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Home inspector: Do-it-yourself home inspections

Q. We’re about to buy a newly built home and have decided not to hire a home inspector. My husband prefers to do the inspection himself. When we sold our last home, he accompanied the buyers’ home inspector to learn what inspectors do. He proposes to go through all the same exercises as our buyers’ home inspector, and he should be able to find any serious defects. Our Realtor, however, is uncomfortable with this idea and urges us to hire a professional inspector. But the home comes with a one-year warranty, so any defects not spotted during our inspection will certainly surface during that time. Our family and friends also believe a home inspection is unnecessary, but your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

A. The decision to forego a home inspection is typical among buyers of newly constructed homes, but it is an invitation to costly trouble, and here is why:

You say your husband plans to repeat “the same exercises” as your buyers’ home inspector. Please understand that these were not exercises. They were the carefully considered applications of years of home inspection experience and a vast amount of property defect knowledge. Your husband observed the inspector’s movements only, not the forensic processes that occurred within the inspector’s mind while he evaluated your home.

It takes at least 1,000 home inspections to become reasonably qualified as a professional home inspector. There is simply no way an average homebuyer can discover the defects that would be apparent to a well-seasoned home inspector. If your husband does the inspection, undiscovered defects will be inevitable.

You say also that any problems not spotted during the inspection will certainly surface during the one-year warranty period. This is only true of defects that are visibly apparent or that affect observable functions, such as rubbing doors, a leaking dishwasher or a noisy garbage disposal. Here are just a few examples of the kinds of problems that would most likely not be discovered on a do-it-yourself home inspection or during the first year of occupancy:

Ÿ Inadequate ventilation of the attic;

Ÿ Faulty wiring within the breaker panel;

Ÿ Improper flashing at roof penetrations;

Ÿ Chimney contact with combustible construction;

Ÿ Noncompliance at the garage firewall;

Ÿ Substandard flue connections at the water heater;

Ÿ Inadequate combustion air supply for the furnace;

Ÿ Reversed polarity at wall outlets;

Ÿ Lack of ground fault (shock) protection at required outlets;

Ÿ Improper vent configuration at drain pipes;

Ÿ Unsafe venting of exhaust at the furnace;

Ÿ Inadequate height of the chimney above the roof, etc., etc. …

Problems such as these would eventually be discovered by the buyers’ home inspector when you eventually sold the home. By that time, the builders warranty would probably have expired, and the responsibility for repairs would then be yours. To resolve these details now, while the warranty is in effect, find the most qualified home inspector in your area. A competent inspector will definitely find problems that would otherwise escape discovery.

Ÿ Email questions to Barry Stone through his website, housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.

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