Home Inspections

5 comments

It's a buyer's market for home sales so you might be tempted to upgrade. Before making the biggest purchase of your lifetime, there's something you need to know when you rely on a home inspector.

Larry Siegler loves his Omaha home but it didn't start out that way when he arrived from Pennsylvania.

Larry says, "When we moved in, the fun began, uh. The first thing -- noticed the air conditioning wasn't working."

That wasn't all. Siegler says the list of things that went wrong began to grow, including rotting windows.

"The wood started falling apart," he says. "In the meantime, I just kept getting sicker and sicker. My allergies were terrible."

Siegler thought the home inspector conducted a mold test. Now he's not so sure.

"He basically didn't do his job," Siegler says. "And it was quite costly."

Home inspector Pat Casey has been on the job nearly three decades. While he was not hired for the Siegler home he can offer some advice.

Casey says, "We can't guarantee that we're going to find everything in the house but if the inspector is qualified and trained they should be able to identify any significant problems in the home."

Casey says anyone can claim to be a home inspector because the State of Nebraska doesn't require licensing.

Casey says, "Hire an inspector that that is their profession. That's all they do. There are some inspectors that will make repairs on the house they just inspected and according to our code of ethics that's a conflict of interest."

Other things to keep in mind: testing for mold and Radon usually does not come with a standard inspection. That costs extra.

Experts say when a home inspector looks over a home they should check the big ticket items. You can start with the roof and then the foundation.

"Make sure it's good and straight," Casey says. "So there's no signs of bowing or shifting."

Check the plumbing, the electrical system and finally the heating and cooling units.

Larry Siegler spent $27,000 in repairs on his home. His biggest regret was buying his home sight unseen.

He says, "If you're buying a house and having an inspection, first of all, go to the inspection. Make sure the house inspector you hire is doing his job and really looking at things."

That's important. If at all possible go to the house inspection as it's being done. If something doesn't look right, ask questions.

Other key points: inspectors cannot do things like pull up carpets, remove dry wall or move furniture or boxes to check for problems. The homeowner would have to remove these things and if the owner won't you're left to guess what they may be hiding.

Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Susan on Nov 7, 2007 at 03:39 PM
We had our home inspected by a professional, one week later our home caught fire because of faulty wiring to the A/C unit. AND it was NOT covered by the home warranty.

Posted by: Justin on Nov 7, 2007 at 02:58 PM
In regard to the last post "Anonymous from LaVista"... The inspector was correct in NOT checking the AC if it wasn't above 66 degrees /-. Had he started it you would surely have had problems. The one you should be seeking reimbursement from is the AC company you had check the AC. The inspector did the job He/She was hired to do. As you had stated you were informed to have it checked further. There are Always going to be things that are not visable and things the seller hides. A good inspector looks for the tell tail signs of a cover up. So please before you bash the inspector of not doing the Full job, look over the inspection report for omisions. If they aren't listed then you have a case. Buyers need to do their part and do the follow up to the recommendations made in the report. That report is an insight to future problems as well, NOT a book to level the coffee table.

Posted by: J on Nov 7, 2007 at 12:30 PM
We've recently moved, and based on personal experience...I think SOME home inspectors are Jokes. I'll refrain from "outing" the company here. The buyers hired an idiot. We got a wicked rain storm about 45 minutes before the inspector got there and the garage was leaking like a seive. I cleaned it up, dried it off with a hair-dryer, and he never noticed (fyi: we did the right thing and fixed it anyway before the sale- after we told the inspector that we were shocked he missed that) Finally, he suggested to the buyer that vents needed to installed in the home cuz it appeard mold was at one time evident in the attic...HA. We installed the vents as directed, and the roofer hired by the buyers agent neglected to note that the home had cathedral ceilings...and they now have leaking problems with the vents in the living room. We did use an inspector, but went with one that had 20 some years experience and by recommendation. Never go with the sellers recommendation.

Posted by: Keith on Nov 7, 2007 at 10:32 AM
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use a home inspector recommended by your or the seller's agent. It's a conflict of interest. Real estate agents refer to proficient home inspectors as 'deal busters', and they prefer to work with inspectors who won't give you the whole story. For example, if Larry Siegler's inspector had been honest, Larry probably would not have bought that house--or he would have significantly lowered his offer, and agents hate to see their commissions shrink!

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 7, 2007 at 09:51 AM
We had our new home inspected before we purchased it. It was in the spring when the furnace was still running. He checked everything out. Furnace fine, but it was too cold to have A/C checked. Said we'd have to have a professional a/c guy check it out. We did...they said it was just low on Freon...well..we purchase the house and of course...a/c doesn't cool and $4000 later...we had to buy a new a/c. Nothing could be done...so just check to make sure the inspector actually can check EVERYTHING out for you. By the way...the only reprocussion we would have against the inspector would be for him to give us our money back...$360 for his inspection. not much when we had to fork our $4000 for a new a/c. Probably wouldn't have closed knowing about this expence or at least lowered our offer.