Friends who don't listen.

[Brandon Whitmore]

I told Jim that I had some friends buying a house in WA and that they should be calling within a day or two to set up an inspection-- this was last week.

I assumed that they had called and set it up with him since I hadn't heard anything. I was just told that their Realtor told them this was a rush job and that they should use her inspector instead.

Yesterday, my girlfriend let me know that the house was just inspected, and that there were zero issues with the home. Yeaaaa. Guess who they didn't use for the inspection.

These friends can't wait to get us up there for a BBQ as soon as possible, since they are excited about the purchase of their first house.

Should I keep my eyes shut when I walk around the house so that I don't see anything wrong, seeing as how I'm really bad at keeping my mouth shut?

[Jim Katen]

I told Jim that I had some friends buying a house in WA and that they should be calling within a day or two to set up an inspection-- this was last week.

I assumed that they had called and set it up with him since I hadn't heard anything. I was just told that their Realtor told them this was a rush job and that they should use her inspector instead.

Yesterday, my girlfriend let me know that the house was just inspected, and that there were zero issues with the home. Yeaaaa. Guess who they didn't use for the inspection.

These friends can't wait to get us up there for a BBQ as soon as possible, since they are excited about the purchase of their first house.

Should I keep my eyes shut when I walk around the house so that I don't see anything wrong, seeing as how I'm really bad at keeping my mouth shut?

My very own cousin bought a house in Portland (circa 1950s) and, on the advice of her realtor, hired Amerispec to inspect it. The inspector told them that he had to spend an extra long time on the inspection because he wasn't able to find anything wrong with the house.

At the BBQ, I bit my tongue till it bled, but I didn't say a thing.

BTW, is that a new catchphrase for Amerispec? I've heard that they've used the same line on two other people recently. ("I had to spend an extra long time because I couldn't find anything wrong with this fine house.") Is that something that all Amerispec franchisees are being taught to say, or is it something that the local moron thought up on his own?

- Jim in Oregon

[Brandon Whitmore]

At the BBQ, I bit my tongue till it bled, but I didn't say a thing.

If it were not new construction, I probably would bite my tongue. But hey, at least there's time to do the one year warranty inspection. I may just point out a couple of issues and then strongly recommend a real inspection before their one year is up.

("I had to spend an extra long time because I couldn't find anything wrong with this fine house."

They stole that from me, but I use it when looking at some of those 400 sq. ft. new constructions lofts in downtown P-town.

[gtblum]

Once again, someone very likely PAID FOR a less than honest opinion because nobody has the guts to put an end to this crap.

[Terence McCann]

As I read through the posts I tried to remember if there was ever a home I inspected that didn't have at least a few problems and I can honestly say there hasn't been. It may not have been as sexy as a bowed basement wall but defects nonetheless. Perhaps I live in a defect prone zone. [:-magnify

[Scottpat]

I usually find more wrong with new construction than a preexisting home that has been lived in before.

[Les]

I typically have a more direct relationship with most of my friends. (I have four)

I would just plainly ask them how they want me to behave. Never, ever tell them it is a pos. Could be it isn't.

I am in the ten thousand range of inspections and:

I have inspected ONE new house that was nearly perfect. No major concerns only some comments about material application; flat paint in bathroom, sealed and non-varnished hand rails, etc..

It was the builder's first house and his last. He went broke.

[Terence McCann]

I am in the ten thousand range of inspections

[:-bigeyes Wow Les - I'd say you've done your share.

[Jerry Lozier]

My very own cousin bought a house in Portland (circa 1950s) and, on the advice of her realtor, hired Amerispec to inspect it. The inspector told them that he had to spend an extra long time on the inspection because he wasn't able to find anything wrong with the house.

At the BBQ, I bit my tongue till it bled, but I didn't say a thing.

BTW, is that a new catchphrase for Amerispec? I've heard that they've used the same line on two other people recently. ("I had to spend an extra long time because I couldn't find anything wrong with this fine house.") Is that something that all Amerispec franchisees are being taught to say, or is it something that the local moron thought up on his own?

- Jim in Oregon

1950's home and nothing wrong/ no concerns????.... extra long time on inspection....????

probably pissed he had to get out of his rig, and then spend 45 minutes in, on , and around the home

[Jim Katen]

My very own cousin bought a house in Portland (circa 1950s) and, on the advice of her realtor, hired Amerispec to inspect it. The inspector told them that he had to spend an extra long time on the inspection because he wasn't able to find anything wrong with the house.

At the BBQ, I bit my tongue till it bled, but I didn't say a thing.

BTW, is that a new catchphrase for Amerispec? I've heard that they've used the same line on two other people recently. ("I had to spend an extra long time because I couldn't find anything wrong with this fine house.") Is that something that all Amerispec franchisees are being taught to say, or is it something that the local moron thought up on his own?

- Jim in Oregon

1950's home and nothing wrong/ no concerns????.... extra long time on inspection....????

probably pissed he had to get out of his rig, and then spend 45 minutes in, on , and around the home

I have it on good authority that he was there for at least 1-1/2 hours.

Reminds me of a discussion I had with a realtor the other day. She was complaining about another inspector who had missed a bunch of stuff in a 2,500 foot, 1947 house. I remarked that maybe he had hurried through the inspection too fast. She replied, "No, it wasn't that. He didn't stint on time. He was there for the full two hours."

- Jim in Oregon

[Tom Raymond]

The only house I've done in less than 3 hours was an 1100 SF Cape on a slab with a 10 x 10 walk in attic/mechanical room. I felt like I was doing my client a terrible injustice by only giving him 2:45, but I just couldn't find anything else to look at.

Tom

[Les]

I have done inspections from 30 min to three days.. Can't say there is much relationship between time and quality.

[Erby]

I did an inspection on a "Ball Home" (a local production builder that builds quite a few typical quality homes) a couple of years ago that the ONLY thing I found wrong with was a flipped shingle tab on the roof.

I was simply amazed.

But a couple of days later I found out why it was so good. It was built for their warranty repair supervisor.

Wanna guess where he was EVERY evening when his house was being built?

C'mon, one guess!

-

[msteger]

In 8 years, I have personally only ever inspected 1 home that had no 'issues'. It was a 3 year old condo that the owner was very meticulous about.

I would say that every home has some issues (whether they be basic maintenance or more serious). A Realtor saying that the inspector was there "the full 2 hours" for a 2,400 sq ft house would make me laugh. Sounds like that Realtor thinks a full home inspection takes 2 hours, at least as a routine for the 'Realtor's Inspector'. I agree that some 1,800 sq ft homes are easy to inspect and don't take that long, whereas other 1,800 sq ft homes can easily take maybe 4 hours to inspect.

Regarding the initial post, I would certainly tell my friends what I thought if I found issues. If it quacks like a duck...

[Tim Maxwell]

I can only say that in my 13 years as an AmeriSpec owner that they have never tried to teach me anything shady. Not once.

I do all the inspections and my wife helps me quite a bit with office and marketing type stuff.

If I were to go it on my own and get away from AmeriSpec, I would honestly not change anything that I do regarding my inspection or reporting.

of course..."each office is independently owned and operated"

So I speak for myself and cannot speak for others that I don't know.

[waynesoper]

Go eat, drink, give them a bill

[Jim Katen]

I can only say that in my 13 years as an AmeriSpec owner that they have never tried to teach me anything shady. Not once.

I do all the inspections and my wife helps me quite a bit with office and marketing type stuff.

If I were to go it on my own and get away from AmeriSpec, I would honestly not change anything that I do regarding my inspection or reporting.

of course..."each office is independently owned and operated"

So I speak for myself and cannot speak for others that I don't know.

That's good to hear. And it makes sense. If you're doing a good job and keeping busy, they're making money. Why should they risk screwing it up?

And just for the record, I'm not down on all AmeriSpec franchises. When I was first starting out, the local AmeriSpec guy, Jim Chatterdon, was great. His guys were well trained and he offered them a boost in pay if they became ASHI members. Their inspections were good and he didn't allow realtors to run his show. Best of all, he was the price leader in our area. Since he left, though, the local franchise has changed hands a couple of times and it seems to have sunk in quality. They jumped ship on ASHI, lowered their prices, and, from the admittedly little evidence I've seen, do pretty poor inspections these days. Their low point must surely have been when they started including this little ditty on the introductory page of every report:

* * * A REAL ESTATE AGENT * * *

The responsibilities and efforts of a Realtor go far beyond the obvious tasks of writing advertisements, holding open houses, showing properties, and preparing contracts. In fact, everyday Realtors are helping people like yourself to achieve the ultimate dream of owning their own home.

The professional services of a Realtor include: a) absolute fidelity towards protecting and promoting the interests of their clients; b) shielding the public against fraud and misrepresentation; c) keeping informed of laws and regulations affecting the real estate industry; and d) keeping current on all the financing alternatives that might best serve the needs of sellers and buyers.

A Realtor does all this and much more in order to promote a successful business transaction and one which is smooth and headache-free for you. A Realtor invests countless hours behind the scenes, coordinating details with AmeriSpec home inspectors and a host of other people, many of whom you never see, to help your transaction run smoothly. A Realtor has worked very hard to help you in this transaction by maintaining the standards of an industry professional.

Please remember the professional Realtor who has assisted you in this transaction when it comes time for you, or someone you know, to sell or purchase a home.

( cutouts here for the realtor to insert his business card )

* * * Copyright 1992 AmeriSpec, Inc.

[Tom Raymond]

Yuck[:-yuck]

[Steven Hockstein]

I told Jim that I had some friends buying a house in WA and that they should be calling within a day or two to set up an inspection-- this was last week.

I assumed that they had called and set it up with him since I hadn't heard anything. I was just told that their Realtor told them this was a rush job and that they should use her inspector instead.

Yesterday, my girlfriend let me know that the house was just inspected, and that there were zero issues with the home. Yeaaaa. Guess who they didn't use for the inspection.

These friends can't wait to get us up there for a BBQ as soon as possible, since they are excited about the purchase of their first house.

Should I keep my eyes shut when I walk around the house so that I don't see anything wrong, seeing as how I'm really bad at keeping my mouth shut?

I would keep my mouth shut and enjoy the BBQ unless they asked my opinion about something. The only exception would be if I saw a hazard that may endanger my friends.

A friend of mine recently tried to sell me insurance. I told him that I do not like to mix business with friendship. He told me that he did not have to be my friend.

You offered your assistance and they did not follow your advice. Just be their friend.

[John Kogel]

A friend of mine recently tried to sell me insurance. I told him that I do not like to mix business with friendship. He told me that he did not have to be my friend.

[] Don't worry about him, he'll do OK in insurance.

The story from the realtor "It's a rush job", is a classic. The offer is in, it was accepted, where's the rush for the inspection?

[Erby]

They don't want to hear their dreams burst anyway, just enjoy the food and fellowship.

-

[RAB]

It seems that the real stickler is, or would be for me: annoy and possibly irritate my wife, who I live with and see several times a day, by saying ANYTHING about the house; or close my eyes and enjoy the food.

[Les]

55 minutes ago, mary_tillios said:

I recently moved to a 1950's house. The house is well maintained and in good condition. It depends on the quality, they carefully monitored him and he stood well for so long.

I am going to let Marc answer this one. 

[Marc]

I almost did.  The avatar and the text are two different people, yes?

Another deception.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Marc

[Les]

yes