Thread: Pet Peeves

What are some of the things you come across doing HI's that just irritate you on a regular basis?

Don't hold back.

rick

Time spent - money earned!

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

What are some of the things you come across doing HI's that just irritate you on a regular basis?

Don't hold back.

rick

Rick

You did not just ask me not to hold back did you. Watch out, you might just get what you ask for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NUMBER ONE

When the client wants to be up your backside the entire inspection thinking they are actually contributing to the inspection.

I love my clients because I love my job and they pay me to do it and make a living. They are such darlings

My pet peeve? The client that tells me that they will be running late for the inspection, but that they will be there. Then shows up as I am loading my truck up after 3 hours of crawling through this GEM that they are considering, then they want to walk through every item that I have looked at, plus they always have their own list of items that they would like to see addressed.

Alton Darty
ATN Services, LLC
ATN Services : Home

Clients who are over at the furnace or other system asking questions about that system while you are inspecting another system such as the electrical panel.

Clients who bring their brats and let them run around the house during the inspection.

Barking dogs, while you are trying to explain things to your client.

Vendors who do not leave the house while you are there inspecting.

Vendors who do not have adequate lighting in the basement.

No utilities even though you asked both realtors and buyer to make sure they are on for the inspection.

My pet peeve? The client that tells me that they will be running late for the inspection, but that they will be there. Then shows up as I am loading my truck up after 3 hours of crawling through this GEM that they are considering, then they want to walk through every item that I have looked at, plus they always have their own list of items that they would like to see addressed.

Ditto

Clients who bring their brats and let them run around the house during the inspection.

Ditto

Clients who are over at the furnace or other system asking questions about that system while you are inspecting another system such as the electrical panel.

Ditto

Drooling , sobbing, crying, screaming, begging, BROKERS

But " This House Comes With a One Year Warranty ! "

I try not to let anything bother me, however.......
1. When a Realtor is late and says, "Can't you just start on the outside? I'll be there is an hour - or so".
2. When the Seller tries to talk over everything you are telling your client. Seller, Realtor, Parent, handyman, ANYONE.
3. Kids that mess with my computer and parents watch them and not say anything. NO THERE ARE NO GAMES ON IT!!!!!! AND IT'S MINE - SO KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF FROM IT!!!!!!!
4. Like Alton said, the client that wants a blow by blow description of every single thing you looked - not just the problems, but everything you looked at.

The constant need for some people to justify or explain everything in their house.
"It was like that when we bought it, and we never changed it"
"We've never had a problem with it"
"That was the way the contractor, handyman, uncle john installed it"

I want to tell them that I just don' t care why or how long it's been that way, it's still wrong.

Here's a few of mine and not in any particular order:

1. Cheap ass mini-blinds
2. Toilets not flushed
3. Decorative stuff on toilet lids
4. Sinks piled full of dishes
5. Tampon wrappers left out on the sink
6. Clothes piled up on the floor of closet and laundry room
7. Dog crap in the yard
8. Cat litter boxes (I'll never understand them)
9. Ashtrays full of butts
10. Buyers who show up when your leaving and want you to show them everything that will be on the report.
11. Realtors who keep interrupting and saying things like "Thats not a deal killer is it?" or "He's just covering his a$$."
12. Comments like "I wished I made a 150.00 an hour" or "How do I become a Home Inspector"
13. Repairmen at the Inspection
14. People who ask you not to wear your shoes.
15. Hairs in tubs and showers
16. Neighbors asking "Who's buying the house, are they white?"
17. Teenagers at home with their friends
18. Sellers who can't leave cause their kids are sick.
19. Can you do the baby's room last while their sleeping.
20. Dust a inch thick on ceiling fan blades.
21. Windows that have never been cleaned
22. People who insist on telling me how bad their 1st. home inspection went.
23. Do you give discounts? I'm a teacher, police officer, fireman, have several kids, ..............
24. Buyers who bring their complete family tree with them on the inspection.
25. Fathers of Buyers at the inspection.

I'm sure there is a few more, but I feel better already.

Rick

Kids whose stereo vibrates my car............and they're 3 cars behind me
People who can't talk and drive at the same time ( mobile phone booth )
People who don't know what that extra lane with the big curved arrow is for
People who think the lane with the big curved arrow is a passing lane
People who think all a home inspector does is check for dust and dirty floors
People who think poor decorating should be written up in the report

26. Boyfriends of the buyer.

I usually mention there is a surcharge of $200 for dads and boyfriends present at inspection

No house numbers

This afternoons inspection no one at all was suppose to be there.

The house is being bought cash by one person and selling it to another family. The secondary buyer showed up 10 minutes after I got there. Absolutely no English what so ever. The mother, not the father asked a thousand questions thru their 16 year old daughter. Can you say early afternoon till after 6 pm for a 1300 square foot slab and I could not do the report on site.

1. Sticky appliance knobs and cabinets, generally grody unkempt homes
2. Told the utilities were on but they are off when I get there
3. Writing up the same run-of-the-mill defects over and over again.
4. Explaining the same thing over and over again. What's a thermal expansion tank do? Is the seller required to fix that?
5. Cracks and chips in vinyl siding due to weed wackers. (not so bad - i'm just chimin' in the on the whinin')
6. Stored items beneath the pull-down stairs and scuttle holes. Moving stuff around to get to knee-wall storage areas, etc.
7. Screws painted over and panel caulked or obstructed with sh$t
8. You didn't there's Polybutylene in this house?
9. Calling at 9 PM for an inspection tomorrow with a request for a very specific time.
10. The lazy and uneducated folks who made those egregious defects in the first place.
11. Rinsing out the encrusted algae after running the Jacuzzi that has not been operated in eons.
12. Loose toilets, burned out light bulbs, deferred maintenance...

Barry

Thats a good one. I tell people to put a house number up the minute they move in because seconds count in an emergency! Especially at night. I was so peeved I put a blurb in my report.

SInce I havent any inspections under my belt yet excet for a few ride alongs and mock inspections, I havent experienced any of these yet. But I cant wait to enjoy these annoying habits for myself.

Thanks guys, you have given me alot to look forward to in my new career

As I enter the home and meet the sales agent and she says "How much longer do you think this will take as I have a showing in an hour?"

mlc

How about electrical panels that have been painted over? It takes about 10 minutes to cut away the paint and remove the cover. Yesterday, the panel was even caulked!

Robert Wittenberg
HomeFront Inspection
Renton, WA

Originally Posted by Fritz Kelly

Dittos to attic hatches.
I almost forgot child proof cabinet latches and receptacles.

You mean adult proof, don't you????? Especially when you are trying to do an inspection.

Any sprinkler controller other than Hunter brand, IMHO, is unecessarily complicated to operate for the purpose of a basic run-through to test. Irritrol, Rainbird, Orbit or James Hardie, etc.

Fire ant mounds on the property. Especially the one I stepped on getting out of my truck in the driveway.

Agents that claim "My inspector only takes an hour"
To which I reply "Really? Which part of the inspection does he leave out?"

Clients that, after reading your report basically telling them that the house is going to fall down, ask you if you think that the water heater is adequate for a family of five.

Originally Posted by Victor DaGraca

Fire ant mounds on the property. Especially the one I stepped on getting out of my truck in the driveway.

Agents that claim "My inspector only takes an hour"
To which I reply "Really? Which part of the inspection does he leave out?"

Clients that, after reading your report basically telling them that the house is going to fall down, ask you if you think that the water heater is adequate for a family of five.

I just did a house where it was a mess. The wife asks if they put in a water heater, will they have hot water

Also. You should have a foundation analysis done to address all the movement the home has been doing over the years (that of course is way short of what I said) and see how much the home has moved (cracks on every side of the home) Her response was "Well if I put gutters in the front do you think it will keep the house from moving

This (thank God) is not my normal client.

I won't say anything about their responses about the electric, ventilation, needing a new roof, the windows, 1978 HVAC etc etc.

New homes at the framing/mechanical phase with windows and window flashing incorrectly installed . . . . when the instructions are on a label on every window in the home. Oh yeah, the workers can't read English.

How about new construction homes with the windows and doors wide open in the pouring rain?

Never understood that one.

RE Agent quickly telling client (as I'm explaining report and advising of potential problems with foundation due to observed "large" crack in kitchen floor tiles from sink to garage and synching up with "large" crack in garage to side of home .... that it is ONLY "cosmetic".

Client looked at me and agent (she having just trotted into kitchen on her 3" heels) to advise client it was no big deal. Client asked me for more information.

I paused and replied: "Ms RE Agent ... YOU are precisely correct. The cracked tiles in the kitchen floor are merely a cosmetic problem and can be easily repaired or replaced. Now, as for the crack in the foundation below the tiles ... that is a "structural" failure."

She started to smile (thinking she won) and then she went beet red and stammered and trotted out of the kitchen with nary a word.

My client loved the response and my putting her "commission hungry" agent in her place.

Nolan,

I guess you wont be getting any more work from that agent again

I guess it doesnt necessarily have to be the agent that referred you.

The owners little male dog who hikes their leg and pees on you as you are exiting the crawlspace and then runs in through the doggy door before you can throw anything at it!

Yep, that one is high on my list of pet pee..ves.

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

How about new construction homes with the windows and doors wide open in the pouring rain?

Never understood that one.

You know Rick. I built all my life and when the job was vacant of bodies it was also secured. My only reason I can come up with is to let the strays in so they don't break in and damage a lot of items.
A brief thought was so the moisture in the wood from top to bottom would equalise but that thought went away as well.

I had one of those "contractor buddies" show up once.
He kept telling my client "You really should listen to what this guy's telling you."

Originally Posted by Victor DaGraca

I had one of those "contractor buddies" show up once.
He kept telling my client "You really should listen to what this guy's telling you."

Victor,

Im surprised his contractor buddy was like that. I figured he would be questioning everything you told the client. Nice job!

The only problem was that I follow a method of inspection that starts at point A and ends at point Z.

Both he and the client would wander around looking at things and every once in a while he'd come to me and say "You have to look at this"

I fially told him that I was following a method and if I strayed. I might miss something. I made sure that he saw me writing in my notepad when I told him I'd make a note to look at it later.

As I found a defect, I'd call the client over and explain to him what I found, what could be done about it, and yes, it will be in the report with a picture included.

Really nice guy. Wound up not buying it due to the Inspection findings and had me do another inspection on a home he eventually bought.

This may sound like I'm taking a shot here but.....

My biggest peeve is when I'm doing an inspection and the seller is almost in tears because they just bought the house last year and their inspector found nothing wrong...

I recently completed an inspection with a new architect, she had just finished school and was in training with a firm in the Ann Arbor area. I actually enjoyed working with her as she understood my observations and explanations about the house she was buying . While working on the basement portion of the inspection I noted that the electric service panel was located directly above the sump pump and the floor around the sump was wet. I further mentioned that the last time I heard the noises coming out of that electric service panel was in a Frankenstein movie. You could easily hear the panel buzzing and arcing from 5' away. As I walked away from the panel/sump pump wet floor area with a snap crackling service panel she said "aren't you going to inspect the service panel"?

Realtors that keep asking, "How much longer will your inspection last?" or "When do you think you will be finished."

Realtors that, without any input from me, tell the sellers how long my inspection will last. Invariably they tell the sellers it is OK to return home well before I finish the inspection.

Normally, I have no problem with buyers being at the inspection, but yesterday they got on my last nerve.
They showed up about 45 minutes into the inspection with their grown kids and grandchild in tow. Really nice folks, but really loud, no problem, I keep doing my thing while they show the house. They leave and then the best friends show up asking repeated questions while I am in the other room, interrupting while I am trying to explain things to the buyer. I don't know if it was their short attention spans or my one track mind, but I have rarely been so glad to finish an inspection. Glad it was a clean house with little to have to explain.
Oh, yeah while the friends are leaving (decided to leave right after I start the sprinklers), she fell down on the front walk so I have to go stop the sprinkler test and help her get up and cleaned off before I can restart the sprinkler test. Glad she was not hurt, but it makes me rethink the liability issue... that may be something to add to the pre-inspection agreement!

Oh yeah, I had an agent (sellers) tell their client that the inspection would take 2 hours - home was 2 story ~2600 square ft.

They were good people though and offered to do anything they could to help. I was just amazed that a veteran agent would tell their clients such a short time for the inspection. I guess that's the way the agents lap dog inspector usually works.

Jim,

I never let anyone in the home other than the buyers. Actually an agent told me that we're not supposed to even let the buyer in the home without their agent is at the home.

I don't mind telling folks this because I don't want the liability. The more people we allow to be in a home while we're there, we increase our liability.

rick

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

Jim,

I never let anyone in the home other than the buyers. Actually an agent told me that we're not supposed to even let the buyer in the home without their agent is at the home.

I don't mind telling folks this because I don't want the liability. The more people we allow to be in a home while we're there, we increase our liability.

rick

Many a time I have had other buyers agents roll up front and walk in with other buyers. They start looking around I ask them if they had a confirmed appointment and the home is under contract already. Oh no, we just stopped in and figured you wouldn't mind since you are just doing a home inspection. I always tell them that I am the only one here with permission to be here. I am responsible for the home while I am here. Could you please call and set an appointment up at a later date. Lots of angry looks but just doing my job man.

I have started locking the door and pocketing the key so that I am the only one with access, especially on vacant property. You never know who is going to walk in. I guess I need to just make it a habit and control access a little better.

Ted,

I've had many inspections where agents just walk in also to show another prospective buyer the home while I'm there.
Always explain to them that the home is under contract or I wouldn't be there. They usually comeback with "Well it still shows as active on MLS"

I tell them while I'm there, there not going to be there plain and simple. Yeah they get pi$$ed off, but they always seem to ask hows it looking on the Home Inspection. I look at them and say I don't know.

Love that puzzled look I get back.

Have learn to do as Jim mentioned and that is I just lock the deadbolt and carry the key in my pocket. That keeps the buyer or anyone else from just walking in on you. Nothing worse than leaning over in a tub checking it out and turn around and someone is just standing there.

I've done the key in the pocket on many occasions. It seems when I do no one comes until they are suppose to