FAIL Blog

Professional Home Inspectors and Recent Homebuyers Explain How Bad is 'BAD' for Inspection Results

"An inspection report with 50+ items is actually pretty typical for a home built in the late '70s."

Like what you see? Follow our WhatsApp channel for more.

Posted by Elna McHilderson
Advertisement

  • If you're in the lucky group of people who are able to afford to own a home in this economy, we applaud you! It feels quite impossible in today's market, but people like you keep proving that it can still actually happen. So thank you. You also must know, at this point, just how important a home inspection is. When a house denies an inspection before signing all the paperwork, that is a HUGE red flag. When you get a home inspected before purchasing, you're not only making sure that there isn't any dangerous “handiwork” that has been done and needs replacing but also making sure you're not getting ripped off on the price. What if the foundation is compromised and you need to get it completely replaced? That is a LOT of extra money you will have to put into the house, which means the price you pay for it should reflect that. So instead of paying $100k extra, you can now pay $100k less. 

    But what do good and bad inspection results look like? It's usually a huge pile of paperwork with verbiage that is hardly understandable to the non-blue-collar worker. Believe it or not, getting 50+ “infractions” is actually pretty normal for an old home. Let's see what these professional home inspectors and recent homebuyers have to say about it!

  • Advertisement
  • 1
    Cheezburger Image 9894461952
    Via Patsy Lynch via Picryl
  • 2
    How Bad is BAD? Recently had an inspection performed on a home my wife and I have been considering buying. The house was custom built by the original owner in 78. The inspection has given us tremendous pause. I'm considering hiring a GC to try to estimate how much we should expect to spend over the next one, five, and ten years. Going to wait for appraisal to come back first. I suppose my question is vague. I'm just not sure when to walk away.
    Via MrBallistik
  • 3
    We currently live in a 2010 build that had plenty of things wrong with it that the inspector didn't/couldn't catch. But the (potential) new house had over 50 items listed on inspection, including: -Roof (conditional age 25 yrs +/-). Issues with flashing. Shingles showing nail pops, pitting, and damage. -Dry rot on garage siding/facia and the house facia -Missing floor joists/studs on a load bearing wall in the basement
    Via MrBallistik
  • Advertisement
  • 4
    -Negative grading towards the foundation of the house And on and on it goes. But, would a good/thorough inspector (this guy took 4 hours) catch this much stuff on the vast majority of homes? No home is going to be perfect? Thanks in advance for any input.
    Via MrBallistik
  • 5
    having_a_blast. 14 hr. ago Home Inspector-Tx I always tell clients when i inspect an older house that a) everything is repairable B) there are no perfect houses C) we give you the information so you can make an informed decision. Right now i believe you have information overload. Ask your inspector to explain it to you in 3 lists.
    Via having_a_blast
  • 6
    1. safety items that must be dealt with. 2. items that the inspector believes is at or near the end of its service life. 3. items that should be addressed in the first 6 months of ownership. That should drop off a lot of items and at least make the rest into a digestible chunk. Ask your inspector clarifying questions.
    Via having_a_blast
  • Advertisement
  • 7
    yck_censorship . 13 hr. ago Laughs in infinite money at the "everythings repairable" comment. Theres a saying i like to throw around, a solution in search of a problem. When i see load bearing walls modified, i want to see engineer diagrams or drawings or something from an engineer. Otherwise hard no. Those modifications create problems 10-15 years down the road that usually requires big money to fix. A home inspector wont and shouldnt be looking that far into the future.
    Via *yck_censorship
  • 8
    • dajur1 13 hr. ago Home Inspector-Wa Okay, so this is just my hot take: Roof - 25+ years is at/beyond typical replacement age. You will need a new roof, so ignore the flashing/nail pop comments as that will get replaced with the roof. Rotted fascia boards - This is normal. Have them replaced with the roof. Not a big deal.
    Via dajur1
  • 9
    Missing floor joists and studs on a load bearing wall - Very big issue. This will require a structural engineer assessment. Negative grade - Typically an easy fix. Either grade away from the foundation, or backfill as needed. Anyway, read the report, determine what costs will be required, then make an informed decision. Your Realtor should be prepared to help you.
    Via dajur1
  • Advertisement
  • 10
    Gtronns 6 hr. ago Which state are you in? The climate and cost of repairs vary depending on the region. For example, having negative grading here in Virigina is a bigger deal than it would be somewhere in Texas or California.
    Via Gtronns
  • 11
    StepOk7696 6 hr. ago I would rather my inspector find out more than necessary than omits something. 40+ years old house often has lots of modifications, and your list sounds very typical.
    Via StepOk7696
  • 12
    BriefDragonfruit9460 14 hr. ago Ok so 50 items isn't all that many, in fact, it's fairly average. Negative grading isn't a big deal. New roof, some touch up on siding/facia is to be expected, especially if the roof is 25 years old. Meaning the rest probably hasn't been touched either. So it seems like you need a little attention on siding and a new roof. These are things to work with your realtor on to get $$$. When you're buying a home of that age, there's going to be issues. Look at them for w
    Via BriefDragonfruit9460
  • Advertisement
  • 13
    Designer-Celery-6539 · 12 hr. ago An inspection report with 50 items is pretty typical for a home of that age. Be aware that 1978 homes are not near as energy efficient as new construction homes and would typically be 2x4 construction vs 2x6. If it's a FSBO and sellers are not willing to work with agents, they are typically saving 6%. So I at the very least I reduce offer by 6% or more to allow money for improvements. If they don't accept a lower price just walk away based on inspection report.
    Via Designer-Celery-6539

Stay up to date by following us on Facebook!

Tags

homeowner costs real estate agent buying land new homebuyer new homeowner homeowner homeownership house hunting helpful new homeowners owning a home buying a house inspections home inspector homebuyer advice real estate How To new homebuyers owning a house blue collar new home home inspection housing market buying a new home professional home inspector

Next on FAIL Blog

Scroll down for the next article

Comments

Advertisement

Hot Today

'I won't have someone gaslight me': Customer gets snippy with retail manager, manager tells him to "call customer service yourself" 1
'The company dangled an unreachable carrot': Employee laments their impossible targets that were only designed to make their team work harder for nothing 2
'He agreed to buy me replacements... then backtracked': Brother refuses to cancel sibling's debt after his kids ruin expensive art supplies 3
'We won't serve you until you pay the bill': Dine and dash family returns to restaurant in attempt to do it again, manager makes sure they pay what they owe 4
21 Landlord Special Memes for Renters On Their Last Coat of Paint 5
25+ Employees share what their job doesn't allow them to tell customers: 'Black Friday sales are not really sales' 6
20 Out of the box thinkers who were low key geniuses 1
25 Technology Memes for the Employees in Need of Tech Support 2
25+ Employees share what their job doesn't allow them to tell customers: 'Black Friday sales are not really sales' 3
44 Scrubby Nurse Memes for Snarky RN's Working Another 12-Hour Shift at the Hospital 4
'The three [Karens] were banned': Trio of entitled customers try to get sandwiches for free, guy behind them in line gets them thrown out for good 5
‘I was their “Cinderella"’: 19-year-old spa receptionist finally quits on the spot and walks out after finding a preemptive ‘write-up’ slip about herself 6

Follow The Laughs

Terms | Privacy | Security | DMCA Policy
Advertisement