This is H… It has been a while since you helped us to do the home inspection of our new home. And now we already moved in. Thanks again for the great job you have done!
I’m writing this email because we have some dispute with our gas company and one of the pictures you took during the inspection can help us out. Basically, the gas company said we broke the valve of our gas meter and asked us to pay a huge penalty. But we did not do so and we believe it has been broken before we purchase the house. So we checked the inspection report you have provided us and saw there is a picture of the gas meter (attached) you took at that time.
I’m wondering if you still have the original version of this picture which may have a clearer view of the valve that you can send to us? Or by any chance you took more pictures involving the gas meter?
I don’t think I’ve ever read another inspector saying you take too many pictures. Has your competition in Chicago been saying this? It makes no sense if they are.
BTW, for newbies reading this, it’s always a good idea to take a photo of each piece of equipment and the utilities at the home for your own records. Bob’s post is a great example of why. What if they blamed him for breaking it? :shock:
XXXX and I closed on the house at XXX XXXX Drive yesterday. We walked into one of the basement bedrooms, and it was immediately apparent that there was mould along the baseboards, walls and in the carpet (see images below). Our lawyer has indicated that because the mould is so obvious, it should have been found during the home inspection. Due to the failure of the inspection to reveal this information, we are requesting a full refund of the costs that we paid to have the inspection performed, as we are now being faced with the as yet unknown costs of having this situation remediated.*
And my reply:
*The reason that I didn’t see those darkish stains is because they were not visible during the inspection. You and XXXX, along with your parents and Realtor did not see them either.
There was a pile of personal effects stored in that area, as well as wall shelving and a bed along the right side of the wall in the basement bedrooms which hid those darkish stains (see attached pictures).
As per our agreement, I conducted a visual inspection of the home and produced a written report of observed defects in accordance with the current Standards of Practice of the Professional Home and Property Inspectors of Canada (PHPIC) which reads in part that a home inspector does not have to move personal property, furniture, equipment, plants, etc. This information was emailed to you days prior to the scheduled inspection.
It is unfortunate that your lawyer would put the blame of your find on the home inspector, especially considering that he was not present during the inspection.
Should you have any questions regarding the inspection report, please do not hesitate to contact me.*
You can never take enough pictures. 200+ is normal for me, and I give all of them to the buyer, and/or post all of them on my web site via passcode for anyone involved in the transaction to view. No need for me to put them in reports.
I had an owner complain about me taking pictures of items on the walls and the hookups for the in-home sound system. During a before-closing walk-through, and after the buyer moved out, behind several pictures were wall holes, and the owner at the time did not leave the sound system, so the buyer had a picture of it, and the brand/manufacturer. I cannot count how many times owners switch out appliances with cheaper units after I did the inspection, and before the buyer moved in.
Take pictures of all appliances, HVAC, limited access areas, such as the garage and attic, all utility cut-offs, each side of the exterior, etc. If there is a vehicle of any kind anywhere on the property that blocks your job, take a picture without the license plate in the picture. Most of you know the drill. Date stamping the pictures is a must for any court of law.
Not trying to bust your chops but I remember some of the posts Bobs talking about and guys saying that there is no need for taking so many.
I totally agree for the new guys. I take 250+ and save them also. I never worry how many I take its digital who cares how many you take, they are my notes and I take lots of notes. Its not hard or time consuming to save or anything they just go in the clients folder.
Re: Other inspectors say i take too many pictures. Here is why they are wrong
You’re not busting my chops. These two sentences mean two very different things:
“There is no need for taking so many photos”
“Bob takes too many photos”
The latter claims there’s something wrong about Bob’s method. There isn’t, it’s his and it works for him & his clients. I don’t know of anyone here who has said what he claims(I could be wrong, wouldn’t be the first time).
A photo of the gas meter and the shut off valve are included in each of my reports, with a big arrow pointing to the shut off valve, so the new owners no where to shut the gas off.
Bob does not take notes, he use his camera for his notes. it is his style and it works for him.
OK you get the prize Arnold.
Bet you would make a good inspector.
Today I had water coming out of the end of a soffit and still have no idea why till I look at the pictures on my big screen at home as I stuck my camera in there.
Maybe I could do on site and simply state… Unknown. Will anyone complain?
Supplement info… Soffit under the kitchen sink so could be several items.
My inspection yesterday I took 543 pictures, went a little overboard, but the client was not there and I like to cover myself by having a good sampling of the house, it was 6300 square feet with a separate pool house so I don’t take that many pictures on an average house.
Your shot at those reporting onsite is toothless. An onsite reporting inspector can simply upload their photo to a laptop or just enlarge it on their tablet or handheld all right there at the inspection or in their truck before they email the report. Same end result.
Yeah, yeah, sure you do.
Bet they just love it because Agents and clients like waiting around while you geek out the entire inspection.
Bet when you go to parties surrounded by beautiful women you just stare at the phone while texting all evening instead of talking to them as well.
