Tim Maxwell

Everyone I've talked to today was up late glued to the weather reports and radar tracking the storms. Worst since the early 70's they're saying. Scary, nerve racking night.

I don't think it's that bad. And from these pictures I doubt that I would give it a mention in the report. I might feel differently if I were standing on the roof looking at it though. I do see the gouged up/scuffed up front porch roof often that I do mention in the report. We all, or should, have our little trigger points for reporting this kind of stuff. I still use the ole "inspect it like you're inspecting it for your mother" attitude. And to me that means you want to protect her, but not worry her unnecessarily.

I've seen that one once before a few years back on a new construction. And from a related post regarding re inspects, they called me to go back and re check this. The builder did not fix it like he told them he had. I didn't hear back after that second visit.

kinda reminds me of the GPS taking the place of those huge map books. It never failed that I'd have to go to three different pages to get where I was going.

Indeed. Click to Enlarge 50.72 KB I have a couple of other issues that they need an electrician to fix so I'll just add this to the list.

I had this panel in a house today. The current home owner has never used it but seemed to recollect the previous owner tried to sell them a generator when they were selling. I've never seen one with the large plug inside the panel. Click to Enlarge 35.87 KB

I do re inspects for a fee but try my best to avoid them. When I do them I am always surprised when the repairs look good. I remember the first one I ever did about 13 - 14 years ago. There were 8 items on the summary page. The seller said that they had repaired them all and about 2 weeks after the inspection the buyer called me. I went back and the seller had done absolutely NOTHING. I couldn't even tell if anyone had been in the house since me. The buyer was smoking mad....

I don't think the real estate office has anything to do with the folders. It's the folder companies soliciting the broker or whoever at the RE office offering them the free folders for names and contact info to try and get the fees to print the folders. I've been solicited for years by these folder people and it always seems there offering the advertisement in a RE office that I don't even hardly know. I always pass on the "offer" and have on several occasions have them "threaten" to go back and tell the broker that I was not interested. Both times I told them while they were talking to this broker to tell them to not give my info out anymore. I personally believe the whole folder thing is just a scam by the folder company. Most recently I had a website company that was building a website for an agent and asked for me to support it. I knew this agent so I called him. He didn't even know what I was talking about. I agree with others on taking your marketing dollars and put them where you want them, not some offer that comes on a cold call....

My first theft from my vehicle was in 1985. Quick stop at a grocery store. I've been a real door locker ever since.

The only PB I see still in use at a house is with copper fittings and copper crimp rings. I very rarely see Big Blue that is still in place and if I do it is the 250 psi version, the 160 psi is the one you will rarely see because it has already cracked/leaked and been replaced. I still give the buyer all the info about the past problems and class action but if it's been in place this long it's about as much to worry about as any other pipes.

I had one last week (cat 1) that vented to the side wall and terminated at the brick veneer. It looked like the dryer vent.

Looks like that thing was built leaning. Francis Ford Cupola.

This was the work of the home owner is what I suspect because there were electrical tools and extra breakers and such on the work bench near by. The label on the panel door indicates wafer breakers can be used at the lower part of the panel and not in the upper part of the panel. It looks like when the basement was finished lots of wafer style breakers were switched in for the single breakers at the top. I didn't check these panels till kind of late in the inspection and didn't have any trips and I didn't find any kind of overheating at the breakers. I plan to recommend an electrician come in and review this but I could not remember all that can go wrong with this situation to tell the buyer. Can the elite sparkies refresh me on this please? Click to Enlarge 35.22 KB

I give them credit for NOT using a Folgers can. The plastic junction box cover must have deteriorated long ago.

It makes me think you have way better electricians up there John. I say that cause I see this one quite often. And it is wired wrong. After installing GFCI outlets they should always be tested for proper operation.

I would go up. Climbing roofs using valleys, dormers, rake edges is something that I have always done. I do have limitations though. I'll never forget the first time I got up on a steep roof but then found out getting down wasn't quite as easy.

Let us know how the test goes.

All Amana systems that I see are just labeled that way on the cabinet. Look at the serial plate and it should say Goodman MFG. at the top of it. I see more Goodman than anything else. Seems it is the #1 builder grade equipment of choice in my area.

I used to try and change the text to singular to plural but finally gave in and wrote the multiple boiler plate. The multiples have been better as well as quicker for me. I found it most needed at HVAC equipment and the garage doors and openers.

When scheduling, many buyers ask how long after the inspection till I get the final report. Most of them are surprised when I tell them I will email it to them the same evening. I have never, not even once, had a buyer act like they expected the report on site. I always tell them when they schedule how it will go basically and they are always fine with that. I go over my notes, pictures, and what I have entered in the laptop before I leave to make sure I have everything I need to finish the report. So getting home and realizing that I forgot something is going to be a rare day. And when it happens there will only be one choice. Go back, get the info/photo or what ever it is to finish the report.

Anyway, bottom line, my customers love my reports. They love to be able to walk through with the report at the end of the inspection and go over each item. I guess it might suck that they have to wait on me to do the report on-site, "Sit around and tap their feet" I think was the clever comment posted here, but it sure beats driving back a second time to meet with the inspector, again, or to get it via e-mail. Even if you produce the best report in the world, the customer will have questions about it, and they would much rather have you there in person to go over it, then to play phone tag with you. IMHO I rarely if ever get calls with questions, and that doesn't seem to matter if the buyer was there or not. Many of them will say when scheduling, "oh, I will call you as I am sure I will have lots of questions". They never call. And I can honestly say that I have never been back to the house to meet a buyer after the inspection.

I met and became friends with a local competitor. I already knew he was the "cheap inspector" when I met him. He turned out to be very nice and quite knowledgable. So I began to slowly talk about work and prices, sharing stories and all and started telling him he wasn't charging enough. He'd complain about the clients and agents that he worked with and the quality of the houses that he was inspecting. I told him it was all a result of the low ball pricing and the agent, client, and houses that he was getting to work with. He never listened and after 7 years he finally went out of the inspection business. Many experienced folks told me when I started that you don't have to be the highest, but you DO NOT want to be the lowest when it comes to pricing. You'll end up working with the lowest price seekers.

A Police Officer once told me that crooks are reluctant to break glass because the sound of breaking glass is an attention getter. ?maybe? Of course nowadays it seems the crooks are pretty bold stealing AC units, copper pipes, and appliances. The last couple of stolen AC units I have seen were dismantled on site leaving the fan and cabinet and taking only the copper.

When mine popped the wire it was a real panel screw, so the pointed tip sheet metal screws only increase the risk poking the wire. I never leave a panel cover off any longer than while I'm standing right in front of it. I knocked a woman/buyer on her ass once when she went to reach inside the panel as I was explaining stuff to her. Scared me silly. After that when I explain something about the interior of the panel I always say LOOK don't TOUCH before I start.

I've had it happen once. Mine was the dryer/220 and it was very loud. Both feet must have gone a foot off the floor at the same time. Mine only smoked the screw and the wire. It was new construction and the electrician was there within the hour to fix.