lambs to the slaughter.

wrote in message
oups.com...
DItto RayV ! Good to see another curmudgeon online.

Housing, at least in the US, is in large measure a scam. Even if you
have your own realtor as a buyer's agent they will do everything they
can to slam you into a house. Appraisers go with the flow so that they
get repeat business from the real estate agents. By 'go with the flow"
I mean they deliberately pad their assessments.

Up to a point, that's quite true.

BUT the appriaisers also work for the lenders. If an appraiser gets too
carried away the lenders will no longer accept his reports and he will be
stuck with the small amount of business he gets from buyers with more cash
than brains.

If there is a true falsehood or a gross error in the appraisal he and his
insurance company are on the hook. Otherwise, if you read the appraisal
you can decide for yourself whether the judgments are reasonable.

For example, the report might make the assumption that the prices are going
up 15% each year and also find comparibles that are a year old claiming
that's the best he can do. It's easy to check that kind of thing out.

First time home buyers are like lambs to the slaughter.

In theory, you are correct.

In practice that first home purchase is usually the best decision that
person or couple has made insofar as his long term finances are concerned.

Most folks who buy before interest rates go crazy or "creative financing" is
the norm, usually do OK.