5 ms·

> It also failed to mention that home inspections are largely useless. According to whom?

jandrese 8y ago
A lot of times it comes down to conflict of interest. They are hired by the agent who is only interested in selling the home and getting the commission. Even when they aren't, finding a reputable one who will actually do a good job is extremely difficult. Most are just looking to run through a house as fast as possible and collect their fee. There isn't some directory of problems they've missed. As far as I know there isn't any way to recover costs from them over issues that they missed and caused you to buy a home that you would not have given the problems. This makes them quite prone to being a rubber stamp and yet another fee for home buyers.
- LeifCarrotson 8y ago
  You're correct that if they have a conflict of interest, they are definitely useless. Don't hire the agent's inspector. Likewise, make sure you have your own agent, don't use the seller's. And if you're in court someday, don't expect one lawyer to represent both parties. Simple stuff. It's similar to buying a car: don't ask the dealer's maintenance department whether it's a good car. Drive it to your independent mechanic on the test drive and ask them to take an unbiased look at it. If you don't know a reputable home inspector, you could ask your painter, contractor, or handyman if you have a good relationship with someone who knows houses to take a look.
  - jandrese 8y ago
    Of course if you're a first time homebuyer who has been previously renting you won't have any relationships with painters, contractors, or handymen...
- smileysteve 8y ago
  > As far as I know there isn't any way to recover costs from them My home inspector had a 1 year warranty on anything that he tested in his report. Does that mean the company will cover all damages or buy the property from you, no; but it is a small disincentive to be a rubber stamp.
  - jandrese 8y ago
    I bet you would find that his report is worded carefully to not include anything that would be expensive to repair. And really, the most expensive repairs are on things you can't see. Wiring. Plumbing. Damage to the structure of the house. Even then I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to weasel out of for example your roof started leaking 2 months after you move in. The inspector will point out that there was no water damage when he inspected it so the issue developed after the inspection.
- dmschulman 8y ago
  The buyer has every right to find and hire their own home inspector...
  - jandrese 8y ago
    Sure, but do you know which one is going to do his job properly? This is knowledge that very few personal home buyers have. Professional house flippers/real estate speculators might have guys they know, but shopping around as an individual there is precious little information available on how good a particular inspector is.
    - dmschulman 8y ago
      https://www.yelp.com/c/la/home_inspectors https://www.yelp.com/c/la/home_inspectors Also friends, family, coworkers, local real estate agents you trust, etc. Going into the entire home buying process without preparing adequately is the buyer's first mistake.
      - jandrese 8y ago
        > real estate agents you trust The buyer's second mistake.
- davidp 8y ago
  They are hired by the agent You can and absolutely should hire one yourself. Additionally, if you have a buyer's agent, don't make the mistake of using theirs either -- the buyer's agent has the same conflict of interest that the seller's does, despite the fact that in most cases they have a fiduciary responsibility to you, the buyer. Another complication to be aware of: Inspectors can face "blackballing" by banks or realtors if they scuttle too many deals by finding bad things. If you find an independent inspector, don't balk at paying a little more -- they may need it to make up for business lost from being honest.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > Additionally, if you have a buyer's agent, don't make the mistake of using theirs either -- the buyer's agent has the same conflict of interest that the seller's does Not exactly. Real estate agents do care about repeat business and referrals.
    - gnkiubb 8y ago
      Not a chance. They're rats out to make money for near-zero effort. No better than lawyers and used car salespeople. Scam artists.
VBprogrammer 8y ago
I'm not an expert but I'd tend to agree. There are simply too many things which can't easily be inspected without causing damage. We paid over £1000 in two different inspections when we purchased our house. Since moving in I've discovered that the entire extension to the house was built without lintels, electrical work which is not even close to complient and brickwork which is little more than rubble. The structural engineer said he was unable to determine whether the lintels were sufficient (because they were hidden behind plaster and face bricks) and he said that there is some evidence of electrical rewiring but that we should commission a report into that.
- TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
  IMO house surveys in the UK are a joke and surveyors are a wildly overpaid joke profession. A typical survey, even a "full" survey, is 90% disclaimer. The remaining 10% is often obvious to anyone with working eyeballs. If you want a useful opinion hire an experienced builder to assess the property - perhaps under the pretext of costing possible renovations. When I was selling my mother's house a few years ago, a builder who viewed it instantly spotted all the problems that professional surveyors either missed or couldn't be bothered to mention.
ams6110 8y ago
It's the sort of business with low barriers to entry, and very few repeat customers. Ideal for scammy and fly-by-night operators.
vorpalhex 8y ago
I've used inspectors on both of my home purchases, and both times it was a major lifesaver. The first one caught that the house had a leveling issue (and had us bring in a foundation repair company to measure) and the second one caught a dead heater and a hole in the roof. That being said, I always hire my own certified home inspectors. Both my spouse and I have enough understanding to know when an inspector is blowing smoke and when they are looking at a real issue, and we monitor them while they do the inspection. A home inspector can't go into details on an issue - that isn't their job - they are only there to tell you what experts you need to call in during your option period.

A lot of times it comes down to conflict of interest. They are hired by the agent who is only interested in selling the home and getting the commission. Even when they aren't, finding a reputable one who will actually do a good job is extremely difficult. Most are just looking to run through a house as fast as possible and collect their fee. There isn't some directory of problems they've missed. As far as I know there isn't any way to recover costs from them over issues that they missed and caused you to buy a home that you would not have given the problems. This makes them quite prone to being a rubber stamp and yet another fee for home buyers.

LeifCarrotson 8y ago
You're correct that if they have a conflict of interest, they are definitely useless. Don't hire the agent's inspector. Likewise, make sure you have your own agent, don't use the seller's. And if you're in court someday, don't expect one lawyer to represent both parties. Simple stuff. It's similar to buying a car: don't ask the dealer's maintenance department whether it's a good car. Drive it to your independent mechanic on the test drive and ask them to take an unbiased look at it. If you don't know a reputable home inspector, you could ask your painter, contractor, or handyman if you have a good relationship with someone who knows houses to take a look.
- jandrese 8y ago
  Of course if you're a first time homebuyer who has been previously renting you won't have any relationships with painters, contractors, or handymen...
smileysteve 8y ago
> As far as I know there isn't any way to recover costs from them My home inspector had a 1 year warranty on anything that he tested in his report. Does that mean the company will cover all damages or buy the property from you, no; but it is a small disincentive to be a rubber stamp.
- jandrese 8y ago
  I bet you would find that his report is worded carefully to not include anything that would be expensive to repair. And really, the most expensive repairs are on things you can't see. Wiring. Plumbing. Damage to the structure of the house. Even then I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to weasel out of for example your roof started leaking 2 months after you move in. The inspector will point out that there was no water damage when he inspected it so the issue developed after the inspection.
dmschulman 8y ago
The buyer has every right to find and hire their own home inspector...
- jandrese 8y ago
  Sure, but do you know which one is going to do his job properly? This is knowledge that very few personal home buyers have. Professional house flippers/real estate speculators might have guys they know, but shopping around as an individual there is precious little information available on how good a particular inspector is.
  - dmschulman 8y ago
    https://www.yelp.com/c/la/home_inspectors https://www.yelp.com/c/la/home_inspectors Also friends, family, coworkers, local real estate agents you trust, etc. Going into the entire home buying process without preparing adequately is the buyer's first mistake.
    - jandrese 8y ago
      > real estate agents you trust The buyer's second mistake.
davidp 8y ago
They are hired by the agent You can and absolutely should hire one yourself. Additionally, if you have a buyer's agent, don't make the mistake of using theirs either -- the buyer's agent has the same conflict of interest that the seller's does, despite the fact that in most cases they have a fiduciary responsibility to you, the buyer. Another complication to be aware of: Inspectors can face "blackballing" by banks or realtors if they scuttle too many deals by finding bad things. If you find an independent inspector, don't balk at paying a little more -- they may need it to make up for business lost from being honest.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > Additionally, if you have a buyer's agent, don't make the mistake of using theirs either -- the buyer's agent has the same conflict of interest that the seller's does Not exactly. Real estate agents do care about repeat business and referrals.
  - gnkiubb 8y ago
    Not a chance. They're rats out to make money for near-zero effort. No better than lawyers and used car salespeople. Scam artists.

VBprogrammer 8y ago

I'm not an expert but I'd tend to agree. There are simply too many things which can't easily be inspected without causing damage. We paid over £1000 in two different inspections when we purchased our house. Since moving in I've discovered that the entire extension to the house was built without lintels, electrical work which is not even close to complient and brickwork which is little more than rubble. The structural engineer said he was unable to determine whether the lintels were sufficient (because they were hidden behind plaster and face bricks) and he said that there is some evidence of electrical rewiring but that we should commission a report into that.

TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
IMO house surveys in the UK are a joke and surveyors are a wildly overpaid joke profession. A typical survey, even a "full" survey, is 90% disclaimer. The remaining 10% is often obvious to anyone with working eyeballs. If you want a useful opinion hire an experienced builder to assess the property - perhaps under the pretext of costing possible renovations. When I was selling my mother's house a few years ago, a builder who viewed it instantly spotted all the problems that professional surveyors either missed or couldn't be bothered to mention.

ams6110 8y ago

It's the sort of business with low barriers to entry, and very few repeat customers. Ideal for scammy and fly-by-night operators.

vorpalhex 8y ago

I've used inspectors on both of my home purchases, and both times it was a major lifesaver. The first one caught that the house had a leveling issue (and had us bring in a foundation repair company to measure) and the second one caught a dead heater and a hole in the roof. That being said, I always hire my own certified home inspectors. Both my spouse and I have enough understanding to know when an inspector is blowing smoke and when they are looking at a real issue, and we monitor them while they do the inspection. A home inspector can't go into details on an issue - that isn't their job - they are only there to tell you what experts you need to call in during your option period.