home inspections

[jillallman]

buyer beware....home inspections are not what they should be.....we just purchased and the 'home inspector', arranged by our real estate agent. missed so much, we think he must have had blinkers on! when challenged, he replied that they don't move furniture to check electrical outlets! so if there is a hole in the wall behind the bed, it doesn't get seen!!!!! he was a disgrace, so if you want value for your money, hire your house inspector yourself, make sure you ask the questions about what will be checked. It's your money.

[2BNTV]

I am sorry to hear you had a bad experience Thanks for the heads up.

I plan to call Faithful Frank from this forum known as D'Angelo Inspections.

His is also a sponsor of this forum.

[DangeloInspections]

Dear Jill,
Sorry you had a bad experience! Just so everyone knows, I do not recognize the name, so it was not me who did this inspection....

That being said, you are correct that all inspections and inspectors are not the same. I recently saw another home inspector in my neighborhood inspecting a home for an out of state buyer. He arrived in an old beat up truck and was dressed in a dirty t-shirt and jeans. He was at the residence about 45 minutes. He did have a ladder, but I did not see him with any other inspection tools....just a clipboard, no computer or palm pilot, etc.

I am an ASHI Home Inspector. ASHI stands for American Society of Home Inspectors. It is a difficult certification to earn. Many Home Inspectors are not ASHI Inspectors.

While no Inspector is perfect, including myself, I make every effort to check everything I can. I am usually at the home between 3-4 hours, then work out of my office another 1-2 hours on the report itself. It does take that long, especially when the Inspector walks the roof, crawls through the attic, checks all systems, etc. The end result is a professional looking, easy to read full color report complete with many pictures, etc.

I have inspected homes where there were huge wall entertainment systems, credenzas, etc., where it is impossible to move the unit. I try to use an inspection mirror, expensive flashlights, etc to see behind these items. In some cases it is just impossible. In these rare cases I always put in my report what I could not inspect, and strongly advise that this area be checked after the items are out of there usually during the MUCH NEEDED "just before closing walk through". If the buyer could not be there for this it is not unreasonable to have the realtor to send you pictures of this area prior to the closing. I have also returned if needed to do this, although it is uncommon.

What folks should know is that as the potential buyer you have the right to hire any Home Inspector you want, and that Home Inspector works for YOU, not the Agent, seller or anyone else.

It pains me to hear when anyone has a bad inspector experience, as it hurts the profession I take great pride in. If anyone has any questions on any type of inspections, new buyer, one year warranty inspections, etc,etc. Please feel free to ask. I am always happy to help.

Frank D'Angelo

www. Dangeloinspections .com

D'Angelo Inspections LLC | Serving The Villages, Leesburg, Clermont, and Surrounding Areas 352-250-7818 (http://www.thevillageshomeinspector.com)

[gomoho]

The job of an inspector is not to locate potential "holes in the wall" behind furniture. That is cosmetic and not in the scope of the inspection. But there are good ones and bad ones, just like any other profession so "buyer beware".

[swrinfla]

On HGTV, the program "Holmes on Homes" suggests strongly what should be looked for, and often, how problems should be addressed!

Some would say, "Picky, picky." But, others would respond, "The pickier, the better!"

Me, I'm inclined to seek out the most thorough investigation, finding even the most minor 'errors!'

When I sold my home of some 42 years in St. Louis, the inspector nearly killed any possible deal by being very hard-nosed! My appeal succeeded in letting me sell "as is," thus avoiding serious issues, and allowing the buyer to "flip" the home with less problems.

Were I to sell my home again, I would insist on a detailed and honest inspection even before putting it on the market! I am convinced that the bottom line would be enhanced by such honest and careful actions!

SWR
:beer3:

[DangeloInspections]

swrinfla,

You bring up some interesting points. While I have the upmost respect for Mike Holmes, there are a few things folks need to understand about "Holmes on Homes".....

1) Mike Holmes understands that all Home Inspectors are not the same. He endorses ASHI Inspectors and preaches that it is important to get a qualified ASHI Inspector.

2) The inspections he does on his program are not quite your typical inspection, as the people have already bought the home and then invite him to find verified problems. He then tears out walls, pulls down ceilings, etc. to "find and Fix"
That is MUCH different then when a potential buyer hires a Home Inspector to inspect a home on the market. The seller would never let a Home Inspector tear open drywall, pull down ceilings, etc......basically a Home inspection is a NON-INVASIVE inspection. Through the use of moisture meters, thermal imaging cameras, etc,etc. we do our best to find problems, and most times "hidden problems" show clues and signs that are NOT hidden and we do find and report on.

3) He is doing a TV show and it is written for drama and conflict, etc....it's all about ratings with TV.

As an Inspector I have a ethical obligation to the potential buyer who has hired me to do the best job I can. That includes reporting all issues in a fair and balanced manner. Using common sense and being honest without trying to be "Alarmist". It is just as much about people skills as it is construction knowledge.

Do Inspectors find issues that are serious enough to be "deal-breakers" ? Sure, but not that often. It is rare.
Sometimes there ARE serious issues found that need to be addressed, but they are almost always able to be dealt with by either the seller prior to closing or by the buyer through negotiation. Even a serious issue that may cost say $1000 to fix properly is usually less then 1% of the cost of the home and easily overcome through negotiation.....but it is much better if it is discovered BEFORE the sale is made then after.

Home Inspectors of course do NOT get involved in the buying process. That would be wrong. A good Inspector inspects, find issues, explains them in a way understood by the potential buyer......sometimes discussing the proper remedy, approximate cost, etc. With that information the potential buyer can then make a more informed decision when it comes to buying the home.

I know I have done my job well when both the buyer and the seller feel my inspection was thorough, professional, and easily understood. Many times after I do an inspection for a potential buyer the seller hires me to do their inspection on the home THEY are thinking of buying. To me that is a compliment. I'll also say that any good Realtor would WANT a good, balanced complete inspection, as long term success only comes from having happy buyers and sellers....

One thing I would like to add.....many buyers do not know that it is your RIGHT to pick a Home Inspector that YOU are comfortable with......you do not have to hire the one the Realtor suggests. Ethically the Realtor should give you a list of Inspectors without preference, and it is up to you who to use.

I apologize for the long post.....it is a topic I never tire of.

Frank D'Angelo

[JourneyOfLife]

When buying our last home I did 3 things that I felt were important.

- Hired a licensed and qualified real estate Attorney to review the entire deal and all paperwork. It did not cost much... considering the cost of a home.
- Used a home inspector that was used by our attorney for real estate litigation for purposes. He was very thorough. The inspection included the typical construction related inspection plus making sure things worked and were not worn out. His inspection also included a number of other people, including radon tests and pest/termite and some other tests. We got a through report with picture of the problems. He did identify several problems that I would not have even thought about... all the problems were fixed by the previous owner before closing.
- [Owner] Title Insurance. As opposed to the lender version. It cost a little more. You can look up the difference between the two.

[smcgirl]

Frank D'Angelo with ASHI, did my inspectioon. I checked with a good friend in South Carolina who told me to hired a ASHI that was certified. Frank spend three hours in my Patio Villa, and could not have been more professional. He wasnt on The Villages list of inspectors for me to use.

[Bonnevie]

I hired Frank, too, based on comments on this forum. I felt better hiring someone on my own rather than using someone from the list given. Although I'm sure there are good people there, I wanted to be absolutely sure the person would be working in my best interests.

[Riachka]

We are pressed for time and have only a couple of weeks before our warranty is up. We have called the ones mentioned in this post and of course they are booked. Lab Pro can do it 8 days from now. We have 2 1/2 weeks to get this done, inspection and repair. I know, should have done this 6 weeks ago! Help!

[Ron1Z]

How does an inspector check for cracks in the slab, especially if the home is carpeted?

[mulligan]

Cracks at the edge seen from outside, below the siding are usually a good indication, but not foolproof. Other than cracked ceramic tile, or a prominent ridge in a sheet vinyl floor, they really can't be seen.

[Bizdoc]

I'll add my endorsement to Frank. He did our inspection - had the written report within a couple of hours and the next day, the contractors who had items to fix were calling to make appointments. The photos in the written report made it easy to see exactly what needed to be done. And Frank goes over each item with you to make sure you understand what is wrong and why it needs to be fixed.

My neighbor was so impressed, he called Frank and scheduled his inspection.