AboutJohn McKenna, CMI Expertise I can answer your question about home inspections and the hidden aspects of of the industry. I own American Home Inspection for east Texas and am a Certified Master Inspector. Sometimes there are questions about buying and selling a home that a qualified and honest home inspector can answer. Many people are led to believe incomplete information about repair items and make costly mistakes when they respond. If you do not know enough information or know what to ask, you can buy a nightmare instead of a home. Is your home inspector working for you or the Realtor? Is the owner of the home telling the truth? How do you make sure the contractor who makes repairs will do it right? Is the Realtor moving too fast and causing a person to make hasty choices? What are some of the things the Realtor does not want you to know? What you discover after you are the owner of the home and then decide to sell? What type of box can the home inspector put you in when the new buyer is now inspecting your home? What can you do if the home inspector was negligent? How do you prepare for a home inspection? What should you do with the home inspection report at the negotiating table? What are the signs of sheeple being led to the slaughter? Why do some realtors hate the "deal killer" home inspector? What type of action can you take now to protect yourself from law suite after someone buys your home? When is something a minor or major problem? What are the most common problems found in a home inspection? What can you do to prepare for a home inspection? What questions can you ask the home inspector so you choose the right one? The list goes on and on... "The truth will make you free"
Experience Over 25 years experience in construction and board certified as a Certified Master Inspector. Licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission as a Professional Home Inspector (TREC #4565) and Certified by the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI).
Education/Credentials Certified Master Inspector (CMI)
National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI)
Licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC #4565) See more info: http://texas-inspection.com
We just bought our first home 2 weeks ago. We had an inspector (recommended by our agent) come to the house to check everything. While in our garage, he pointed out to us that the drain had to be cleaned up and that once it was cleaned it should be fine and no water would get in. Ok let me try to give u a visual. My driveway points down into my garage therefore when it rains all the water goes into this drain that is right in front of our garage. However this was all blocked up by dirt and leaves. So we moved in all of our stuff on Saturday into our garage because we are getting our first and second floors buffed. On Sunday it rained alot so, we go check out the garage to make sure everything is ok. Well lets just say we got there just in time for us to move our tvs so it wouldn't get messed up. We started cleaning out the drain and found a root from the tree that is front our house lol..We dug out all of the dirts and cleaned it out really good. however that drain goes into another hole which then we noticed that the water was just still! A friend of the family came by with a snake and we came to realize that the place where it was going into didn't have a way out. Now in front of that hole there is another opening which has apparently nothing to do with eachother. That one actually goes i guess into a sewer or street or something. Im assuming that it was basically a dummy. When they built the house they must of just did that so the house can pass. I guess my question is who does this fall on? Us, the inspector, or the previous owner?
Answer It sounds like the inspector pointed out the need to clean out the drain at the time of the inspection. Inspectors are only responsible for what is visible and cannot report on defects underground. I hope he told you very clearly that the garage could flood if the drain system did not work properly.
If the previous owner knew about this flooding problem and did not disclose it, then that is dishonest on their part.
Also... if the inspector tells you something, it is wise to have it done before the purchase of the house. Hind sight is always 20/20.
