Start inspection on the interior or exterior?

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jrivera

Okay, how's about this one.........I start inspecting it in my mind as soon as I get the call.........

Mic

Bravo...I also do something similar. I pull the listing info and pics from the web. Pull the tax records sometimes, map it, get a preliminary idea of its age etc. I recently did a forclosed property and had a disclosure in hand before I left the house. I knew I was in for a tough inspection before I left the house. It helped to get the mindset right.

[Peter C. Russell]

I try to get there 30 minutes early and start on the out side.
When evryone gets there I'm almost done

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by prussell

I try to get there 30 minutes early and start on the out side.
When evryone gets there I'm almost done

I too always get there early because.
One time I was looking close at the chimney and suddenly I had a Young lady looking over my shoulder asking about the flashing.
Scared the dickens out of me .
We all know how easy it is to get of a ladder onto the roof and how it is more awkward to get off the roof onto the ladder .
Well their I am trying to help this lady in high heel shoes get onto the ladder
with out getting too personal with her .
I thought I was going to have to call the fire Dept to get her off.
I now get the roof done and my ladder folded up before the client gets to the inspection.

Cookie

[David P. Valley]

I always do the outside first. I arrive on site 30 minutes early and get the exterior inspection completed and written up. By the time my clients arrive, I'm ready for them and the the issues are all written up.

As for trudging mud into the house after doing the outside, most listing agents will follow me around (with paper towels) and wipe up my mess.

Just kidding...I use these when inspecting the interior.

[Keith Swift, PhD.]

I agree with the "newbie" Robert about "the lay of the land." I've actually written about this in Inspect and Protect, and the first thing that I do is to "study the lay of the land," and ask myself how "an enemy" might ambush or attack me. Knowing that Roofs and Grading and Drainage comprise the greatest number and most expensive lawsuits, I imagine forty days and forty nights of rain and ask myself, "where's the water going to go?" My advice to everyone is to take your time, take pride in what you do, relax and enjoy yourself, but regard every inspection as an incursion into hostile territory. Happy Holidays.

[John J. Passailaigue, Jr.]

I have tried several different methods. Inside to outside. Start on the outside first. Here's what I found works the best for me. When I show up, I walk the perimeter of the home, looking. Normally I show up an hour or forty five minutes early. I can take my time, and make sure I don't miss anything on the exterior. Once I am done with the roof, structure (to include those crawl spaces), doors,windows, etc. I can wait for my clients while writing up defects or smoking a cig. Sometimes both. I will never smoke in front of a client or while working. The butts end up in the back of my truck too for those of you wondering. Once I walk inside, after switching from boots to flip-flops or house shoes, (I have stepped on nails and other things with bare feet-YIKES) I walk around and try to get a feel for the home, and I am looking where the water heater is, electrical panel, attic access, etc. Start in the kitchen, and I try to go in a clock wise fashon. After I leave every room, I turn the light off and pull the door almost closed, that way I can make sure that I have not left any room unattended. That's just what works for me the best. I think everyone does his or her own thing their way and what ever works for you the best- go with it. I hope I have been at least some help.

[rbunzel]

I would encourage those working without shoes to think again about the potential hazards. For example, pulling the service cover off the panel and becoming the ground! Reaching around the washer to look behind it and getting zapped. Climbing into the attic and stepping on a nail! Crap left in the carpeting such as straight pins.

If the property is really muddy I will slip a worn pair of shoe covers over my Merrels to keep the mud and crap off them and then slip a fresh pair of shoe covers on for the inside inspection. Many realtors are impressed when I pull out fresh covers, must be not many other HI's in the area use them...

//Rick

[Larry D. Kage]

I go outside then in, as a rule...and here are the booties I use:

http://store.homeinspection.com/scri...ory_Code=TOOLS

[krea]

i always start on the outside and work my way in..

kevin

[rcloyd]

Outside including roof first. Then I work my way up to the attic from the basement.

[Michael W. Gault]

Originally Posted by tmantsch

I'm in Texas, so I go barefoot and just hose down my feet before going inside...

I thought they only did that in Arkansas and West Virginia

[Erby Crofutt]

I think the State of New York is screwed up on their testing.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Too many differentials.

Who wrote the dumb question?
Who can eliminate it?
What has to be done to eliminate dumbass questions on the HI Exam?

Those are the questions that need answering.

[jrivera]

Originally Posted by ecrofutt

I think the State of New York is screwed up on their testing.

Mic

[lcapaul]

If the weather is OK I do the outside first, hopefully before the clients and realtor arrive, I look over the roof from the ground with binoculars noting anything out of the ordinary, while I am doing the INterior I check out the attic, the roof sheething and the rafters/trusses, after the Interior I alsk the roof if my inspection of the attic has shown that it will support me, back in my previous life I once stepped though the roof sheeting of a fairly new house, the sheething was 7/16" OSB and in several places it was butted between the trusses not on them, I always like to know whats under my feet. I usually do the crawl space last, that gives time for and leaks to appear in the plumbing and having walked the floors of the house permits me to know where some problems may exiist

[Bruce A. King]

I have found plumbing problems that would have been missed if I did things out of sequence.

Never do the crawlspace unless all house plumbing has had water through it.
Never do the upstairs unless you recheck the downstairs ceilings and floors for leaks from upstairs or inside of walls as I found the other day on a new house.

Some inspection courses and books suggest doing the crawlspace first. This is very wrong and will cause many missed items.
Some people have bathrooms that are not used, some are not used due to known problems.