By Tauscher Cronacher & Associates, LLC

Buying a new home is a very exhausting as there’s a lot of work that must be done, with home inspection being the most tedious and time-consuming task that can spoil the home buying experience.

Unfortunately, it is imperative, so either the buyer, the seller, or both are left with no other option but to hire a home inspector for a few hundred dollars for this process. Depending on the scale of the property, or on the “techniques” used by the home inspector to fast track the inspection process, it could take a day or more for the inspection report to be compiled and sent over. And that is when the “fun” part usually starts.

The InterNACHI’s Home Inspection Standards of Practice specifies the standards that home inspectors should abide by when inspecting and evaluating residential properties. Many “professional” home inspectors, thankfully, don’t follow these standards, which results in a home inspection report that isIncorrect, Inaccurate, and Incomplete – just the perfect recipe for any buyer hoping for a disaster!

With that in mind, let us now discuss the Three I’s of substandard home inspection reports along with some examples of really bad inspection findings by questionable contractors:

1. Incorrect

An incorrect home inspection findings may discuss all the issues that the inspector found during the walkthrough, which is good – except for the fact that the information relating to those issues isn’t truthful at all.

Such is the case of a home buyer who was provided by the seller’s home inspector with anything but honest inspection report. The buyer contacted the Daily Herald for recourse and recounted their wonderful experience when they found out that the home inspection report given to them didn’t disclose a major defect in the property they just bought.

The sellers said to the buyer that the kitchen space was remodeled with permits, which wasn’t true at all. Upon investigation, they found that extension cords were installed behind the kitchen cabinets and in one of the attics, which was a clear violation of local electrical code – and one that was noted in the inspection report as a “kitchen remodeling project done with permits.”

Another case of an incorrect inspection report was reported in the Better Business Bureau, wherein a client filed a complaint against a home inspection company in Florida. According to the complaint, the inspector had noted in the report that the client has a defective central air conditioning unit, when in fact, the client only has split type AC in their house that wasn’t working. What made matters worse is that after the client reported such a mistake in the home inspection report, the company still refused to correct their error.

The words of the complainant sum up how a seemingly harmless incorrect home inspection report aggravates people like him, “It’s for such companies like.…that causes utter confusion when untrained individuals convey wrong information to companies, that hurt innocent individuals like myself.”

1. Inaccurate

Another characteristic of a bad home inspection report that buyers and sellers should just ignore is inaccuracy. If the inspector fails to note the details about an issue exactly, it leads to inaccurate findings that could cause for the client to initiate costly, incorrect repair work, or even to lose money due to increased insurance premiums for the property.

Such was the case of a client of a home inspection company from Florida, wherein the home inspector  inaccurately assigned the wrong roof type on the report and failed to note that the client had actually obtained a permit for the hurricane shutters installed on their house. According their complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the inaccuracies resulted in the client paying higher insurance premiums and financial loss.

1. Incomplete

The last but not least criterion for a substandard home inspection report is incompleteness. If the inspector fails to include important details about anything they’re tasked to inspect and evaluate, it could lead seemingly minor issues to evolve into major, costly problems, or worse, require them to unexpectedly shell out money for repair or replacement of defective components which could have been avoided if the issues were identified and reported in the first place.

One such case of incomplete home inspection finding was reported in BBB.org, in which the client had to shell out five thousand dollars to replace a furnace after it failed to function three weeks after they moved into the property.

According to their complaint, the home inspector failed to include in the report that the furnace was original to the house. Moreover, the inspector didn’t include in the report a missing downspout,  a defect which the client only learned of after their roofing contractor spotted some rotting wood underneath the roof. According to the roofer, these “were things a basic home inspector should have their eyes on.”

In conclusion, obtaining a bad inspection report is very easy – one just needs to hire an inept, inexperienced, and incompetent home inspector for the job. If the goal of the home buyer is to purchase a property that will certainly give them financial headaches in the long run, turning a blind eye to these three I’s of a bad inspection report is highly essential.

WE HOPE YOU SEE THAT THIS IS SATIRE AND THAT A HOME INSPECTION REPORT MUST BE COMPLETED ONLY BY  A QUALIFIED INSPECTOR OR ENGINEER TO PROVIDE THE CLIENT WITH COMPLETE PICTURE OF THE PROPERTY’S CONDITION.

To know more about our standard home inspection services, visit our website today at www.tauschercronacher.com

SOURCE: https://tauschercronacher.com/the-three-is-of-bad-home-inspection-reports/