Old house issues

[animalfarm]

. . . Many of the so called "home inspectors" are clueless morons who get paid too much to spot the obvious but superficial damage. . . .

so true

Also not so true. Must depend on the area you live in. Here, there's quite a bit of training involved, testing, licensing. And if they think you don't know your stuff, you don't get called.

I have friends that are stone masons by trade, they got licensed to do home inspections for early retirement jobs. They have been in the building trade for years, did extensive remodel jobs, building their own home now, etc. I'd feel comfortable recommending them to anyone.

Its got nothing to do with area. I can read the books and take the test and become qualified/licensed quite easily. Takes less then 2 weeks which is why there are so many poor inspectors out there. I don't need to really understand how to do anything but pass the test and I can fill in the dots randomly and score 50%. I wouldn't recommend myself though.

Now, your friends the stone masons had what was needed (real life experience in construction) before they put the paperwork in place including references and they are what most people don't get most of the time. You are lucky; you know who your gonna call.

I have learned the hard way that training and licenses don't mean squat in the real world. Honesty and hands on know how does, and its a crap shoot as to what you get. Newbies to an area also tend to get worked over pretty good in hopes that either they or someone they know will get the business when those hidden boo boos suddenly see the light. Sorry, but I have been burned and I don't trust that particular profession any more and I was shocked at just what passed for training when I finally got around to researching it. So some idiot puts a check mark in a box on a standardized check list; big deal. I want some one who knows the signs of a cover up behind the walls; not if there is a screw loose on the plate cover.

 

[sunsaver]

The lady i have been recently working for, bought a home with a severely cracked slab. The man who sold it to her had a sheet rock guy come in and do some crude repairs of all the cracks in the dry wall, and painted it just before he put it on the market. Her inexperienced home inspector did not notice the drywall repairs, nor the tilted floor in the kitchen. She now lives in Baton Rouge, and has to rent out her old house because it can't be sold, now that all the cracks have returned and the kitchen looks like a Dr. Suess drawing. Anyone can pass a test, or get a bigger check from the seller to tell you the house is okay, even if it's not.
Get an experienced family friend, not a home inspection company.

 

[garden pixy]

Just look at their resumes, my former boss, a retired structural engineer, is a certified home inspector, he definitely knows what he is doing. Certification is easy to acquire so find someone with a background in construction or engineering, someone who did more than take a 6 week course and pass a test.

My in-laws had a home they were looking at inspected by someone the real estate agent recommended and I went in the next day and found water damage behind the kitchen cabinets, termite damage in the crawlspace and the gfi outlets in the kitchen were miswired, things the inspector missed. Hiring the friend of someone who has a lot to gain if the home sells is always a bad idea, always find a independent party or things may get 'missed'.

 

[hoosier]

My SIL and her DH purchased a house that had a wet basement . The home inspector missed the mold on the basement wall right next to the fresh paint. I saw it and wasn't even looking for anything. I just noticed it when they were showing us their new home. I told my husband on the eay home that they were in for trouble.

ETA: When our house was built, I asked for something specific (separate hot and cold taps on the bathtub instead of a single lever). The builder told me wasn't code, but he would do it if I wanted as no one really inspected houses before passing them in our county.

 

[Denim Deb]

The first house my hubby and I lived in had a sump pump. But, what we didn't know was it was tied into the sewer! One day, it backed up into our house. Landlord found out that there was apparently a box on top of it when the house was inspected, so it passed.

 

[Beekissed]

Hah, we aren't buying....unless of course we win the lotto or something. On a family outting a few weeks ago, we did find an old house that was empty and for sale. A 1904 farmhouse on 7.5 acres and if the super cheap asking price is any indication, it probably is a foundation/structural problem and would cost a fortune to fix

Why fix it? It has lasted and stood for this long, so I doubt it will fall in just because your family lives there. Unless the walls, ceilings and floors are falling in, why not just improve plumbing, electrical wiring, any roof leaks, blow in some insulation and slap some paint on the ol' gal? Who cares if the floors are crooked? Adds character to your home and makes for a good conversation piece. Those old homes have sturdy construction that you cannot find in modern homes, evidenced by the fact they are still standing and not condemned for being structurally unsound. Much cheaper to patch than to build or buy new... and it has stood the test of time.

I live in an old farmhouse and it has lovely bones. It is warm in the winter, cool in the summer and doesn't move when the winds blow, doesn't leak when it rains or snows. Can't beat the price of the rent and it smells lovely....that smell you can only find in old farm houses. Some of the floors are weak but I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it were for sale and I had the money.

 

[sunsaver]

I share your sentiments, BK. This old house was built in 1903, and aside from replacing some floor boards and the tin roof, it is just like it was when it was first remodeled in '43. It smells just like grandma's house did back in the '70s. I wish more of these old American farmhouses would get saved instead of bulldozed. We are losing America's architectural heritage.

 

[Marianne]

The lady i have been recently working for, bought a home with a severely cracked slab. The man who sold it to her had a sheet rock guy come in and do some crude repairs of all the cracks in the dry wall, and painted it just before he put it on the market. Her inexperienced home inspector did not notice the drywall repairs, nor the tilted floor in the kitchen. She now lives in Baton Rouge, and has to rent out her old house because it can't be sold, now that all the cracks have returned and the kitchen looks like a Dr. Suess drawing. Anyone can pass a test, or get a bigger check from the seller to tell you the house is okay, even if it's not.
Get an experienced family friend, not a home inspection company.

We did our daughter's home inspection just to save her some money, but we know lotsa stuff about building, termites, etc.

Sunsaver, the gal that you worked for had reason for a lawsuit. All that stuff should have been on the disclosure statement from the original seller. Sigh, sorry she got burned, that tilted floor was a dead giveaway that something was wrong.

If you're really interested in the old house, get an estimate of what it would cost to have a new foundation put under it, or have it repaired. JMO, but really cheap house + foundation repair might = still reasonably cheap house. The repair costs could possibly be included in the financing, too.