How to deal with deal killers at inspection
Q: I’ve been a Realtor for 10 years and have attended hundreds of home inspections. I’ve worked with dozens of home inspectors who are thorough, professional, and reliable. But last week, I watched a home inspector literally overwhelm the buyers with a multitude of things that “could go wrong in the future.”
His comments were not based on how the house is, but what could possibly happen in the future. Besides this, comments in his report turned out to be inaccurate. For example, he said the roof rafters were not reinforced with collar ties. This turned out to be untrue. And he said there was mold on the roof rafters. This, in fact, was lumberyard mildew, commonly found on new wood framing.
I don’t mind a deal falling through because of genuine defects, but this was entirely unjustified. Could you please share your thoughts about this?
A: It is always disappointing to hear of home inspectors who perform their work in ways that are inappropriate and unprofessional. Excessive examples such as this are unusual, but they do exist. They can cause financial harm to individuals and can damage the public perception of the home inspection profession.
If this inspector is an affiliate member of your Realtor board, perhaps there is a complaint process whereby he would be obliged to appear and to answer specific questions regarding the alleged errors in his recent inspection and report. If he is a member of an established home inspection association, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors or a recognized state association, it may be possible to file a complaint in that venue.
Another thing you can do is to send the inspector a letter, specifically listing the details of your complaint, with signatures from both agents and both brokers in the transaction. If he realizes that he has incurred the displeasure of two local real estate offices, he might reconsider the ways that he conducts his business.
Q: The home we are buying has a garage that was converted to a bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. The sellers disclosed that this was done without a building permit. We’re worried about what the building department might do if they discover this nonpermitted conversion. What do you recommend?
A: Consult the local building department to learn their official position regarding unpermitted garage conversions. Municipal agencies have difference policies in this regard. Some building departments are busy and tend to look the other way; some are very strict and actively enforce violations; some only take action when they receive a complaint from an unhappy neighbor; some allow garages to be converted with a permit; and others do not allow garage conversions under any circumstances.
Above all, you don't want the city ordering you to restore the garage after you’ve taken possession of the property. Undoing a conversion of that kind could cost many thousands of dollars. Before proceeding with the purchase, find out where you stand with the authorities.
• Distributed by Action Coast Publishing. Questions to Barry Stone can be emailed to barry@housedetective.com.