Thread: Texas TREC Notes from April 7, 8 & 9, 2008

Attached is a file with notes from Mike Boyett who is an inspector in Austin, TX. He was able to attend most of the TREC Inspectors Advisory Committee meetings this week.

His notes are in blue type.

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Excerpt from the proposed standards noted posted here:

Significant rewrite of one or more “Definitions” was accomplished. One of the more
controversial proposed definitions was “Accessible” and that definition was word-smithed and
now reads:
o Accessible – in the reasonable judgment of the inspector, capable of being
approached, entered, or viewed without:
 Undue hazard to the inspector;
 Moving furnishings or large, heavy objects;
 Using specialized tools or procedures;
 Disassembling items other than covers or panels intended to be removed for
inspections or maintenance;
 Damaging property; or
 Using a ladder for portions of the inspection other than the roof or attic space.

Looks like they did not pay attention (or just disagreed) to at least one of my issues. This wording would seem to expect that we would move crap in attics, garages, etc. If it is not a furnishing or large or heavy, the by default, it would be within the SOP for it to be moved.

Jim,

Maybe that is where the term "reasonable judgement" comes into the inspection process.

Jeez, I'll be glad when the day comes that we can become independent of having to dance around a bunch people who have the realtors interest ahead of ours.

Rick Hurst

Jeez, I'll be glad when the day comes that we can become independent of having to dance around a bunch people who have the realtors interest ahead of ours.

Rick:

That day will never come. The same perennial pundits who are prodding around pointlessly tweaking the already feckless SOP and report form are the some of the same ones who were around when the TREC takeover occurred.

They were powerless to do anything of import then, and nothing has changed on that front.

Don't hold your breath,

Aaron

This is what it says, and isn't this what you were looking for?

Accessible – in the reasonable judgment of the inspector, capable of being
approached, entered, or viewed without:
 Moving furnishings

isn't this what you were looking for?

ECJ:

It's that same sort of lack of attention to detail that has gone into the authoring of our SOP. Stuff that's ovbvious and in your face is simply ignored, overlooked, not there, whatever . . .

Aaron

ovbviously . . .

Jerry, I would take furnishings to mean household furnishings... stuff that is there by design, (you know, the furniture or furnished part of a furnished apartment), not the loose, small, personal, crap, that we see in lots houses.
I just don't think I want to defend my "judgment" or definition of furnishings, large, heavy, etc. It just seems wrong to me to have to overcome a poorly written SOP on every inspection report or court.
At least they took our the part about "of small value"!