Buyer was ignored during home inspection
Q: I have several complaints about my home inspector. Throughout the inspection, he was shadowed by the seller and the listing agent, so I could never speak freely with him, even though he was supposed to be working for me.
During the inspection, I expressed concern about the air conditioner, but the seller said it had recently been fixed. So, the inspector said nothing about it in his report, and now I'm stuck with an A/C system that doesn’t work.
Finally, the inspector reviewed the report with the seller and the listing agent, rather than privately with me. What’s more, my own agent didn't even attend the inspection. Is this the way a home inspection is supposed to be?
A: This is definitely not the way a home inspection should be conducted. Your inspector is your private consultant and is paid by you to act accordingly. Sellers and their agents are usually entitled to a copy of the inspection report, but they should not dominate the inspection process itself.
Most home inspectors have had situations where sellers, listing agents and others follow them from beginning to end. It is not an inspector’s favorite way to work, but inspectors try to make the best of it when it can’t be avoided. However, a good inspector always finds a moment to take the buyer aside and explain that a private review of the report can be done when the inspection is over. Your inspector erred in this respect.
Regarding the air conditioner: Whatever assurances the seller gave your inspector should have had no bearing on the inspection findings. The inspector should have conducted a standard review of the A/C system, operating it to ensure its functional condition. If the seller disclosed having repaired the system, the inspector should have advised you to obtain documentation for that work.
Your agent's report card also shows low marks. If you had been properly represented, your agent would have been present at the inspection. Your agent's job was to make sure the seller and the listing agent left you and your inspector alone during the inspection.
You should notify the seller, the agents and the home inspector of the faulty A/C system and insist that it be repaired. The seller should also provide a copy of the receipt for whatever work was supposedly done.
Q: We purchased a new-build home about nine years ago. Two years later, some of the wooden floorboards began to buckle up. We complained to the builder and he sent someone to refasten these boards, but the problem continues to happen whenever we have wet or humid weather. What could be causing this problem, and what is the solution?
A: When wood flooring buckles up, as you describe, a common cause is lack of expansion gaps at the walls. Wood flooring should be installed with a quarter inch gap at each wall to allow for expansion due to changes in moisture and temperature.
Without these gaps, expanding floorboards press against the sill plates at the bottoms of walls. Pressure increases until the boards begin popping up and/or warping. To determine if this is the problem in your home, remove some baseboards to see if gaps were provided by the flooring installer. If not, the builder needs to do some serious repair or replacement.
• Distributed by Action Coast Publishing. Questions to Barry Stone can be emailed to barry@housedetective.com.