Should The Seller Attend The Home Inspection?

I’ve written about buyers attending the home inspection, and I’ve written about buyer’s agents attending the home inspection.  I’ve never written about home sellers attending the home inspection because I thought this was a no-brainer, but I recently learned that there are many real estate agents that feel the seller should be present during the home inspection.

When the buyers aren't there, great.

If the buyers aren’t going to attend the inspection, I have no problem with the seller being home for the inspection.  In fact, sometimes it’s actually nice because I have someone to talk to, instead of just talking to myself.  I can ask the seller about mysterious stains, I can ask why they installed something this way when it’s usually done that way… come to think of it, when it’s just me and the seller present, I ask a ton of questions.  I get to know the sellers a little, and I often get a call from them later when they’re read to have their next house inspected.  I’ll all for it.

But when the buyer attends...

On the other hand, if the buyers are going to attend the inspection, which is what happens with the majority of my business, I would much prefer that the seller take off.

On the rare occasions when the seller is present, it can sometimes make for an uncomfortable inspection.  It’s tough for a seller to have some stranger walking through their house pointing out defects.  Many sellers get angry or defensive, and oftentimes can’t help themselves from butting in with defensive comments or challenging me.  I stand behind my recommendations and opinions, but it’s a huge waste of my client’s time if I have to spend half the inspection justifying my words and actions to a seller.

I typically show up to inspections about fifteen to twenty minutes early, often before the seller has left yet.  If I get the impression that the seller isn’t planning on leaving, I’ll usually ask a few pointed questions.  "So, are you planning on sticking around for this inspection?” If the answer is yes, I’ll say “Ok… did you know the buyers are coming too?”  At this point, the seller typically gets a shocked look and says they had no idea that the buyers would be coming, and they rush to get out of the house.

On the rare occasion that the seller plans on staying, I feel out the situation.  If the seller says they’ll leave me and my clients alone, great.  If the seller answers the door with a scowl and tells me they’re not going anywhere, I politely tell them that I respect the fact that it’s their house and they can do what they want, but I would prefer they leave.  If they still don’t want to, that’s their business, but most buyers are very uncomfortable with the seller being home for the inspection.  The sellers should be gone during the home inspection for all the same reasons that sellers are gone for any showings.

The most common reason I’ve heard for people that do want the sellers present is so that they can answer any questions that the home inspector has about the house.  I have a very simple solution: have the sellers leave a phone number.  Done and done.




Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections



    

I've seen grown men act like sissies around little critters like mice, spiders, and leeches.  Not me though.



I act like a sissy around wasps.  I get stung every year.


This year it happened while I was inspecting a fireplace; I reached up inside the flue to close the damper, and a wasp stung me on the arm.  That's right, a wasp made it's way down the flue because it knew I was inside the house and it had it out for me.  Now I'm a little paranoid every time I reach up inside a fireplace.

Last year I got stung while riding an ATV.  I was flying along a trail and the wasp went right inside my helmet and stung me on the forehead.  That wasn't just painful, it was also dangerous.
The year before that, I got stung while inspecting an electric panel; I didn't notice the wasp nest below the panel, and I just started opening it.  Shame on me.  I got the heck out of there in a hurry, and I was lucky to get away with only one sting.

The year before that, I got stung while walking up a driveway to the house I was about to inspect.  I got stung on the side of my neck, right under the collar of my shirt.  I dropped my ladder and tool bag, ripped my shirt off, and started furiously batting at my neck and back.  Thankfully, my clients hadn't yet arrived to see the goofy display I put on, but it must have been a pretty funny sight for anyone looking out their window.

On and on the list goes.  To lower my risk of getting stung, I try to follow these rules when inspecting houses:

• I bang on gutters with my ladder before climbing on the roof.  Wasps are very sensitive to vibration; if there's a wasp nest nearby, they'll quickly swarm the area.  I forgot to do this a couple weeks ago, but luckily it was still early in the morning and the wasps were all still sleeping, so it was uneventful.  I did manage to get a good photo though - click the photo at right for a close-up.
• I'm cautious about every attic space that I enter.  I've had to scramble out of a couple attics before, and it's not easy.
• I'm cautious every time I go underneath a deck.  This is a notorious location for wasp nests.
• I don't touch old logs.  One of my dad's clients kicked an old log during the inspection and got stung about thirty times and had to leave the inspection to get treatment.
•  I carefully inspect roof caps, roof vents, and combustion air intakes for wasp nests from a distance before sticking my face in there.  I find wasp nests in these locations all the time.
• I stay a healthy distance away from gable-end vents.  It's rare to not find wasp nests here.

The good news about wasps is that they're not generally angry - they just like to be left alone.


Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections



    

Fall Maintenance for Minnesota Homeowners

While it's still officially summer for another week, it's a good time to get started on your fall maintenance list.  It's much easier working on these projects while it's still pleasant outside; don't put these projects off until the first snow.

This list was compiled by Delano Home Inspector Duane Erickson, of Structure Tech Home Inspections.

Water

• Disconnect any garden hoses.
• Turn off the water supply to the exterior sillcocks and drain the water out.
• Have the lawn sprinkler system drained and blown out with compressed air.
• Drain any exterior fountains.

Air

• Clean the combustion air or makeup air intake vents.
• If an air exchange system is present, such as a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), clean the intake.  These look just like the combustion air intake vents, but because they’re connected to a fan, they get dirty much faster.
• Clean the clothes dryer duct.  The damper should move freely and close properly.
• Check the bathroom and kitchen exhaust dampers for wasp nests.

Roof

• Clean the soffit vents.  These can get clogged up with lint, dust, insulation, and paint.  They’re located under the roof overhangs.
• Check the roof vents for bird nests.
• Clean the gutters after all the leaves have fallen.
• If the downspouts or sump pumps drain in to an underground system, re-direct them to drain to the ground surface when feasible.

Air Conditioner

• Outdoor covers are NOT necessary.  If a cover is used, it should be the type that only covers the top, not a full enclosure.
• If the furnace or water heater vent blows exhaust gas on to the air conditioner, a plastic cover can be used to shield the air conditioner from the corrosive exhaust gases.
• Don’t cover heat pumps (these are not common in Minnesota).

General Exterior

• Seal any gaps around the house; check for loose or dried out caulking around pipes, ducts, faucets, air conditioner refrigerant lines, etc.
• Replace any damaged or worn weatherstripping around windows and doors.

Smoke / CO Alarms

• Smoke alarms should be located inside every bedroom, and one in a common area on every level.
• CO alarms should be located within ten feet of every sleeping room (and not in furnace rooms, kitchens, or garages).
• Replace the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms and test check the test buttons.
• Check the age of your smoke and CO alarms; smoke alarms are good for up to ten years, CO alarms are good for up to five years.  If they’re any older, replace them.

Furnace

• Have a professional furnace tune-up performed annually.
• Clean or replace the furnace filter - this should be done at least every one to three months, depending on the type of filter.  The arrow on the filter should point toward the furnace.

Fireplaces

• Have the flues professionally cleaned on any wood burning fireplaces.
• Make sure spark arrestors are installed on all flues.
• Avoid burning any woods that are not hard and dry.
• Clean the dust out of the bottoms of any gas fireplace inserts.
• If you have a gas log installed in a wood burning fireplace with an adjustable damper, make sure there is a damper stop installed to prevent the damper from getting closed all the way.

Last but not least, Duane says "Cuddle, stay warm, and safe sledding."

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Saint Paul Home Inspections



    

Why Are Home Inspectors So Inconsistent?

Have you ever wondered how different home inspectors can look at the same issue, yet have completely different ways of describing the situation and different calls to action?

I’ve realized that I’m not even consistent about my own recommendations.  I’ve given a lot of thought to why this is, and I think it comes down to two factors: cost effectiveness and risk management.  I think those two factors affect just about every recommendation that I make during my home inspections.

Cost Effectiveness

Sometimes I’ll identify an issue with a house and I’ll tell my client what the problem is, but I’ll say it doesn’t make much sense to fix it.  For example, insulation on a one-and-one-half story house.  These houses usually have very little insulation at the upper level, but it’s not cost effective to gut the entire upper level to re-insulate.  The amount of money you’ll spend gutting the upper level will far outweigh any potential savings in heating and cooling costs, so I usually say “This is what you’ve got.  Live with it.”

Risk Management

Anyone buying property assumes some risk.  We home inspectors help buyers by reporting issues, and making recommendations for repair based on how much risk is involved, along with the cost effectiveness of the repair. Think about any defect with a house, and think about what a home inspector would recommend; hopefully, it makes sense.  I’ll give a few examples of how I make recommendations:


A missing handrail at a stairway: This is a potential fall hazard with a very low repair cost, so I always recommend repair.


A missing cover plate at an outlet: This is a potential shock or electrocution hazard, and it has a very low repair cost, so I always recommend repair.


Missing house wrap behind vinyl siding: This has a moderate potential for moisture damage to the house, but the cost to fix missing house wrap would be huge, so I never recommend repair of this condition.  I do let my clients know that they are assuming some risk.


An improperly attached deck that’s one foot off the ground: This has a moderate potential for failure / collapse, but if it’s only a foot off the ground, there's a very low risk of injury.  The cost to fix this would probably be just as much as it would cost to repair the deck if it collapsed, so I don’t recommend repair of this condition. I do let my clients know that they are assuming some risk.


An improperly attached second story deck: Again, this has a moderate potential for failure / collapse, but people could be seriously hurt or killed by a second story deck collapse.  While the fix might be expensive, I recommend repair every time.

The next time you’re involved in a home inspection, whether you’re an inspector, a real estate agent, or a home buyer, think about cost effectiveness and risk management.  I've realized this is something I do subconsciously during every inspection... well, at least I used to.  Now I consciously do it.



Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections