Ray Wilson - NYS Licensed Inspector

Sorry to be talking about this at dinnertime, but I couldn't wait for this one. This is a first for me.

I performed an inspection at a home in Huntington, N.Y. yesterday, and after checking the heat at the ductwork, I came across something shiny under a floor duct register. When I checked it out closely with a flashlight, I saw a ring in the ductwork. It had fallen into a register, but it came to rest in a dried out pile of what I am guessing was dog vomit. It had all the right colors and consistancies.

There was this faint sour smell when I first walked into the house, but I dismissed as 'filthy people' smell. I get to smell this somewhat regularly, but I had not dreamed this could be.

Turns out, the sellers dog had recently died as it was sick. The dog must have been talented (or had remarkable aim), as it had puked in 5 of the 11 registers on the main floor. At first, I wondered why the registers appeared new. Now I know why. It is easier to buy new registers than to clean vomit from them. The dog was too old to go to the second floor, so those ducts were puke-free.

My real point (besides trying to make you turn green), is that many people do not clean their ductwork out. When I ask sellers 'When was the last time you professionally cleaned your ductwork?' and I get the dumbfounded look that most people have, a shudder to think what may be within the ducts.

Can you imagine the poor soul who has to clean those ducts? - Ray

I have grappled with the idea of providing the home inspection report on site after the home inspection, and I just can't see the need to provide this service. Of course I have a competitive edge against my competition. I have been getting steady work this time of year, which is a testament to my business ethic. The market is supposedly terrible, but from my numbers, I am doing a fair amount of business for this time of year.

Some of the larger franchise inspection companies (and smaller independant companies like mine) offer the printed inspection report after the inspection is finished. While this is nice, do you really need it when the inspection is finished? Do you want to discuss the house and the inspection over dinner? Or after dessert? Do you want to think about what happened that day. If you are the buyer, have you absorbed all that can be absorbed? Are you ready to take the plunge after reading the report?

I pose these questions for a reason. So many people fall in love with a house because of a particular aspect of the property. Maybe its the layout of the house, or the view from the kitchen window, or the school district. Whatever the reason, the purchase of a home is a big deal. It involves many different dynamics. Money, job, travel time, education, gasoline, neighborhoods, shopping. There are many aspects to the purchase of a home. You need to consider them all. Then you need to consider the negative aspects that the inspector has found, and the costs related to these deficiencies.

I once stopped into a real estate office to try to promote my company, but was kindly rebuffed by the broker. The reason was that I did not offer the report on site. "So, because I do not offer the printed report on site, you would not consider me as a qualified inspector?" "Yes" I was told by this broker.

I left with a smile, but began pondering as never before on this subject. The broker who kindly rebuffed me had told me he would never consider an inspector who did not offer the report on site. He wants to move properties. Ultimately, I took this as "I don't want the buyer to have the time to really think about it, or to change their mind". What would you think if you were in my shoes?

Now, since you are not in my shoes, let me tell you several reasons I still do not think this a big selling point for an inspector. You DO need to think about it. You DO need to talk it over when you have read the report. You SHOULD NOT be rushed into anything.

Now if you are my competitor, you may be saying "I am at the cutting edge and can offer the report on site, and this guy cannot". We all have our own way of doing business, and we all want to please our client. We all want to look like the greatest inspector on earth.

I have taken many a photo in places I physically could not go (crawl spaces that have too small an access door, attics with no way to enter but through a 1 foot by 1 foot removeable panel) and have seen, through the digital camera: dead raccoons in attics, electrical problems in crawl spaces, water leaks in storage areas behind walls, dead squirrels in chimneys, etc.

Do you want an inspector who will attempt to see all that can be seen, and who wants an opportunity to review all the photos taken that day, or an inspector who provides an instantaneous report to move things along.

Now please realize that there are plenty of homes I inspect where a report on site may save a little time, and I have considered providing this service. Having a printer in my truck, and paper, and toner, and the other incidentals required to provide this service is completely within my capabilities, but I still like to review the photos I took that day. I would like the time to type out the report using the precise language to get my point across. Accuracy is paramount, and the correct tone and emphasis on the important points of the inspection is imperative in my business.

As an inspector, these are my reasons for not offering the report on site. Someday, maybe I will offer this service. But it just doesn't seem like that big a deal. Getting a report via email the next day works for me, it works for my clients 99% of the time, and I have only met one broker who had a problem with it.

What do you think? - Ray

I had a conversation with a prospective buyer on the phone yesterday, and had to set the record straight with him, and I figured it was worth saying again here on AR.

I have spoke about this subject in past blogs. I have heard this on tv and heard lawyers say this. I have met with some mortgage people who feel this way as well. Yes, there are unscrupulous agents out there, just like there are unscrupulous inspectors, and unscrupulous attorneys, mortgage people, etc.

Also, one of the things that makes it difficult for agents is buyers and sellers having fear of being misled, or being taken advantage of by the real estate agent. The underhanded agents who played games are the ones that caused the problems for the honest agents dedicated to this business. And the same goes for the predatory lenders that helped to cause the misery we are all seeing these days in the mortgage industry. There will always be bad apples in this, and every business.

BUT, you must also realize that most of the people in the real estate business are hardworking people who do the right thing by their clients. There are tons and tons of people who are still in this business. Many of these lifers get their business by referral. Established agents do not want to tarnish their reputation by screwing over their clients. The ones who are still doing business are doing so because of their referral base, and because they have certain ethics. My referral bas is now huge, due to my hard work, and spending thousands of dollars in gasoline to maintain these relationships.

I do the right thing for my client - the buyer - as well. I have worked very hard building the relationships that I have with real estate agents across Long Island, as well as with mortgage officers, and with attorneys. I was asked once to 'pass off' a house I was inspecting for an agents' buyer, but I told her 'I cannot pass off a house' for the benefit of your commission check. I will not put my business on the line for an agent. I will not put my license, my livlihood, and my reputation on the line for a real estate agent. Sorry - won't happen. I asked that agent to no longer refer me, as I would rather not deal with an agent like that. Even if I 'need' the buisiness. I don't need the business that badly to compromise all the work I have done up until now.

I would rather lose my relationship with a real estate agent than play any sort of games with my business, or with my client. In this busines, your reputation is EVERYTHING. Lose that, and you are DONE! - Ray

I performed an inspection in West Islip yesterday in the snow. Oh what fun! Actually, it wasn't that bad until the buyer's wife insisted she walk on the deck for the above ground pool. She slipped on the sliipery deck and fell into the partially frozen swimming pool! Yikes!

I did recommend that she stay indoors, but she insisted. No big harm was done, but she was embarrassed as hell, and she shivered her way through the rest of the inspection. The seller wasn't home luckily.

I had the opportunity to check the exterior and roof a few days before, as I knew the snow was coming. These are hazardous conditions for me sometimes, but more so for a buyer who is not familiar with the property.

This also brought about the questionable gates for the fencing around this particluar property. Many municipalities require self-closing gates to the rear property, and others require a second fence around the pool area, even though a fence to the rear property exists.

You should always determine the local codes and requirements regarding gates and fences for properties with pools. This is mainly to protect children. There is nothing worse than hearing the sad stories in the summer of children wandering into a neighbors yard and drowning in a pool. It may also protect a curious buyer. - Ray

I always do my best to get into every crawl space that is safe to enter. Sometimes it is not safe to enter, and I will still go in because I am meticulous. I sometimes find old oil tanks that are no longer in service, and the heating system has been converted to gas.

These old tanks can still have oil in them, and although I tap the tank to try to determine if oil is present, it sometimes is difficult to tell. In cases like this, I always recommend oil tank abandonment. This does not necessarily mean the tank must be removed, but it should be drained of oil and the fill and vent pipes should be capped or removed so oil cannot accidentally be introduced into the tank.

Today, the seller of the house was not pleased that I had recommended it be abandoned, as he told me he emptied the tank years ago. If the tank is in fact empy, and no possibility of an oil leak is present, then there really is no problem. But I cannot take this persons' word for it - it must be entered into the report.

I have found most people are honest, but some are not. I have caught several 'fibbers' over the years, and I cannot put my client (or myself) in a situation of liability.

With modern oil tank abandonment, a certificate is issued by the company so that it can be positively known that the tank cannnot leak oil. I understand the frustration of the seller, but, in this business, you must cover your butt.

If the buyer buys the house, and the tank releases oil into the crawl space after they move in, I am sure I will hear about it. This is one thing I do not want to hear.

Happy holidays! -Ray