That's Cosmetic!

There must be a school somewhere that teaches real estate agents to respond to every defect I find, with the comment "that's cosmetic". One of the definitions of cosmetic is: " done or made for the sake of appearance". Stress cracks in the ceilings of multiple rooms, that are aligned, are not cosmetic. Woodpecker holes in wood shingle siding that is rotted are not cosmetic. Missing mortar and cracks with holes in a rubble foundation are not cosmetic. Yet in all these cases and more I get the same comment, almost as a reflex. Mind you it is not posed as a question, but as a statement of fact.
As a licensed Home Inspector cosmetic items are not really what I'm looking for. Scratched paint, peeling paint, floors that need new shellac, faded wall paper and dirty carpets are cosmetic. They are not critical systems, not structural, and not safety items. In the scheme of things cosmetic items have a lower cost and are arbitrary and for appearance.
I'd like to think the overuse of the phrase is a lack of knowledge as to what a defect of substance is and what a minor item or possibly cosmetic is.
I have offered to many agents to present to them what we are looking for and in short educate them a little more. I have had a few takers on my offer, but most never call. I wonder why?
Bottom line, as a buyer, is to be wary of anyone who labels items you are concerned about as “cosmetic”. Only a Home inspector should make that determination. For the record, I never comment on the price of a house, the neighborhood, or whether it’s a good or bad buy. It's not my purview. So consider the source and qualifications of comments on the property you are buying, and remember the Home Inspector works for you, and is paid by you, not the seller!

Do Not Overlook Condominiums Common Property

On a condo inspection we typically inspect the unit, as well as common areas that are accessible and available. The general appearance of the property can give you some clues as to what's being taken care of and what is not. As in the photo, when they do not take care of the entrance brick work and hand rails, it's a red flag. It's amazing that buyers sometimes do not realize that they will "own" the common property and that it's condition is important. I have had Realtors say to them, " the association" will take care of that! Well , that may be true, but who is the association? It's all the owners including you. Yes they will take care of it, but will it be within the maintenance fee or will it be a special assessment? When you know the general condition of the building, you can then compare it to the maintenance fee and the reserve for the projects that they have planned. Then you can consult with your attorney on what is sufficient reserve, plans, risks etc. So please be sure that when you purchase a condo, you have the home inspector review the common property for an overview of its condition so you can make an informed decision. Otherwise you may get caught when the music stops and they hand out the "special assessments" with a loan application to pay for it!

When did you say this house was built?

Recently I was engaged to inspect a home built in 1996, when a second floor was added and renovated, supposedly. The first sign something was off was the foundation, built of concrete blocks, and then added onto with a concrete foundation for the oversize garage. The second sign was the dimensional or full size lumber beams, joists, columns, and old wide floor boards. No pressure treated wood, no plywood, but plenty of sister boards. Yes they had sistered the old floor joists with newer lumber when they had done the renovation.
Subsequent checking by the client turned up that a permit was pulled circa 1996 to add a 2nd floor, on top of the single family home that was there. Issues for the real estate agent of record and the listing. But the floor boards and support never lie!
So my concerns were validated. This is the 2nd time I have run into this misrepresentation of when a house was built and added onto. It was confusing to say the least.
Moral of the story, be wary when they have had major renovations so that you know what was built when, as it makes a big difference! In this case it was 51 years of difference.

Winterized? Owned by Bank? Who did it?

The other day I showed up for an inspection, early as is my practise, only to find that the plumber had not left yet? He was supposed to set the house into normal operating condition after the bank's people had "winterized" it for storage.
Well the Bank got robbed, not at the bank, but at this property. Who ever did the work, didn't do a very good job, and at least one or more pipes froze and leaked. It appeared that they didn't open the faucets on the 2nd floor, highest in the house, to allow it to drain down completely. The closed faucet creates an airlock, holding some, but not all the water in the line from draining.
I have seen cases where the bank also shut off the electricity, to the house and the SUMP pump, causing floods to occur in the finished basements? Can you believe it! In their efforts to minimize cost, they have devalued the property. It may have been the bank, the management company, or simply the craftsman that was hired, but nevertheless the damage is done.
Moral of the story is to get what you pay for by doing spot inspections on properties that have been moth balled!

Missing Leg?

I was doing an inspection a while back and finished the outside first and entered the garage. Checked the automatic closers and electric eyes, no problems. I started to probe the sill(wooden) around the garage and found no soft spots, and no indication of bugs that I could see. I started to check out the roof rafters and joists above and my eyes followed down to the platform entrance to the home. Something looked odd when I studied the steps and platform. I noticed the home owner had placed his winter tires under the platform and then it hit me.
What was holding the platform up? Certainly not the tires!
Someone had neatly sawed off the corner support, of which there were two, as the platform was screwed to the rim board against the sill. The reason was obvious, to get the tires under the steps. Still not sure what was holding it up, perhaps a lick and a prayer! One post and the side against the house was not enough.
Moral of the story is keep on looking when something doesn't look right. I have followed that rule and always end up finding the problem, and sometimes the cause.
Homeowner insisted it was done by an unknown person...

Cracks in retaining walls

It never fails that when a mason, or perhaps a wannabe mason, puts up a concrete or composite wall, they often leave out the drains. Yes, drains are needed in retaining walls in order to let the water out before it freezes and causes the cracks we all dislike so much. It seems like the older the wall, the less likely it will have drains, here in the northeast that is.
When repairing the cracks is is essential to read up on where to put the drains and get them in before you patch. Otherwise you'll be patching every year for a long time.Or see your friendly mason referred to you by a friend and he'll do it right!
ti2j9m5p8r

Selecting a Home Inspector on Price,Think twice!

Recently we've received calls, rather abrupt calls, asking for a price and when we could do a home inspection. The callers were not interested in anything else? They did not ask how many years of experience we had, did we do antiques, what our training was, or even if we were insured.
If you were going to have a carpenter or electrician do a remodel job in your home, wouldn't you ask a few questions to see if the people were solid and reputable? Similar to going to a doctor or lawyer, you need to get references before you engage the person. If all else fails, you check with the state registration, and groups like NACHI, that are professional groups who list their members and some of their training, etc.
If you get quotes on price alone, you will get what you asked for, a cheap home inspection! Yes the state of MA regs prescribe what needs to be looked at by all inspectors, but do all inspectors have their eyes wide open. Do they bring things to your attention, or do they bury things in detail and let you ferret out the important items.
When a home inspector asks questions before he/she quotes a price, they are trying to determine the complexity of the job, the skills needed, the length of time to do the work, and whether they have a willing partner to explore the home-you! So don't just ask for the price, ask for the detail om the professional you are about to employ. We all have different backgrounds and specialties, even though we are generalists. What you want is a quality inspection with no surprises, so ask questions and give answers that will paint a portrait of the inspector.Ask to speak to the inspector to see if he can talk with you easily, or is he tongue tied. Half of an inspection or more is verbal, so how an inspector communicates is critical to you getting what you payed for!