ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Home Inspectors: How can we work together?

If a home inspector is a qualified person per the NEC definition, I would feel comfortable with that inspector's report.



[This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 12-31-2002).]

The idea of home inspectors is a good one. That said, The problem I have seen is they are not knowledgeable enough to do the job.
They are expected to know all the trades and make a judgement based on that knowledge.
Their knowledge at best is basic and there reports are basic however, the customer who is the buyer in alot of cases is taking their word as fact, that the property they are about to invest in is safe.
The problem arises when after the closing, the New Owner, starts to realize that all is not well with thier home and the repair bills start to pile up just to keep the home safe. A common complaint is , well the inspector said that such and such was fine and not to worry about, here it is 6 months after we bought this place and things are not all right.
So who is accountable, the buyer, the agent who sold the house or the inspector.
So how do we come together ? A special course for Home-Inspectors, how long would that be 30 days ,6 months. Just as an example we scramble every NEC cycle trying to keep up with all the changes. These last two cycles sections have been renumbered and alot of them moved with indices in the back to use as a road map. The HVAC, Plumbing, and the Carpenters have codes too plus the Local building codes which each city or county.
I dont believe On The Job training is anyway for a home inspector to learn, because there are innocent people in the middle getting hurt because of a lack of basic knowledge.
The only way would be some type of comprehensive course. and that is just a guess. Now they have classes sponsered by people who virtually give out the answers for a price. This is not the way to go either.
The last option would be for the trades to teach them and this sounds like an idea or have a basic checklist that limits the scope of the inspection and the buyer could be still paying twice.
We are responsible for the work we do, we have to be Bonded, insured, licensed and registered, more paper than required for a thoroughbred race-horse.
There are options out there and they have to be a better alternative than the present system.

WOC

unless one can master all trades, how can he/she be an expert home inspector ? if you need your wiring checked , call a licensed ,qualified electrician, and so on for plumbing, mech, and building... call the experts for each trade.

Take a look at what Canada has done. Go to parkway@reach.net and look for the Occupational Standards of the Professional Home/ Property Inspector and the Common Core Competencies, www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/Research for the Canadian Home Inspectors & Building Officials Initiative. It makes some interesting reading.
Bob

mj,

No doubt that having an Expert from each Trade thoroughly inspect would be best, but what would that cost, and who would pay it? Given that, (mistakes aside) shouldn't something be better than nothing?

Bill

I found some interesting information over at the ASHI website including: Standards of Practice and State Regulations . There are links to more on the left side of the page like Code of Ethics, FAQs, Glossary.

Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 12-30-2002).]

I've been hired Joe, due to HI's missing and/or mis-interpeting the following here (my bold)


7. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7.1 The inspector shall:

inspect :
the service drop.
the service entrance conductors, cables, and raceways.
the service equipment and main disconnects.
the service grounding.
the interior components of service panels and sub panels.
the conductors.
the overcurrent protection devices.
a representative number of installed lighting fixtures, switches, and receptacles.
the ground fault circuit interrupters.
describe:
the amperage and voltage rating of the service.
the location of main disconnect(s) and sub panels.
the wiring methods.
report:
on the presence of solid conductor aluminum branch circuit wiring.
on the absence of smoke detectors.

The way I look at it is, if I'm under a house and notice a crack in a floor joist, not being a structural expert, do I keep my mouth shut, or do I tell the owner and let a structural expert come out and tell the owner that this guy should mind his own business.

Or possibly be given a pat on the back for bringing up something that could be a problem.

I think the HI is providing a true service, and if done humbly and not with the matter of factness that he is an expert in all areas, he or she should not be damned for suggesting a pro look at it.

Just MHO

Roger

Bill:
I have to add this, and didn't want to lenghten my prior post.
My daughter purchased a house approx 3 yrs ago, and yes, she had a Home Inspection. The HI was a referal from my daughters realtor. Yes, I was there at the same time, kept to myself, and observed mainly. The HI was exceptionally thorough, and was basically knowledgeable in the trades. I gave him a "b" for the electric end. He checked the panel, service, receptacles, etc.
His report was factual on all accounts, and I would reccommend him to anyone.

I purchased another house 1-1/2 yrs ago, and also had a HI. Couldn't get the guy mentioned above, got a referal from him in the area I bought. Same opinion of this guys "work" Fees were the same, and the "termite guys" that accompanied them were pros also.

I'M NOT GOING TO "HORROR STORY" YOUR THREAD. If anyone wants the story about a "HI" that really screwed up electrically, e-mail me & I'll write it out real quick.

John

Bill & Gentlemen:
Are we, including myself "missing something"?

Short & sweet....
An existing house, that has no dangerous visable conditions, and is structuraly "sound", should "pass" a HI, Right?

Therefore, knowledge of the current "codes" is not a mandatory requirement to inspect a home, Agree??

Am I correct that we, as inspectors, and contractors, cannot "make" a person "update" there electrical system if it is "safe" and no work is being done???

I really can't find the words to express what I'm trying to type.....
If a HI looks for obvious "flaws", is that enough?
(THe roof is in need of replacement; the crawl space has signs of water damage; there are two cracked roof joists visable in the attic; you should consider a GFI in the bathroom; etc., etc.)

I'll go away now...
John