Home Sellers should not be at the Home Inspection

Over the past year I've probably seen a dozen sellers staying on the premises for the home inspection.  In a couple of instances the sellers were elderly or infirm and would have been greatly inconvenienced by leaving the house.  Otherwise its not a good practice, the home buyer for the 1st time has an opportunity to address any questions they have about the property and to get an unbiased evaluation of the condition of the home and its systems.  Home owners have an emotional attachment to the home and will often get defensive when a critical eye is cast on the property.  At the very least this can be uncomfortable and often inhibits the free exchange of questions and concerns that may arise concerning the properties condition.  Worst case the seller kind of hovers around and offers unsolicited opinions and denials to the point where it becomes a distraction.  So agents kindly request the home owner leave the premises for the entirety of the inspection.

Trust your real estae agent

Over the last few years many alleged real estate experts have written articles, blogs, posted websites etc... to discourage home buyers from using home inspectors referred by real estate agents. The alleged theory being that the agent will refer a crappy or worse dishonest inspector so that the sale will go through easier w/o a thorough inspection.

People hire a real estate agent for two reasons: to gain insight into the local real estate market and to guide them through the complexities of the home buying process including securing a mortgage, getting an appraisal, securing title insurance, the attorney review of documents and scheduling a home inspection. Most home buyers probably don't have these people lined-up and they rely on the real estate agent to refer professional and competent attorneys or mortgage brokers or home inspectors. My experience as a home inspector is that the great majority of real estate agents want you to do a good job for their client and will refer you based on competence and honesty.

Inspecting a Boiler

Keep the Attic Well Ventilated

The reality is that most people don't spend much, if any, time in the attic.  Those with pull down stairs may spend a few minutes a year lugging seasonal decorations up and down with barely a glance at the rest of the attic.  For those whose only access is a hatch needing a ladder for entry they may never see the attic.   In the course of my inspections I come across mold in the attic fairly frequently usually of the light and moderate variety but on occasion I find heavy mold infestation.  The homeowners are invariably surprised by the finding of the mold.  If you're going to sell the home and there is mold in the attic, any home inspector worth his salt is going to find it and in some fashion the mold will need to be dealt with.  The primary cause of mold in the attic is condensation from the warm and moist air in the home convecting up into an attic that does not have adequate ventilation.  Ideally the roof is ventilated from the soffits at the eaves of the roof up through to the ridge vents at the top of the roof.  That air flow keeps the underside of the roof cool and dry so that the mold spores don't have a chance to stick to a warm moist surface.
Besides a poorly ventilated roof a number of other factors can contribute to mold in the attic:

• A poorly insulated attic floor including air gaps around lighting, fans, plumbing and the attic entrance;
• Vents from the bathrooms, kitchen, and clothes dryer venting directly into the attic;
• Furnaces and uninsulated duct work located in the attic;
• Leaks from the roof, chimney, plumbing vents etc...

The vast majority of  mold found in attics is of the light or moderate variety and can be self-remediated or can be removed by a handyman.   Check the EPA website at epa.gov - keyword: mold for the proper clothing and cleaning supplies to remove the mold. If you have heavy mold infestation on the underside of the roof call a couple of mold remediation firms for estimates.  This could be quite expensive and I know a few clients who have replaced the roof including the plywood sheathing, and got a new roof with proper ventilation for less than the cost of the mold remediation.Remember a well ventilated roof is the key to keeping the attic moisture free.  If your home does not have soffit vents or is multi-peaked making it difficult to have an effective ridge vent consider adding powered vents.  Solar vents have been on the market now for a number of years and are easy to install, relatively cheap, need no electric power and last for about 20 years – a good alternative for keeping your attic moisture and mold free.

Limitations on Home Inspection

A Home Inspection has Limitations: The home inspection is a snapshot of the home and its systems on the day of the inspection. The home inspector cannot inspect areas hidden behind drywall and plaster (think fully finished basements and attics). Some areas of the home may be inaccessible or dangerous to get to. It is impossible to predict when a roof will start leaking or a furnace will quite (most likely on a single digit day).  A good inspector does the best he can by accessing as many panels, water closets, attics and crawls spaces and running all the major systems to assess the age and condition of the homes major systems.

Inspecting a sump pump

Why you need a Home inspection

Many home buyers don't have much experience with the inner workings of a house and those that do probably won't subject the home to a thorough inspection. The home is made up of some fairly complex systems.

If I'm buying a house, some of the things I would want to know:

• Is the plumbing galvanized steel?
• What's the condition of the roof?
• Is the electrical wiring dated?
• Is the attic ventilated and properly insulated?

Really the home inspection is a heads-up to the home-buyer for anything that might need repair now and may need upgrading or replacement in the future. That way, if the home has a 25 yr. old furnace the home buyer knows that its possible that the furnace could die this winter or next and he or she can be prepared for that.