Thread: Be Your Own Home Inspector! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

Home Walk Through Inspection Checklist

Has anyone else seen this or came across this yet?
Thoughts?

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Sweet.
I gotta get me one of those so I don't miss anything.

All they need now is an online test and you can be certified!

That has been out for several years. That guy just took a pre-printed checklist report and changed it for a DIY inspection and started to market it. I think there is also a DIY home inspection book out on the market.

I'm waiting for the DIY root canal checklist to come out.

I don't see a problem with it. He's marketing it for the final walk-through. Besides, after looking at his sample questions, most home buyers would have no idea what any of that means. In fact, I would imagine the majority of the people reading those questions would realize they are in over their heads and hire a professional home inspector.

And you can rent jackhammers at Home Improvement stores.

*Some* folks were never going to pay us to perform a Professional Home Inspection.

Let the buyers who *go cheap* serve the same example in our profession as the DIYer who botches his Home Improvement Project only to find it in our *Summary Report*,costing them money.

Originally Posted by Tim Spargo

And you can rent jackhammers at Home Improvement stores.

*Some* folks were never going to pay us to perform a Professional Home Inspection.

Let the buyers who *go cheap* serve the same example in our profession as the DIYer who botches his Home Improvement Project only to find it in our *Summary Report*,costing them money.

One of my favorite handyman slogans was "We fix what your husband broke"

I know I will ruffle some feathers, but what the heck.

There was a day in a galaxy far far away when people would bring their own trusted friend/father/uncle/contractor to look at a house they were going to buy. They also accepted that there would be things to repair, known and unknown, in a home. Life was a gamble. Today it seem that every one wants a guarantee that there is no unknown. They also want to have someone to be responsible for their errors or misjudgment.

The invention of the Professional Home Inspectors, to re-leave people who have diminishing understanding of how to do anything or how anything works, has brought many people into a field that only do a less than adequate job (as if adequate was sufficient). Operating to some minimal standard of practice. With little or no real building (hands on ) experience. I know inspectors in the business for years, touting their 10,000 inspections and relying on the fall back of SOP as all that they are required to preform. The same inspectors that use basically a check list to preform the inspection. Looks at all all roofs from the ground So why not have a checklist for the buyer to do themselves. With a little direction and explanation of what to look for the outcome would be the same. Anything out of the ordinary requires the review by a qualified professional in that field. If nothing else, the buyer will obtain an appreciation of what a home is all about, learning what they do not understand along the way. If they are smart they will then call in someone who does know what a home is all about, performing beyond SOP. With an eye (and experience) for what the buyer might expect in the future.

So why shouldn't the gas lines be check, differential temps., service panel breakers checked for heat, moisture content in house, actual water pressure and the list goes on of items that are not in the SOP but offer the buyer a better insight into their purchase. It is like saying that code is sufficient in building rather than how can it be built better surpassing code without adding to much cost.

I have had the utility company out many times where they only smell for a leak and do not detect anything. Then with a tester finding the actual location of the leak. I never tell them that I know where the leak is, I let them find it on their own and see if they find other leaks that I may have missed (has not happened, but could).

The end point is why not do more than the min SOP, yes time is money but quality adds time.

No feathers ruffled here. Very well said.