House 2 Home Inspections

Attention Revdex.com,
Please be advised that a home inspection was performed at [redacted] on April **, 2014 for [redacted]. We encourage our client to...

accompany us at the inspection. The reason we encourage this is because we want to be sure the client is fully satisfied with our inspection services, is made aware of each issue (visually) not just from a written report but on site at the time of the inspection. In addition, any questions or concerns that they have can be addressed at that time. Please note this client did not come on the inspection and therefore were promptly sent a report of our findings. Please see the following (an email to the agent which was forwarded to us):----------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ /> [redacted]
------ Original message------
[redacted]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ /> (Above is the email which he sent his real estate agent)
Please be aware when he speaks about giving a cost estimate to the electrical system repair, he is not referring to us. We do not give cost estimates. he is referring to his real estate agent.
We responded via email directly to the client which is posted below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ /> Hello [redacted],
I received the forwarded email regarding your clients issues with the home inspection at [redacted]. The 1st issue addresses the undersized electrical service available to the house. This was clearly reported on the inspection report as inadequate and a service upgrade is recommended. It is the buyers responsibility to determine costs to correct any issues prior to closing to determine any appropriate credit. The 2nd issue involves the clothes washer. Please be aware that clothes washers and dryers are considered personal property in New York as opposed to real property, and are not operated during an inspection. It is unclear what the 3rd and 4th issues refer to. (Surge protector behind the washer and loose wiring above the furnace or a/c) It is allowable practice to ground the electrical system to the plumbing system, this may not be an issue. We would be happy to reinspect these items and take the appropriate action if warranted. The 5th item, leaky shower controls is noted in the report with a repair recommendation. The 6th and 7th issues refer to lightbulbs. As required by the NYS standards of practice, a representative number of light fixtures were tested and found to be satisfactory. Periodically, the need to replace lightbulbs arises. This is considered to be part of the regular maintenance of a house and cannot be considered a fire hazard. The last issue notes that water pools on the garage floor during rain. Unfortunately, a home inspection is a snapshot in time and only those conditions present at the time of Inspection can be reported on. Therefore, we are not able to foresee the effects of weather events not present at the time of inspection.
Please feel free to forward this email on to your client in the hopes of shedding some light on to there concerns If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime.
Best Regards,
[redacted]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ /> After these email letters were exchanged. I ([redacted]) ([redacted] of [redacted]) went over to the property to consult with both the home owner and our client ([redacted]). We addressed all issues at hand and he appeared to be satisfied after our meeting. He stated how he felt he did not get a good deal on the home and that the agent listed it as turn key. He told me multiple times he was satisfied with our services and appreciated me taking the time to meet with him. We parted on good terms. I gave him my direct line and informed him that if he had any other problems or concerns to feel free to contact me.
Seven months later we are contacted by the Revdex.com (up to present point in time). [redacted] has now come up with a whole new set of issues as well as the previous complaints.
Please see below his more recent concerns/complaints.
1) He states there is a leak in the bathroom. If you turn to the Inspection report which we sent [redacted] after our inspection (Category "Bathroom" section "9" Page 7). We address a leak in the plumbing system (Faucet/Traps)
2) He states leaks in the roof with improper flashing. He has been living there for seven months and now states in the seventh month that there a leak in the roof. At the time of the inspection we are only able to check a portion of the flashing considering it is metal that is underneath the roofing material. I asked him if there was water penetration at the roof from when they moved in, why was it not addressed in the first email? Please be advised we cannot be held responsible for an issue that occurs 7 months later in a home. In addition, climbing on roofs is not within the standards of practice for a home inspection. We can only comment on what is seen visually at the time of the inspection.
3) He states that there is a mice and ant problem. We are not exterminators. We are there to inspect the components of a home and look for signs of wood destroying insects. Checking for ants and mice is not within the standards of a home inspection.
4) He states there are cracks in the foundation. He does not state there are any issues with the foundation. Often times visual hair line cracks can be observed and this is not indicative of a structural problem. Many homes have small vertical cracks. However, if there were any horizontal cracks, bowing or significant vertical cracks we would have stated it in the report and recommended further evaluation by a structural engineer.
5) Last but not least we are back to the electrical issue. If you turn to the electrical category in the home inspection report we sent him and look at section 9 on page 4, you will see we directly address the electrical issues.
Should there be any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at ###-###-####. Thank you.

Review: We bought a home in June of this year, closing on the [redacted]. House 2 Home was hired to perform the inspection. After the closing, we moved in to discover multiple issues that should have been found during the inspection. There was a leak from the bathroom that had been there for several years according to the plumber we hired to fix it. This leak was so bad the entire bathroom plumbing and fixtures had to be replaced. Then, after the 1st hard rain that fell we discovered several other leaks in the roof. We hired a roofer to reinspect the roof where he discovered that when the new roof was installed 10 years ago the flashing had been installed backwards and was not secured. We also learned that the house was infested with ants and had mice. In addition we found cracks in the foundation. The House 2 Home [redacted] obviously did not perform a thorough inspection. It was also discovered that the electrical amperage was not up to code. This turn-key house has been everything except that.Desired Settlement: A refund of the money paid, plus the money we had to put out to have a proper inspection and extermination done.

Business

Response:

Attention Revdex.com,

Please be advised that a home inspection was performed at [redacted] on April **, 2014 for [redacted]. We encourage our client to accompany us at the inspection. The reason we encourage this is because we want to be sure the client is fully satisfied with our inspection services, is made aware of each issue (visually) not just from a written report but on site at the time of the inspection. In addition, any questions or concerns that they have can be addressed at that time. Please note this client did not come on the inspection and therefore were promptly sent a report of our findings. Please see the following (an email to the agent which was forwarded to us):

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ />
------ Original message------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ />
(Above is the email which he sent his real estate agent)

Please be aware when he speaks about giving a cost estimate to the electrical system repair, he is not referring to us. We do not give cost estimates. he is referring to his real estate agent.

We responded via email directly to the client which is posted below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ />
Hello [redacted],

I received the forwarded email regarding your clients issues with the home inspection at [redacted]. The 1st issue addresses the undersized electrical service available to the house. This was clearly reported on the inspection report as inadequate and a service upgrade is recommended. It is the buyers responsibility to determine costs to correct any issues prior to closing to determine any appropriate credit. The 2nd issue involves the clothes washer. Please be aware that clothes washers and dryers are considered personal property in New York as opposed to real property, and are not operated during an inspection. It is unclear what the 3rd and 4th issues refer to. (Surge protector behind the washer and loose wiring above the furnace or a/c) It is allowable practice to ground the electrical system to the plumbing system, this may not be an issue. We would be happy to reinspect these items and take the appropriate action if warranted. The 5th item, leaky shower controls is noted in the report with a repair recommendation. The 6th and 7th issues refer to lightbulbs. As required by the NYS standards of practice, a representative number of light fixtures were tested and found to be satisfactory. Periodically, the need to replace lightbulbs arises. This is considered to be part of the regular maintenance of a house and cannot be considered a fire hazard. The last issue notes that water pools on the garage floor during rain. Unfortunately, a home inspection is a snapshot in time and only those conditions present at the time of Inspection can be reported on. Therefore, we are not able to foresee the effects of weather events not present at the time of inspection.

Please feel free to forward this email on to your client in the hopes of shedding some light on to there concerns If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime.

Best Regards,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...⇄ />
After these email letters were exchanged. I ([redacted]) ([redacted] of [redacted]) went over to the property to consult with both the home owner and our client ([redacted]). We addressed all issues at hand and he appeared to be satisfied after our meeting. He stated how he felt he did not get a good deal on the home and that the agent listed it as turn key. He told me multiple times he was satisfied with our services and appreciated me taking the time to meet with him. We parted on good terms. I gave him my direct line and informed him that if he had any other problems or concerns to feel free to contact me.

Seven months later we are contacted by the Revdex.com (up to present point in time). [redacted] has now come up with a whole new set of issues as well as the previous complaints.

Please see below his more recent concerns/complaints.

1) He states there is a leak in the bathroom. If you turn to the Inspection report which we sent [redacted] after our inspection (Category "Bathroom" section "9" Page 7). We address a leak in the plumbing system (Faucet/Traps)

2) He states leaks in the roof with improper flashing. He has been living there for seven months and now states in the seventh month that there a leak in the roof. At the time of the inspection we are only able to check a portion of the flashing considering it is metal that is underneath the roofing material. I asked him if there was water penetration at the roof from when they moved in, why was it not addressed in the first email? Please be advised we cannot be held responsible for an issue that occurs 7 months later in a home. In addition, climbing on roofs is not within the standards of practice for a home inspection. We can only comment on what is seen visually at the time of the inspection.

3) He states that there is a mice and ant problem. We are not exterminators. We are there to inspect the components of a home and look for signs of wood destroying insects. Checking for ants and mice is not within the standards of a home inspection.

4) He states there are cracks in the foundation. He does not state there are any issues with the foundation. Often times visual hair line cracks can be observed and this is not indicative of a structural problem. Many homes have small vertical cracks. However, if there were any horizontal cracks, bowing or significant vertical cracks we would have stated it in the report and recommended further evaluation by a structural engineer.

5) Last but not least we are back to the electrical issue. If you turn to the electrical category in the home inspection report we sent him and look at section 9 on page 4, you will see we directly address the electrical issues.

Should there be any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at ###-###-####. Thank you.