John,

It's of course very common to find such stains but I for one don't recommend contractors come out solely based upon the presence of staining. My report will comment on the stain(s) found and leave it at that. Now of course I have raised a question in the client's mind (a good thing). Client will ask if there's a leak. I say "I have no idea - nothing's leaking right now, why not follow up with the seller? Perhaps get a response in writing and ask for receipts if repair has been made."

This approach has worked quite well. Raising questions causes the client to more likely do some followup on their own after the inspection because there isn't anyway that I'm going to have all the answers. If I can find reasons for my client to become more involved the better it is all the way around.

__________________
Eric Barker
Moraine Woods Consulting, Inc.
Barrington, IL