Amazing Inspection

12 years ago

Just wanted to mention that we had a terrific inspection. I have never seen or heard of one so through. Took two and a half hours for a house approximately 1,500 square feet and the guy emailed us a detailed seventy-five page report, including color photos.

In our state (Massachusetts) inspectors must be licensed and go through a training/apprenticeship and there are very specific things they can and cannot do. This guy in particular is also a member of a voluntary professional society (ASHI, I believe).

Anyway, color me impressed, especially given past experiences and some of the experiences of people here. It did cost a bit more than inspections we've had in the past, but it was worth every penny.

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Comments (5)

phoggie
12 years ago
That was great....glad for you. Can you list some of the things that they looked for?....want to get ours all fixed before any inspection. Thanks~
trilobite
Original Author
12 years ago
Phoggie, if this helps, his report was split into eleven chapters.

Inspection Conditions
Grounds and Building - Exterior
Decks-Porches-Stoops-Balconies
Roofing System and Chimneys
Structural-Attic-Basement
Interior
Bathrooms
Kitchen and Laundry
Heating Systems
Plumbing and Water Heaters
Electrical System

He paid especial attention to the electrical system in the house and to flashing/roof/any possible water intrusion. (We live in a very wet climate.)

But overall, I'd say he wasn't really "looking" for anything in particular, more that he made a point of poking his nose into everything and grading his recommendations based on urgency.
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annkathryn
12 years ago
I had a very thorough inspection as well just last week. I'm selling my house and it's customary where I live for the seller to do inspections before listing, so I had roof, pool, termite, chimney and house. The house inspector found that the previous owner had poked a hole on the side of a water pipe by drilling through the exterior stucco to mount a hose reel. The hole had been there 8 years! The previous inspector (8 years ago) had missed it. Fortunately gravity kept the water from flooding anything. There was just a lot of dampness in the crawl space. Also fortunately our Realtor had purchased a home warranty so the plumbing was covered after the $55 deductible, but replacing a 2' x 1' hole in the stucco wasn't.

I think there's a template that my inspector used and he just basically filled in the blanks with any issues. He took lots of photos and plugged them into the document. The software summarized all the findings into one easy-to-read section. The end result is a PDF that buyers can download (on request) from my Realtor.
logic
12 years ago
Good news. It seems that regulating the profession may finally be paying off..
LoveInTheHouse
12 years ago
I got so many bad inspections over the years that we stopped doing them. We just inspect ourselves and if there's something we aren't sure of or can't find the answer to, we make our offer assuming the worst case scenario of the thing. I know what most things cost--over the years, through all our houses, we've done everything--roofs, electrical, plumbing, heating systems, new well, septic. If I had extra money (I never do when buying a house because I always want the one that's just a little over my price range!) I would get one because it can't hurt. I'm glad to hear they're doing better lately and you got such a great one!