(CHEROKEE LAKE REALTY WRITES A WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE GRAINGER COUNTY JOURNAL NEWSPAPER. THIS WAS A RECENT QUESTION ASKED BY A READER.)
I don’t believe so. You could hire five home inspectors, and all five inspection reports will have differences. Sure, if you have a leaky roof all these reports should mention the roof, but beyond that it falls on what the inspector sees and feels needs to be corrected. I’ve represented a seller that had three sales transactions fall through on their home. Not because of inspections but because of buyer financing issues and a personal tragedy. Three different inspections were done on the house. All three different inspections had similarities and major differences. Typically, only one inspector conducts the inspection. They have their own template/plan they follow to look for problems. Then they give an opinion on each issue. An opinion. Gather three fans of the same football team and ask them their opinion on what’s happening. You will get three different answers. Also, these inspection reports have disclaimers, such as if the inspector doesn’t see the issue or cannot access a certain part of the house, they will not inspect that area. Here’s a true somewhat funny story. The house had a tight crawlspace. And I mean tight. The inspector could not access this area because he was a large fellow. He did a visual from the entrance with a flashlight. He felt there were some major issues underneath the house. The seller contested this, hired another inspector, who did fit through the entrance, and crawl through this space. He took lots of photos and wrote in his report that there were no issues with the crawlspace. Now, as mentioned with the roof, on some issues their opinion should be the same. Although, I had one home inspected in which the inspector stated that the roof should be replaced immediately, it was in terrible shape he noted. Two roofing companies were brought in to provide estimates, and they both agreed the roof still had a few years of life left. Keep in mind these roofing companies had a vested interest in finding something wrong with the roof so they could be hired for the job. And, they both felt, for now, the roof was fine. The seller also contacted their insurance company for an opinion. The insurance company agreed that the roof did not have to be replaced. Listen, you live in the home. You know it’s condition. If the roof has an issue, the heat pump is not working properly, the sidewalk has cracks the size of a creek, then get ready for what the inspection report will show. You should either get these issues addressed now or be prepared to give a financial credit to the buyer, over and above what you have already negotiated in the purchase contract, for them to repair them. Beyond issues that you have been living with and are aware of, for you to pay for a home inspection to find other issues may be a waste of your money. What if your inspection finds issues that you are prepared to fix, or even go ahead and fix now, and the buyer’s inspection doesn’t turn those same issues up? Their report documents other issues? Inspections will always turn up something. That is what the inspector is hired to find. And they will find them. That is their job. Remember what I wrote in that earlier column you read, there is no perfect home. I would recommend that you tackle major problems. The roof, the heat pump, electrical safety issues, and wait to see what else turns up. Some issues the inspection report may define as cosmetic, which your buyer will recognize as such, and not require that you correct. If your home is in fine shape, with no major issues, the inspection report should come in ok.
