A Tale of Two Inspections

I got the call that every inspector dreads: a woman, whose home that I inspected, called to tell me that her chimney sweeper discovered loose tiles while he was cleaning. He told her that the bill would be about 1500.00 dollars and her first thought was to call me.

My heart sank for this woman and I was a little concerned that I hadn’t done my job. When I perform inspections on a home for a buyer, I always make sure to check the chimney for just this sort of issue. It is possible for me to miss something, especially if the chimney is very dirty, but I sure hated to get a call where I could have saved her money if I had caught it.

I started to dig through my paperwork and sure enough, the inspection that I performed was a Time of Sale inspection. These inspections, which are mandated by municipalities or federal agencies, have specific guidelines which must be followed. When I go through one of these inspections, there are forms that I follow as I go through the house, making sure that I do a thorough job in covering the areas that are required in by the government.

The trouble is, "that are required by the government" is a pretty restrictive inspection! Unfortunately, a Time of Sale inspection does not include a tour of the roof. Had I looked at the chimney from the roof down, the loose tiles would not have been silhouetted by the light from the outside. I may have spotted the loose tiles and saved this woman the surprise that she was calling me about.

Even in cities where Time of Sale inspections are mandated, it is extremely important to get your own inspection when buying a home! A buyer inspection is designed to inform you of all of the things you need to know to evaluate the home you are buying. A Time of Sale inspection makes sure your home meets the government’s minimum requirements—not exactly the peace of mind you need when making your most important purchase.