Home inspectors - some reports may be quite misleading!

I know two recent home purchasers,owners, who (according to their home inspector's report) thought that all their new DECORA 3 prong receptacles were all grounded and no knob & tube wiring to such plugs! Actual result, after further testing, was - Not grounded at all and still wired with the old knob & tube = thousands $$$ to be rewired!
Any similar encounters from members here?

Speaking of knobs and tubes....anyone that would pay a "house inspector" hundreds of dollars, at this time in the business, is, imo, a knob.

House inspectors don't guarantee didlysquat.

we bought our house without an inspector...and had nightmares within days...which got worse over months.

after making some repairs, we did have an engineer AND an inspector come around and showed them the problems, to which they replied "these things would not have been detected during an inspection anyway".

There is no such thing as a complete home inspection...especially for a home that has recently been remodeled or refurbished. It is too easy to "cover" problems and signs of defects.

All this is, or sure as hell should be, included in the Offer to Purchase.

The seller should have to put their ass on the line when selling.

If something shows up, the old owner should be paying for the repairs.

We don't need another bureaucracy to do nothing. We still have a court system that can be used....$20.00 is all it takes btw.

Can one ask a homeowner "what are the flaws in this house, what needs fixing?" , and expect their answer to be truthfill, or is it "buyer beware?"
Sam the Mike someone TV show, where they had 4 home inspectors in to check out a house, and 4 of the 4 missed the mould!

Knob-and-tube wiring should be disclosed no? Ditto other safety factors. Asbestos for instance.

We in Manitoba are years behind.

Q: What is Caveat Emptor ("let the buyer beware")?

A seller is not required to disclose all known facts affecting the value of the land which may be material to the buyer, and has no legal obligation to point out any deficiencies unless the defect is hidden, and is so serious that it results in a health or safety hazard, or renders the property unuseable.

However courts have created "exceptions" to the general law of caveat emptor. In general terms, hidden defects do not have to be disclosed by the seller unless:
- the buyer (buyer agent) has asked a question which then requires an honest response;
- the seller has purposely hidden the defect;
- the defect is so significant that it renders the property useless for the purpose for which they are buying (and different judges have interpreted the scope of this on different scales);
- the defect creates a health or safety hazard.

To overgeneralize, the obligation to disclose will relate to whether the listing agent and/or seller were actually aware of the defect and how severe the defect is based on the above tests.

This is where the changes should take place imo. The seller should be on the line with defects in the house.



http://www.realestatemanitoba.com/faq.htm

I don't agree with this at all.....seems like a complete cop-out to me.

Almost all real estate has an existing deficiency of some sort

JTF wrote:All this is, or sure as hell should be, included in the Offer to Purchase.

The seller should have to put their ass on the line when selling.

If something shows up, the old owner should be paying for the repairs.

We don't need another bureaucracy to do nothing. We still have a court system that can be used....$20.00 is all it takes btw.

Since when doe,s it cost only 20 bucks to go to civil court, not sure of the amount but it is more then that is it not

About 4 years ago it was $30.00 to go to the small claims court. Now it may cost even more.

Small claims do not do civil case though

"Can one ask a homeowner "what are the flaws in this house, what needs fixing?" "

And now you know the exact reason that realtors kick the owner out when showing the house.

Deank wrote:"Can one ask a homeowner "what are the flaws in this house, what needs fixing?" "

And now you know the exact reason that realtors kick the owner out when showing the house.

I am glad I bought my house through a private sale.

The owners took us through every nook and cranny in the house going over every repair and upgrade and things that needed repair or could be upgraded.

If a home is for sale and there appears to be recent renovations done, then there should be readily available DOCUMENTS to support that such a renovation(s) was APPROVED. I am talking mainly about a new constructed rec room etc., any work on plumbing or electrical or structure changes.If you don't see supporting documents, ask questions why! Very simple! or don't buy! or offer over 10 to $10,000.00 less - because you will very likely need that amount or much more later on to correct all deficiencies and make the home safer.
I have seen new rec. rooms being torn apart later by the new owner because of the plumbing drains and the electrical wiring were not up to code.That can cost many unexpected thousands of dollars to be corrected. Unapproved renovations, code violations, are usually very well hidden in a home renovated by unscrupulous, unlicensed handy/people contractors.There are a few hundreds in this city!
- And the real state people are likely to be the first to AVOID telling the new buyer that such and most important documents SHOULD BE SITTING RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT TABLE WHERE ONE FINDS DISPLAYING ALL THOSE CARDS, BROCHURES ETC.

gato wrote:About 4 years ago it was $30.00 to go to the small claims court. Now it may cost even more.

Naw...it's only $20 or $30 to file at the law courts.

Since when doe,s it cost only 20 bucks to go to civil court,

I said it only costs about $20.00 to file the suit.

If you know your way around Motions Court, you can defend the defence on your own, while it will take a costly lawyer to defend the claim.

gato wrote:... Very simple! or don't buy! or offer over 10 to $10,000.00 less - because you will very likely need that amount ...

Good luck with that statagy in a sellors' market.

Matter of fact, I doubt that a realtor would bother to write the offer.

Deank you said:

"Can one ask a homeowner "what are the flaws in this house, what needs fixing?"

Deank the answer is yes one can ask but the problem(s) is/are that most homeowners don't even know the answer unless they have opened their walls up etc...and...

And or because the same homeowner are generally not well conversed in the construction industry or construction process or building or electrical codes etc and or on the "general" subject matter of residential building construction...and...

And the fact is that most potential buyers or homeowners always care more about "pretty" then what will ever linger behind their walls when they purchase a home and or there after the purchase of their home...GGF

One could always try to get the seller to sign a statement saying that all repairs and renovations were done to code and with proper permits.

As a seller, I would be happy to sign such a document...providing that I, indeed, did do things properly.

If someone refused to sign...I would walk from the deal.

GGF wrote:

Deank you said:

"Can one ask a homeowner "what are the flaws in this house, what needs fixing?"

Deank the answer is yes one can ask but the problem(s) is/are that most homeowners don't even know the answer unless they have opened their walls up etc...and...

And or because the same homeowner are generally not well conversed in the construction industry or construction process or building or electrical codes etc and or on the "general" subject matter of residential building construction...and...

And the fact is that most potential buyers or homeowners always care more about "pretty" then what will ever linger behind their walls when they purchase a home and or there after the purchase of their home...GGF

If you read what I wrote and what other wrote you will see quite clearly that it is not me asking that question

So, you offer to purchase a property, subject to an inspection, you pay someone xx$$ for the inspection and based on that you proceed with the purchase, but the inspector missed the massive cracks in the slab and you basement floods come spring. Is your issue with the vendor or the inspector that you relied on?

both... but legally neither can be approached for compensation

because....

Freeman you said:

because....

And the word "because" is not a question Freeman...

And or "because Freeman" once again demonstrating his inability to ask a real question...GGF

GGF wrote:

Freeman you said:

because....

And the word "because" is not a question Freeman...

And or "because Freeman" once again demonstrating his inability to ask a real question...GGF

@ggf...have you been told today?

Freeman wrote:because....

because most (if not all) inspectors make you sign an agreement saying you can not sue them AND the law states as JTF pointed out.

Exactly, so paying an inspector xx$ is not a "guarantee, but it does minimize some of your risk when purchasing.

But then again, what it guaranteed?