Technical > Home Improvement > Respect to experts

Respect to experts

Well said. I'd just like to add that I consider home/house inspectors to be experts as well. I was well served with the one that inspected my home. He didn't find everything and much of what he found wasn't perhaps overly important. I was impressed simply by the amount of things he looked at that I would never have thought of as possible problems. I don't expect a home/house inspector to be an expert in every field instead they need to be more of a generalist. I expect them to have sufficient knowledge of all the major trades to spot trouble and where necessary I expect them to recommend detailed inspection by a mason, electrician, plumber, roofer and so on.

Just like any other profession there are good ones and not so good ones. Ask friends, neighbors and coworkers to find out who they used and whether or not they were satisfied with the results. Then hire the most recommended one. Don't hire the cheapest inspector and expect an above average performance.

I don't understand anybody who would consider making as important a decision as buying a house without getting an expert opinion from a home/house inspector.
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reply to telco_mtl
I agree. I'm a licensed P.E. and I ALWAYS ask for help from the trade masters (not so much from the helpers) when non-typical situations come up. I figure they're more likely than I have to have seen it before and I'm always willing to learn.

Sometimes I just know when to leave stuff to the pros. I had a new garage door installed at my house a few months ago. Yeah, I'm an engineer and yeah, I know how those doors work, but I asked the installer if he wanted any bottled water or if he needed to use the bathroom -- otherwise I left him alone and told him he could knock on the door if he wanted to talk to me.

He was really surprised later when I told him I was an engineer. He said that he would've expected all sorts of supervision, free advice and "guidance" during the job. I told him that I figured he could handle his own job.

I come here to learn and learn I have. The real professionals here are awesome for taking the time to share their knowledge with the rest of us. A very big THANK YOU! from my heart to all of you!

reply to telco_mtl
I was kind of disappointed to see the bashing of home inspectors as a whole because of one knuckle head (Not the OP, but in regard to a previous thread).
A home inspector is a vital first line of defense for every home buyer. No person can be an expert in every field.
Just like any other occupation, there are some bad apples in every bunch. That will never change. I can think of 10 knucklehead electricians right of the top of my head. Guys who have no business touching wire and probably bribed their way to a license.
Likening the occupation of a home inspector to other menial jobs (I think "fry cook" was tossed about) isn't appropriate either.
I still highly recommend a home inspection to potential buyers. I think most mortgage companies require them now anyway, right?

An expert home inspector is worth their weight in gold.
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...because I care.

reply to telco_mtl

reply to telco_mtl
All,

Stop making statements like, 'the inspector you hired was the best of the best and you really liked his work' unless you are a home inspector yourself and can see what he did and if he missed anything.

You might think that your inspector was great until you start finding problems.

For example (I love using examples).

You buy a house in summer with a nice deck at the back, you get it inspected, inspection was great, you love your inspector and you tell stories to your friends.

Winter comes, it snows heavily and you realized that your high eff. furnace stopped working. You find out the exhaust pipe and fresh air intake both were under the deck, show accumulates in the winter, exhaust gases go back through the fresh air intake, sensor in the furnace senses that and shuts off the furnace. You then realize that the inspector that you had hired (who you thought was the best, missed that part).

So lets not get carried away with your inspection experience.

Summary: You dont know if an inspector was great until you start seeing problems.

I can give 10 more examples if you like.
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Certified Home Inspector
Certified Level 1 Thermographer

reply to telco_mtl
I am sure there are good home inspectors out there, but my own experience as well as that of almost everyone I know who has purchased a house would indicate that most home-inspectors think they are much more of experts than they actually are.

During the purchase of my house I walked around with the inspector and discussed the mechanicals of the house with him. One of my concerns was that the house contained knob and tube wiring. I was distracted by a phone call with the real estate agent while the HI looked around the basement. I later came down the stairs and this was the conversation:

ME: "So how much knob & tube did you find?"
HI: "None, this house is fine."
ME: "None? I can see two separate circuits of K&T from where I am standing"
HI: "Oh, that isn't knob and tube, there are any white thingies"
ME: "Um, look another 3 feet to right"
HI: "Oh yeah, I will add that to my report"

Later conversation:
HI: "These radiator systems are great. The only think you have to worry about is the pump going out"
ME: "This is a steam radiator, there is no pump"
HI: "Are you sure?"
ME: "All of the radiators are single pipe. Besides, we are looking right at the boiler. There isn't a pump"
HI: "Oh, well I will change that in the report."

Keep in mind I am a doctor, not a home inspector or tradesperson of any kind. I shouldn't know more than the inspector. I realize that it is difficult for inspectors to know everything about everything. However, it seems like the vast majority use this "checklist" based approach which seems to be overly concerned with whether particular appliances have recalls rather than taking a careful look at the condition of said item or the workmanship (or lack thereof) of installation.

Oh, and this experience clearly strikes a chord with many homeowners. Why else would shows like "Holmes on Homes" be so popular?
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