I walked away from one today!

[Scott Patterson]

It only took ten minutes and three of those were walking around the house! It was one of the worst POS homes I have ever seen. Filth was to the point that I put on my full face respirator just to cut the stench. The roach population could have filed for their own zip code!

The young couple said it was a fixer-upper and that they were ready to do the work. I told them I just could not honestly do the inspection and that I felt guilty charging them my full fee. I told them that if they would just pay me for an hour of my time I would issue a limited report and they could cut their losses!

A few picks for your enjoyment. The pictures do not do the home justice! :D

[Ted Menelly]

Been there, done that. I am a home inspector. Not a filth, bug and condemned building inspector. I have had clients that have wanted worse than that inspected in the past. I like to find out as much about the home as possible before any price goes along with my answer, If the answers add up to a dump like that I tell them to please call a contractor for cost repairs.

I absolutely refuse to become infested with roaches, flees, bedbugs, period. Not to mention basic health concerns.

Of course that's just me. I had enough of that in the old remodel days.

Ted

[Jerry McCarthy]

Scott
We all have a limit of endurance, or should have. FWIW I believe you did the right thing. Hard to believe there are folks in Americal who live like that? (if you can call it living) :(

[David Banks]

Hey Rick, that sucks!
Here's one I walked away from a few weeks ago. The client wasn't there. I called her on the phone, told her I wouldn't inspect it and fortunately talked her out of buying it. It would have been an all day job for a small house fee. I was happy to walk with no fee.

6977

6978

6979

I guess thats why its called Camp Verde :)

[Matt Fellman]

I wonder what was trying to get out that toilet? It must have been pretty big to need two big pieces of duct tape :)

[Kevin Barre]

The last one I walked away from was several years ago. I guess I'm lucky. But I don't think I'll ever forget it. The buyer was an investor (landlord) whom I'd worked for before. He had only driven by this home -- never went inside.
I knew as I neared the front door that there were problems. The cat urine smell was overpowering. The agent sheepishly opened the door. Wow. The occupant was obviously mentally ill -- one of those people who hoarded everything. There were stacks of old magazines, junk mail, empty boxes, newspapers, cat feces...you name it. The floors bravely held on despite a ridiculous amount of deflection.
I put on my shoe covers to protect MY SHOES, not the floors. I quickly realized that I couldn't see the walls, much less find an electrical receptacle to test. Or much of anything else. Jimmy Hoffa coulda been under one of the piles and I wouldn't have known it. After a quick walk-thru, I bailed.

My client laughed and admitted that the agent had warned him...

[John Arnold]

I didn't exactly walk away from this one a few weeks ago, but convinced my client to pay me my minimum and get the heck out.
It still had the old lead water service line (actually not that unusual in Philly). Utilities were off. Soil pipe was shot. Boiler wasn't even connected. No liner in old, falling apart brick chimney. Some of the copper piping had been stolen. Many joists torn to bits by termites. All kinds of amateur shoring-up of joists and beams. Wet basement. Mold, of course -- the place had been vacant for years. I could have spent days writing it all up. Yikes, what a dump. I would have left for free, if I had to.
I would find another line of work if that kind of place was typical.