Offering opinions

**Jack Feldmann** · 10-25-2009, 06:51 AM

I just read a post about termites in pressure treated lumber. The OP got a little miffed about the 2nd guessing, etc. His post hit home with me.

Many people on this forum are very knowledgeable, some are not. Everyone has an opinion. Some think that they are the only one that can possibly be right, and everyone else is just too stupid for words. Some just like to stir stuff up, and have no regard for logic, or facts. Some are just too stupid for words.

The problem we have with this forum is it is open to anyone that wants to post here. It's not just a bunch of home inspectors here having a BS session, or exchanging ideas and tips.

I had a client post a question here, and the ensuing posts suggested he should run from the house and he had a hack job for an inspector. All of these posts were done from the hundreds if not thousands of miles away, without knowing any of the pertinent information to give an educated opinion. One was so convoluted it was idiotic (only saw it because someone else copied it in his post). I have a feeling that if most of you were at the house with me, you would have had the same opinion I did. But none of you were at the house with me, not one.

I have been guilty of giving opinions in a "knee jerk" or "shoot from the hip" manner in the past, as we all have. But, this particular thread hit home with me, and made me think hard about how I respond to questions that someone may post here (or other forums).

I know when I have gone out on litigation jobs, I am very careful about giving an opinion on what the inspector "should have seen", since I was not there when he/she was.

Of course there will likely still be the people here that love to use "always" and "never" in their posts, and will continue to offer opinions that start in their nether regions.

Similar Threads:

**Scott Patterson** · 10-25-2009, 08:24 AM

Good post, Jack!

Reminds me of the tossing rocks and the glass house story.

A.D. Miller · 10-25-2009, 02:28 PM

JF: Whatever the issue at hand, termites eat celluose fiber, treated or not. The questions is only how soon will they it eat.

Ted Menelly · 10-25-2009, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

I just read a post about termites in pressure treated lumber. The OP got a little miffed about the 2nd guessing, etc. His post hit home with me.

Many people on this forum are very knowledgeable, some are not. Everyone has an opinion. Some think that they are the only one that can possibly be right, and everyone else is just too stupid for words. Some just like to stir stuff up, and have no regard for logic, or facts. Some are just too stupid for words.

The problem we have with this forum is it is open to anyone that wants to post here. It's not just a bunch of home inspectors here having a BS session, or exchanging ideas and tips.

I had a client post a question here, and the ensuing posts suggested he should run from the house and he had a hack job for an inspector. All of these posts were done from the hundreds if not thousands of miles away, without knowing any of the pertinent information to give an educated opinion. One was so convoluted it was idiotic (only saw it because someone else copied it in his post). I have a feeling that if most of you were at the house with me, you would have had the same opinion I did. But none of you were at the house with me, not one.

I have been guilty of giving opinions in a "knee jerk" or "shoot from the hip" manner in the past, as we all have. But, this particular thread hit home with me, and made me think hard about how I respond to questions that someone may post here (or other forums).

I know when I have gone out on litigation jobs, I am very careful about giving an opinion on what the inspector "should have seen", since I was not there when he/she was.

Of course there will likely still be the people here that love to use "always" and "never" in their posts, and will continue to offer opinions that start in their nether regions.

Great post Jack. You are the man. Of course i have to say that because I was one of those shoot from the hip guys based only on what one was stating in the thread. As soon as I found out it was you I new there had to be more to it than what was mentioned.

We all throw stones in glass houses but we should not stop offering opinions. After all that is what our entire living depends on. Sure we have to be carefully and on here it is always only what is posted to us that we can give an opinion on. Based on our knowledge from what we may have read in books and especially what we have seen in the field before becoming inspectors and what we have learned since.

People do post here for there own reasons and yes some do so just to stir things up. I for one know I have done that in about every sense you have mentioned as well as most on here from time to time.

Life is to serious Jack to be so serious all the time. Be serious about work. Be serious about schooling. Be serious about driving. Be serious about raising kids. Be serious about what we post here. Nothing wrong with being serious but there is also nothing wrong with telling the smartest person on here a dumb ass if that is what is called for at the time.

I joke it up with my clients all the time. I do not present my findings to them in a straight face mono tone voice. Sometimes I make light about the most serious concerns I find in a home but they know that is exactly what I am doing. I see the face of some folks get so serious when I am discussing the concerns in the home. When I see that happening I will always do something to liven the morgue up.

I truly think that anyone that is watching this forum knows that not all is so serious all the time. I also believe most are quite intelligent enough to know when they are given advise it is strictly what they post.

I think all the lookers and then they become posters do need to watch out as all inspectors tell them right off. They will get good advise, better advise and the best advise on here along with BS and also lousy information

If anyone has ever watched anything written in about every thread they will find all that to be true. They will get the good, the bad and the extremely ugly.

**H.G. Watson, Sr.** · 10-25-2009, 06:28 PM

I see nothing wrong with educating a party that they have a right to exercise their option to recind their purchase offer based on the negative findings reported to them by their home inspector.

I think it is important to remember that it does NOT reflect negatively upon the HI for an educated consumer to exercise their option to further explore an "issue" with a Level II inspection, Engineering consult, etc. I believe it is important to suggest or recommend further inspections/consultations when an area of concern is discovered in an inspection. It does not reflect negatively on the HI that he is not omniscient, clairvoyant, nor that he lacks xray vision.

Further, not having been there and at the time only having the story of the OP as the OP presented it and the idea that they should wait out their recision period to wait and see if the waters receeded after the OP had expressed concern about the water in the crawl, I made what I thought was a responsible recommendation. Too few home buyers fail to acquire a real estate attorney before they begin the shopping process, and many do not utilize an attorney even for the closing transaction.

I stand by the advice I offered at the time in the referenced thread which included the caveat to the OP that if they were concerned they should negotiate to explore the situation further or timely exercise their right to withdraw the offer.

**Jack Feldmann** · 10-25-2009, 08:46 PM

Mr. Watson. I think you missed the point of my post.
However, since you are so proud of your post, I might as well point out some points you may wish to consider in the future, especially when giving advice to someone in TN.

1. We do not use Real Estate attorneys for normal transactions here.
2. Have no idea WTF a Level II inspection is.

A.D. my post wasn't about termites, by the way.

**Matt Fellman** · 10-25-2009, 09:48 PM

Jack, I totally agree with your post.

The fundemental dynamic here is that the internet is free and annonyomus. It attracts everyone to share, brag, advise and ridicule. I've often left the computer for the night with the same feeling the poster in the thread you reference has. In a nutshell, I got over it in order to learn. If you let one experience or thread sour you on this board it's ultimately your loss.

In the end this is a great place to learn and share but it's free and you get what you pay for. And that's not intended in any way to degrade this site. In a few words, this site is amazing.

I've actually been a bit of an internet message board junkie over the years and this is a great place to hang out. We all coexist here with basically no moderator and ultimately share a lot of information with very little controversy. Other boards are A LOT worse.

Sure, there are regulars around here that seem to 'stir the pot' more than others but most of them offer the most to the forum in the end.

Overall, you won't find more information and knowledge in an easier to get at format. It's too bad for anyone who gets offended or turned away without taking advantage.

**Raymond Wand** · 10-26-2009, 07:57 AM

I really detest those who post who think their wisdom, opinions and lectures are superior and always correct. I also don't like hypocrites who tell everyone else what should or should not be posted, or discussed because they don't like it then post contradicting their dictates. Nor those who add juvenile comments that the poster is non productive, doesn't add anything, and never has added anything to this forum. I also hate braggers and those that seem to think their political correctness is superior.

To all who don't like my opinions on the forgoing discussion I can only say.... "Google this!"

**Dan Harris** · 10-26-2009, 08:04 AM

Geezz Ray.. You sure dislike and hate a few things.

Is it time to take some courses on liking yourself

Lou Collier · 10-26-2009, 08:10 AM

Nice post, Jack. I agree with what you said. Your comments summarize the feelings I have had about this forum for a long time. Thanks for taking the time to put it in words.