Do people ever give you stuff?

[gtblum]

Today at the end of an inspection,the homeowner gave me a perfectly good wheelbarrow.

I just now walked in from delivering a paper report to a guy who works on a muck farm. There's a fifty pound bag of onions in the back of my truck next to the wheelbarrow.

Last fall I got a call from a homeowner a few weeks after an inspection to come and get a lathe and all of the tools that went with it.

Did I mention the nine year old Australian shepherd I saved from the pound? What a great dog!

Does this happen to you guys too?

[Terence McCann]

Today at the end of an inspection,the homeowner gave me a perfectly good wheelbarrow.

I just now walked in from delivering a paper report to a guy who works on a muck farm. There's a fifty pound bag of onions in the back of my truck next to the wheelbarrow.

Last fall I got a call from a homeowner a few weeks after an inspection to come and get a lathe and all of the tools that went with it.

Did I mention the nine year old Australian shepherd I saved from the pound? What a great dog!

Does this happen to you guys too?

I've received a lot of business cards from clients but I like your stuff better.

[Richard Moore]

My bank won't accept onions so I still operate on a check or cash basis.

Oh...we're talking in addition to your regular fees and not instead of? Nevermind.

[Brandon Whitmore]

I've had people try to tip me for my inspection quite a few times over the years, but can't recall having been given anything.

I've been forgiven for breaking things, without having to pay....

[hausdok]

Once,

I was inspecting this old rich dude's house and horse farm. He tried to give me a huge professional tournament sized hand-carved pool table and said that if I didn't take it it was going into the trash.

At the time, I was fresh out of the service, new in this business, living in a two-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a walk-up apartment building without anyplace to put such a monster or even store it. I passed. (Wish I had it now, it'd be taking up a whole bay in the garage.).

Hell, I don't think I'd have even been able to get it all into the back of the van, even if I had accepted it. Afterward I kicked myself in the ass for not accepting it, renting a truck from U-Haul, hauling it to the nearest storage facility and then putting it on E-bay or taking it to the billiards place up in Lake City to see if I would work a deal.

I could probably have paid half a year's rent with what I could have gotten for that thing.

Hindsight is 20-20 I guess.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Brandon Whitmore]

Could accepting anything from a seller (non client) be construed as a bribe, at least prior to the report being sent out?

[Chad Fabry]

Could accepting anything from a seller (non client) be construed as a bribe, at least prior to the report being sent out?

I'm pretty sure it'd be viewed as bribe if push came to shove in a litigation.

Gary, did you say, "Man, that's a beautiful wheelbarrow. I wish I had a wheel barrow like that!" I'm curious (emdash) how else does one get offered a wheelbarrow?

[Jim Morrison]

Could accepting anything from a seller (non client) be construed as a bribe, at least prior to the report being sent out?

I've had a few modest offers over the years, but have politely declined for that very reason.

I'm not saying what Gary did is wrong but sometimes the appearance of impropriety is enough, and the potential downside isn't worth the risk to me.

[Jim Morrison]

Today at the end of an inspection,the homeowner gave me a perfectly good wheelbarrow.

I just now walked in from delivering a paper report to a guy who works on a muck farm. There's a fifty pound bag of onions in the back of my truck next to the wheelbarrow.

Now, what in the name of Sam Hill are you going to do with 50 pounds of onions?

[Brad Manor]

I once inspected a property that was owned by a guy that owns a gourmet chocolate business. He offered me a lot of chocolate. A LOT. I later concluded that my ample size likely led to his attempting to bribe me with chocolate.

-Brad

[AHI in AR]

Today at the end of an inspection,the homeowner gave me a perfectly good wheelbarrow.

I just now walked in from delivering a paper report to a guy who works on a muck farm. There's a fifty pound bag of onions in the back of my truck next to the wheelbarrow.

Now, what in the name of Sam Hill are you going to do with 50 pounds of onions?

Scare away his wife for weeks...

[Bill Kibbel]

I once purchased several mid-1600's furniture pieces from the seller of a property I inspected (they're antique dealers with a large barn holding their inventory). When I came to pick them up, the sellers were on my schedule as buyers of another property. We've purchased other pieces from them since. Other than that I have never accepted anything from a seller or offered to purchase any item on their property.

I have had quite a few "tip" offers from clients that include items other than cash. The most memorable were:

- a bottle of Creed Tubereuse perfume (he's a sales rep) - I declined

- a pair of highland cows - I reluctantly declined

- a bottle of Parker's Heritage 27 yr. Bourbon - um.... accepted.

I also receive a few gift cards and restaurant gift certificates from past clients around the holidays.

[gtblum]

Gary, did you say, "Man, that's a beautiful wheelbarrow. I wish I had a wheel barrow like that!" I'm curious (emdash) how else does one get offered a wheelbarrow?

Great question. No I didn't and who the hell knows why?

Now, what in the name of Sam Hill are you going to do with 50 pounds of onions?

I'm the oldest of eight kids and the elders of the tribe still cook too. Oh! And don't forget about halloween. Ever had candy or carmel onions on a stick? Mmm!

Scare away his wife for weeks...

Never bought one.

I'm not saying what Gary did is wrong but sometimes the appearance of impropriety is enough, and the potential downside isn't worth the risk to me.

Are you serious? hahaha. I'd like to give people more credit than to think they could buy someone for a rusty wheelbarrow. Let me think about this. My license, my house, or a free wheelbarrow. Hmm. Give me a little credit here please. Does anyone even mention the dog? Noooo.

[John Dirks Jr]

I'm such a pack rat I don't need people giving me stuff. I drag enough home all by myself.

[Inspectorjoe]

It's happened to me just once, during one of my earliest inspections, back in March 2001. It was an unusual property, in Emmaus PA. There were extensive gardens and a really strange earth sheltered greenhouse that seemed to have been heated from the boiler in the house through underground pipes. The greenhouse was pretty decrepit and was only being used for storage.

The buyer was interested in using the greenhouse as a greenhouse, instead of just as an an usually well illuminated storage shed, but I was pretty much at a loss as to what a lot of the weird components were and how they worked. The seller overheard and said it was being used for storage when she bought the property, but she had something that might help me. She handed me a Rodale Press book that was published in the 70's. On the cover was a picture of the greenhouse. The entire book was about the 'revolutionary' greenhouse. That helped a lot. I was able to tell the seller, with confidence, that she'll have a very well lit storage shed to use.

It turns out that the seller worked for Rodale Press, as did the person she bought the property from. The seller was an extremely pleasant young woman. I was intrigued about some flowering plants that I'd seen in her garden. Around here, the only things that flower in March are crocuses. She said they were hellebores, and explained all about them.

To get back to the point of this, at the end of the inspection, as I started my truck to leave, the seller came trotting over, carrying a pot. She came up to my window and said "I don't know if it's OK to do this, but I'd like you to have these". In the pot were a half-dozen baby hellebores that she had potted up for me. I was really touched. How could I not accept them. I accepted them graciously, took them home and planted them. I still have them. When they bloom in late winter, I still think of that lovely young woman and her nice gesture. I don't tell my wife about my reminiscences.

[Tom Raymond]

Gary,

Do people perhaps give you things because you look needy? [:-dev3]

Tom

Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself.

[MMustola]

Gary,

You must be a hell of a nice guy. I have never be given anything by a seller but I have bought a few things.

A treadmill, bedroom set, old Tonka truck, and a 1895 David White brass transit.

[JesseWBryant]

I got talking to one of my clients on a 1-year warranty inspection about our prior military service (him: Airforce, me: Army). Before I left he asked if I liked to play golf. I told him that I got to play occasionally but I was by no means a pro. However, he ended up giving me a complete set of mens and womens clubs, travel cases for the golf bags and multiple other items (gloves, shoes, tees, balls, towels, etc.) He said he had been trying to get rid of them and he didn't even ask for a price discount. I ended up giving him one anyway.

I actually got to go play this last weekend (still need practice).

[Les]

Lots of gift cards from both buyers and sellers

maybe four actual cash tips

dozens of "overpayments"

Live chicken

1963 Corvair* *judge made me pay sales tax

three stalkers

electric mole remover circa 1898

One marriage proposal (I married her)

Offered and not accepted dozens of snakes (college rental houses)

antique tractor

etc......

[gtblum]

I wish I had a wheel barrow like that!" I'm curious (emdash) how else does one get offered a wheelbarrow?

Chad Fabry

Just heard this guy is moving into an apartment somewhere and he's selling his stuff. Phew! And don't call me (emdash) Chad. I hate that.

[Chad Fabry]

Just heard this guy is moving into an apartment somewhere and he's selling his stuff. Phew! And don't call me (emdash) Chad. I hate that.

friggin Morrison wasted about an hour of my life because he mentioned the emdash/endash thing. There are even macros for the different length dashes. Who knew?