Home Inspector PD

We hold a unique place in the real estate business because we only sell advice, while many other people in the process are working to maximize the monetary benefit to themselves. I love my fellow humans, but I can’t stand unscrupulous acts that present as robbery.

Here are some issues I’ve personally encountered that others may want to watch out for. 

Trees 

I just had some flowering trees planted in my yard, and the tree guy mentioned a firm that would gird the upper trunk of the tree by running a chainsaw blade around it. Then, after a few months, they would return to remove the tree they had purposely killed.  

Chimneys 

Whenever I had a chimney company brush out my flue they would make up things like “third degree rippling” to scare me, I guess, and insist I needed a $5,000 liner. I asked them why the hot, moist air would not easily leave my chimney. Further, they will almost always say you need a new chimney crown, which no one from the ground can see.  For this issue, I recommend a large chimney cap that extends beyond the crown, which is a permanent fix. 

For the latter, I finally got frustrated enough to read an academic paper on chimney fires. Turns out you need 1,000 degrees to set creosote on fire, which would require an impossible amount of kindling. We did have an earthquake in Virginia a few years back, and some chimneys did need the liners for structural strength then. 

Basements 

I’m sure you’ve all gotten the calls after the basement people have recommended new foundations under questionable conditions. One poor lady said she was told that her driveway was pushing against the foundation so a new foundation was needed. How do these people live with themselves? In another case a woman was given a quote for a new foundation when the culprit was clearly the gutter bent into a V above the wet spot. I asked her to please just get a new gutter. 

Actually, most basement wetting can be avoided with surface solutions by simply keeping the gutters clear and extending downspouts 5 feet away from the corners of the house. If the grading is poor, redo it or install a berm to halt the water. Get rid of all buried downspouts.

Windows 

Most of the window folks work on full commission. A real estate agent friend said he paid $3,000 per window. If you’re going with Marvin or Andersen, that may be legit. If that’s not your kind of budget, my recommendation is always Lowe’s or Home Depot for decent Pella windows with fixed installation costs. 

Roofs 

Ah, roofs! One roofing company started out with a quote of $15,000 for a friend of mine, then reduced it to $12,000. The actual cost was probably about $7,000.

Are we automatically deputized to root out all fraud and ruthlessness? Of course not. Is it really part of a home inspection? Not unless we choose to look into the future with new homeowners. I always bring these tips to light during my work with clients. Consider it added value and a heads up from the good guys. 

Ducts 

I also get questions about duct cleaning. The Washington Post did an article some time ago about a study where they found that stuff in ducts is inert and tends to stay there. Some experts say duct cleaning actually adds dust to the living space because they blow the ducts out with compressed air. I don’t recommend it unless you had a mold event, it has been 40 years without cleaning them, or you find a big pile of raccoon excrement, as I had the pleasure of finding one day. If you change filters regularly, you shouldn’t have any accumulation anyhow. 

Paul Cummins is an ASHI Certified Inspector, retired science teacher, and lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. 

Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.