Thread: Unclear on concept

Last week I inspected a condo owned by a Realtor. The water was shut off, and the gas had a lock from the utility company.
I did what I could, but there was a lot I couldn't do. Owner said he would pay me for the re-inspection, and let me know when the gas was turned on.
Showed up today and gas meter was unlocked and turned on. I went in and turned on the heat, but nothing happened. It seems that on Monday, the utility company came and turned off the electric for non payment.
We'll see whats working when he gets the power back on.
Got to love it.

Been there, done that, after a 45 min drive to the property......several times over the years. On one hand, I shrug it off as part of this business, but on the other hand, it grinds on me when it happens.

I had the water shut off during an inspection once. Everything was fine on the first floor and when I got to the second floor none of the fixtures worked. Talk about confused.

Yeah, it happens, and its not the first time. It was a 35 minute drive, and I had better things to do. The seller was paying for my visit. Now its 2 visits.

Utilities that are off has been a real headache the past few years. When people say they think utilities are on or they will be turned one by the time of the inspections I tell them not to be so sure and that getting absolute confirmation is necessary because I won't be making a return trip for free.

In some cases where it seems nobody knows what they are doing or if they have postponed a couple times on me, I will tell the buyer that I won't put the inspection on my schedule until they get confirmation that the house is ready for inspection and that they have their signed paperwork in hand. Too many people just want to schedule an appointment with the intention that they can cancel at the last minute if they need to in case utilities can't get turned on. No thank you.