http://www.imagestation.com/album/?i...e=album-invite

Thanks for the responses that I got on my original question a few
weeks ago! We had a roofer out to look at it, who said we needed a
carpenter. From the carpenters, we've found that we need to remove
that section of gutter, have the soffit re-attached properly so that
there is no gap, then have new guttering installed there, since the
current guttering has sagged with the soffit.

We can remove the guttering pretty easily and the carpenter fee
shouldn't be all that much. But the new guttering (25-30 feet worth)
could cost a few bucks.

Someone recommended contacting the inspector. We did that, and as one
would expect, he doesn't believe this is something he should have
seen. In his words, "I did not climb in your attic....and did not see
the condition that you describe. The condition of the soffit being
pulled down and having a gap, unless wood rot was evident, probably
would not have been noted in my inspection." He believes this is
something the seller should have disclosed, and is therefore the
seller's responsibility. This is a condition that can be seen from
the outside, so I'm not sure what his not going in the attic has to do
with anything-- other than make him look kind of foolish, because
shouldn't an inspector go in the attic at some point?

So we're looking at a ping-pong match here to determine who is
"responsible" for not telling us about this condition. I'm not
interested in a money grab-- but we've already had to pay a couple
hundred bucks to fix things that the seller was supposed to fix, but
didn't fix properly (they wired a dryer plug receptacle incorrectly,
didn't properly fix a leaking pipe, left the kitchen sink disposal in
non-working order by trying to dispose of their entire refrigerator
before moving out), and I'm kind of tired of just swallowing this
stuff.

So I'd just like a few opinions-- pursue the seller, further pursue
the inspector, or let the whole thing drop?

1. Send the previous owner the bill for the things he had promised to fix
and didn't

2. Fix the soffit and gutter at your own cost (you'll never get this back,
from anyone)

3. Get a better inspector next time

4. Enjoy your new home, and stop fretting about the past


"sffleague" wrote in message
m...

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?i...e=album-invite

Thanks for the responses that I got on my original question a few
weeks ago! We had a roofer out to look at it, who said we needed a
carpenter. From the carpenters, we've found that we need to remove
that section of gutter, have the soffit re-attached properly so that
there is no gap, then have new guttering installed there, since the
current guttering has sagged with the soffit.

We can remove the guttering pretty easily and the carpenter fee
shouldn't be all that much. But the new guttering (25-30 feet worth)
could cost a few bucks.

Someone recommended contacting the inspector. We did that, and as one
would expect, he doesn't believe this is something he should have
seen. In his words, "I did not climb in your attic....and did not see
the condition that you describe. The condition of the soffit being
pulled down and having a gap, unless wood rot was evident, probably
would not have been noted in my inspection." He believes this is
something the seller should have disclosed, and is therefore the
seller's responsibility. This is a condition that can be seen from
the outside, so I'm not sure what his not going in the attic has to do
with anything-- other than make him look kind of foolish, because
shouldn't an inspector go in the attic at some point?

So we're looking at a ping-pong match here to determine who is
"responsible" for not telling us about this condition. I'm not
interested in a money grab-- but we've already had to pay a couple
hundred bucks to fix things that the seller was supposed to fix, but
didn't fix properly (they wired a dryer plug receptacle incorrectly,
didn't properly fix a leaking pipe, left the kitchen sink disposal in
non-working order by trying to dispose of their entire refrigerator
before moving out), and I'm kind of tired of just swallowing this
stuff.

So I'd just like a few opinions-- pursue the seller, further pursue
the inspector, or let the whole thing drop?

sffleague wrote:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?i...e=album-invite

Thanks for the responses that I got on my original question a few
weeks ago! We had a roofer out to look at it, who said we needed a
carpenter. From the carpenters, we've found that we need to remove
that section of gutter, have the soffit re-attached properly so that
there is no gap, then have new guttering installed there, since the
current guttering has sagged with the soffit.

We can remove the guttering pretty easily and the carpenter fee
shouldn't be all that much. But the new guttering (25-30 feet worth)
could cost a few bucks.

Someone recommended contacting the inspector. We did that, and as one
would expect, he doesn't believe this is something he should have
seen. In his words, "I did not climb in your attic....and did not see
the condition that you describe. The condition of the soffit being
pulled down and having a gap, unless wood rot was evident, probably
would not have been noted in my inspection." He believes this is
something the seller should have disclosed, and is therefore the
seller's responsibility. This is a condition that can be seen from
the outside, so I'm not sure what his not going in the attic has to do
with anything-- other than make him look kind of foolish, because
shouldn't an inspector go in the attic at some point?

So we're looking at a ping-pong match here to determine who is
"responsible" for not telling us about this condition. I'm not
interested in a money grab-- but we've already had to pay a couple
hundred bucks to fix things that the seller was supposed to fix, but
didn't fix properly (they wired a dryer plug receptacle incorrectly,
didn't properly fix a leaking pipe, left the kitchen sink disposal in
non-working order by trying to dispose of their entire refrigerator
before moving out), and I'm kind of tired of just swallowing this
stuff.

So I'd just like a few opinions-- pursue the seller, further pursue
the inspector, or let the whole thing drop?

You probably won't get any satisfaction. The seller/homeowner may not
have know the condition. The inspector actually works for you and it
is his responsibility to look for problems. Sounds like the
inspector didn't do much of a job, just collected his fee. Pursuing
him may be fruitless depending on the laws and regulations where you
live. (Irresponsibility of inspectors and lack of being held
accountable is quite common).

If nothing else, I would detail the items in a report focusing on
those things which would be obvious to a careful inspection. Then
send it to the county/city/state agencies that are involved. Maybe
detailing what you are going to do will shake of few bucks out of the
worthless inspector. And I would certainly go to the local newspapers
with a "hot" story on local fraud.

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in message ...
sffleague wrote:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?i...e=album-invite

Thanks for the responses that I got on my original question a few
weeks ago! We had a roofer out to look at it, who said we needed a
carpenter. From the carpenters, we've found that we need to remove
that section of gutter, have the soffit re-attached properly so that
there is no gap, then have new guttering installed there, since the
current guttering has sagged with the soffit.

We can remove the guttering pretty easily and the carpenter fee
shouldn't be all that much. But the new guttering (25-30 feet worth)
could cost a few bucks.

Someone recommended contacting the inspector. We did that, and as one
would expect, he doesn't believe this is something he should have
seen. In his words, "I did not climb in your attic....and did not see
the condition that you describe. The condition of the soffit being
pulled down and having a gap, unless wood rot was evident, probably
would not have been noted in my inspection." He believes this is
something the seller should have disclosed, and is therefore the
seller's responsibility. This is a condition that can be seen from
the outside, so I'm not sure what his not going in the attic has to do
with anything-- other than make him look kind of foolish, because
shouldn't an inspector go in the attic at some point?

So we're looking at a ping-pong match here to determine who is
"responsible" for not telling us about this condition. I'm not
interested in a money grab-- but we've already had to pay a couple
hundred bucks to fix things that the seller was supposed to fix, but
didn't fix properly (they wired a dryer plug receptacle incorrectly,
didn't properly fix a leaking pipe, left the kitchen sink disposal in
non-working order by trying to dispose of their entire refrigerator
before moving out), and I'm kind of tired of just swallowing this
stuff.

So I'd just like a few opinions-- pursue the seller, further pursue
the inspector, or let the whole thing drop?




Document the cost of repairing the soffit and gutter, then sue both
the seller and the inspector in small claims court. Let the judge
decide if it gets that far. It certainly looks like this was the
fault of the inspector, as it could be observed from the outside or
from the attic. The fact that he never even entered the attic is
proof he's incompetent, assuming you had an agreement for a standard
home inspection.

The inspector should have errors and ommissions insurance, which if
you sue, may pay you to get rid of the case.

Just to add a little more background to this. When we bought our
first home several years ago, we let our realtor set the inspection
up. We found out, much later, that this was a guy she sent all her
clients to, and he seemed more interested in staying in her favor than
with helping us. Missed a number of structural problems, among other
things, and we put out about $5K for repairs.

So, this time, we did as much homework as possible. Consulted tons of
people, got references, and ended up going with an independent
inspector who was well regarded by everyone we spoke with. Paid a lot
more for him (a little over $500 total) than we could have spent on
others. So cost wasn't a concern. Rather, we wanted the best
inspector we could get. I truly don't know what more we could have
done.

Whether he had a bad day or what, I don't know. But you know, at some
point, it'd just be nice if service providers could own up to it when
they make a mistake.

"jstp" wrote in message ...
1. Send the previous owner the bill for the things he had promised to fix
and didn't

2. Fix the soffit and gutter at your own cost (you'll never get this back,
from anyone)

3. Get a better inspector next time

4. Enjoy your new home, and stop fretting about the past

I have a customer that is almost unemployable. He even got fired from a job
at the Borg!

He called me the other day to ask me a bunch of HVAC questions. It seems
he's going to school to be a home inspector. Imagine that.


"sffleague" wrote in message
m...
Just to add a little more background to this. When we bought our
first home several years ago, we let our realtor set the inspection
up. We found out, much later, that this was a guy she sent all her
clients to, and he seemed more interested in staying in her favor than
with helping us. Missed a number of structural problems, among other
things, and we put out about $5K for repairs.

So, this time, we did as much homework as possible. Consulted tons of
people, got references, and ended up going with an independent
inspector who was well regarded by everyone we spoke with. Paid a lot
more for him (a little over $500 total) than we could have spent on
others. So cost wasn't a concern. Rather, we wanted the best
inspector we could get. I truly don't know what more we could have
done.

Whether he had a bad day or what, I don't know. But you know, at some
point, it'd just be nice if service providers could own up to it when
they make a mistake.

"jstp" wrote in message
...
1. Send the previous owner the bill for the things he had promised to
fix
and didn't

2. Fix the soffit and gutter at your own cost (you'll never get this
back,
from anyone)

3. Get a better inspector next time

4. Enjoy your new home, and stop fretting about the past