Excellent video. As a 28 year home inspector (retired now for 5 years) I feel the pain of the homebuyer looking for more than many home inspectors are willing or able to give. It's a balancing act; providing a thorough report while also attempting to prioritize the serious areas of concern over the minor or cosmetic concerns. I always considered it essential to have my home buyer on-site for the inspection, following me around if at all possible. When the client sees how hard you work to do a really good inspection they understand if an issue of little consequence is overlooked. A very rewarding, enjoyable way to make a living.

As a tradesmen I can tell you this is absolutely accurate. I'm asked many times how important these items are from homeowners after an inspection. A quality inspection will save you money. Ask for references that are not Realtors!

The last home I bought was in the mid 90s. The lender didn't require didn't require an inspection but the experience we had in the home before made it tops on our list. Instead of going to an inspection firm we hired individual inspectors like hvac, electrical, structure roofing etc. We melded the various inspections into a single document with pictures and references to the inspector who did the inspection and presented it to the seller. The seller took 12k off the price and the repairs ended up costing about 11k since we did a few ourselves. The way the housing market is today the seller would have just told me to F off and sell it to the next in line and would get his price. The huge increase of corporations and private equity firms sucking up the available homes without regard to price is destroying the American tradition of home ownership. We are being beaten down to a nation of wage slaves and renters.

As a home inspector for the past 35 years and carpenter your assessment was very fair and accurate. We are in a very precarious position. We only have a few hours in the house and sellers do hide and conceal damages. Buyers go in to a purchase with little knowledge and information. In this market 1st time buyers are skipping the inspection. They call us in post inspection and I am finding nightmares. Always get a home inspection! Great, Fair video.

I agree. Most home buyers don't realize the "inspector" may have never had any construction experience. I was looking at a house that hadn't been lived in for a few months. When the water tap was turned, a lot of muddy water came out. After a minute or two the water cleared. The inspector said that was because the house hadn't been lived in, and wrote it off to that. After buying the house I realized that the water bills were higher than expected. I looked at the water meter and the little red arrow was turning. I knew I had a water leak. Turns out I had to replace 1000' of water line. Yeah. I live in the country. Way off the roadway. I think, since I had the "expert" I didn't use my own common sense to look deeper. Live and learn.

The problem I've had with home inspections is the inspectors are more concerned with keeping the realtors happy for the repeat business. They don't want to scare off the homebuyers as most of these inspectors are referred by your realtor.

As a Health Inspector, I get asked all the time to do a home inspection. I always say, "No way, you need a professional inspector. Here's a list of Inspectors in my county." Like you said I don't have any experience when it comes to construction. Now, if you're want to know about a water well or a septic system, I'm your guy. And dear God, please make sure the septic system is still functioning and under permit. Otherwise you might be in for a... crappy surprise.

I was blessed to have a good inspector for my last few homes. He made sure to emphasize the "bad" more than the "not so bad" things. First house he inspected, for me, he pointed out a crack in the slab floor that concerned him, and by the tone of his comment, I instantly pulled out of that purchase. I even paid him to do an inspection on my home, that I was selling, so that I'd have knowledge of any potential major problems before I put it on the market. I felt that it was a good idea for me, others may disagree.

I am just starting to complete the business end of becoming an inspector. Your view on Home Inspectors was valuable to me. A high school friend (realtor) learned of my new adventure and commented to me "Don't be too picky". That's what I was just taught to do!! Safety first, functuallity next, cosmetic last. We won't find everything, but do the best job we can! BE HONEST ! The new buyer should expect the Inspector to be as picky as he can, it's somebody else's family, loved ones, safety and money. They want a thorough job. It's not my job to sell the house, I'm there to INSPECT IT ! I won't lie about it, it is what it is.

My friend, this video should literally be broadcast on every Television! You were unbiased, very accurate, thorough, & provided invaluable info for those needing the service of a home inspector. I am a General Contractor/Carpenter, Real Estate Investor of 20+ years. I also own a Home Inspection Business. I'm revolutionizing the home buying process by reaching out to Home buyers as opposed to Realtors. I would love to share & use this video as part of the education I'm providing Homeowners. I'm working on workshops, training for Home buyers & always can use great info, videos, etc., from tradesmen, to help educate my audience. Thanks for a great video!

I have GC license, 1000's hour of construction experience, and a degree in structural engineering. As a seasoned inspector, Carpenters and house flippers hardly know anything other then masking and painting over problems.

I've been a home inspector for 17 years and this video makes some excellent points. Every industry will have those that are good and some that are not so good at their job. The main compliment I strive for daily is "he's thorough". I love the idea of having sellers move their belongings out of the way but I can tell you that is not reality and I've moved a lot more items than I wish I ever had to, but I won't make it the excuse why I didn't look at something. If I can get my eyes or hands on it, I try my best to do so. Also, I'd be wary of working with any inspector who didn't want the client to accompany them. I welcome them to watch the process if they wish and ask questions along the way.

I once spent 2 hours with the inspector and the final thing we went through was the basement. We were near the end of the inspection when we discovered that one wall had shifted due to a cracked foundation. Best $200 I spent to avoid a $10000 repair if I had gone forward with the purchase of the house.

I enjoyed that our inspector color coded important vs aesthetic issues. Using tools to check for unseen water damage. We also interviewed a few different people and selected a realtor that was low pressure, experienced, and established. She also insisted on a sewer scope and radon inspection.

I was there to tag along with the inspector during inspection on my house 20+ years ago. Even though I wasn’t as knowledgeable then as I am now about such things, I thought at the time, and still do, think he did a pretty good job. He pointed out many things including evidence of past termite damage which he proved to me with evidence had long been eradicated. Past minor fire in the basement the char of which had been painted over…, and many other things. It’s a 100 yo house, so it does have issues. He was very thorough and communicative.

I've spent so much Tim picking my inspector. They were so incredibly thorough and found everything! They also break things down into 3 categories. Fix now, Maintenance, and cosmetic. It was really helpful! Thay also require that after their 4 hour inspection I spent an hour with them reviewing the findings and walking through the house. They were expensive, but worth it!

Perfect! You nailed every point perfectly. I have worked in all the trades over the years, had my own general contracting company, worked around construction sites after that for another 30 years and I am a non-practicing certified Home Inspector. Quite frankly the $300-$500 you earn per home inspection isn't worth the time invested not to mention the liability risk you undertake and the proper equipment an inspector needs to perform the inspection properly. A thorough inspection is worth $1000 and would be worth every penny to a homeowner from a "skilled" home inspector. I performed my own inspection when walking thru the house and waived the inspection normally required by the bank on the last 2 homes I bought for the reasons you mentioned and my personal skillset. So, all of you reading this get educated so you know what you're getting into when buying a house and do exactly what Ethan says. My opinion...Don't ever ask the realtor for a home Inspector as a general rule. Ethan touched on this.

Bought my home over 20 yrs ago. The home inspector was referred by the realtor. I feel like I lucked out, but way back then the HI probably had construction experience and my house was empty. Great video as always.

I own a home inspection company. Our report has a color-coded summary. Green starts your to do list and red are critical issues with cosmetic issues in the body of the report. It's a narrative style report. I love ours. It's very easy to understand. We also put lots of pictures.

I bought my home in '98 and didn't get an inspection. It was built in 1937 so I knew things were old, especially the plumbing which has been getting replaced little by little over the years. I also got new siding to replace the old cedar, windows and a new metal roof. But this house was what I could afford as a factory worker living alone and the mortgage was lower than the rent I was paying even with high interest. I'm 61 now and this house will still be standing long after I'm gone.

Very informative video. I am a Home Inspector in South Alabama. Most inspectors in my area are referred by realtors and unfortunately, many inspectors are afraid to be "Too Thorough" for fear of "killing the deal" and thus never referred again by the realtor. Even inspectors who are picked by the buyer, will sometime not be thorough, for fear that may tarnish their name with local realtors. Its a sad situation and worse of all the buyer is paying them to do this to them. I am known as a "Thorough Inspector". I rarely get referred by realtors, which is evidence to my thoroughness. However, I inspect every house as if I were the one purchasing it. I have a channel too called "Southern Home Talk" . Hopefully I will get as good as you presenting my information. Thanks for creating this video.

As home inspector I have lost so many realtors because I wouldn’t change my verbiage on my reports. So they can close the sale I had one inspection where the stair treads had major cracks that went all the way through bad enough you could see light through it. And the realtor wanted me to change my findings to slight cracks they didn’t even care that the buyer was 4 months pregnant and could get seriously hurt if it gave way. Of course that was the last inspection I did for that realtor. But the buyer was grateful and changed realtors and requested me for her inspections.

It's hard to catch every little thing in one pass too. Living in the house over a period of time things will inevitably be discovered by the home owner. My HI found a floor joist that looked wet, choked it up to an accident in a hall closet that the seller had repaired. But later I discovered by going under the house myself that our bathtub drain gasket was leaking all over the floor joist... I've thought about being an inspector myself, feel like I can catch those kinds of things.

Hi Ethan, just wanted to thank you for your videos. You're very articulate and clear and I enjoy hearing about your experiences to understand how things work. We've moved into our first home and your videos have helped tremendously.

Excellent subject. While I am not an construction expert by any means, I have been around the block when it comes to home repair, carpentry, electrical, and plumbing. Purchased many homes as well. I have seen quite a few home inspection reports that leave out important potential issues that I saw after the fact. So, hats off to you touching on the very important subject. And, keep up the great work.

As a Handyman, I am SO happy that someone finally called out Home inspectors (sheets) on these facts. I have several customers come to me and ask, "Is this a big deal" or, " How expensive is it going to be to fix this?". I wish that their reports would specify Major and Minor as well! Would make things a hell of a lot easier for those of us trying to help the customer!!!

Excellent topic. I shared it with my son who's buying his first home and feel this information is absolutely invaluable. Something I was not smart on when I bought my first home. I just showed up to the site while it was being built and acted like I knew what to look for. 16 years later I've only had minimal repairs needed, even made through a couple news worthy earthquakes unscathed so far. Thanks again for this awesome gift of information.

Awesome video Ethan. I can totally understand some of the deliberate vagueness in the inspection reports especially in the US. But when I moved to Europe, where lawsuit culture is not as prevalent as it is in the US, the inspection reports were just as cautious BUT, there was an interesting thing in the ones I saw, and that was cost-estimate for the repair and even some recommendations on possible fixes. So the cost estimates kind of gave an indication of the importance but the rest of the things you said, like them not trying to reach any hard to access places is true, and with tiny Dutch houses, there are so many of those tiny corners.

As a Home Inspector myself, we DO qualify the level of deficiency in 3 color coded categories so the client can understand the severity of problems.

Have bought and sold a few houses and this is exactly the problem I hae seen. A few inspectors make sure you know about the major problems (termites, leaks, wiring) and are aware of the cosmetic issues. Others place all of these on the same level (caulking around exterior windows inadequate and structural cracks at same bullet point level)

As a 40 year licensed contractor with 50 years in construction, engineering, and maintenance who has also been doing home inspections for 20 years, I have to agree with almost everything you said. If anything, you are being too kind. The decline both in knowledge and professionalism has been precipitous since the market crash of 2008. The industry has become exactly as you described it. It is so bad that I decided a few years ago no longer to call myself a home inspector. I do mainly construction consulting. Much of my work comes to me after a home inspection has been done and the inspector’s report is filled with variations on “Get someone else to do the job you paid me to do”. I’m the someone else. Thanks for the video.

Great video that makes a lot of sense. Experience in a field usually makes a big difference in knowing how serious a flaw or defect is & what to do about it. That tip about checking out their bios is priceless!

Perfect timing for this video. I have a friend who is looking buying a house, this is some great information. I’m going to share this video with her. Wish I had this knowledge about 7 years ago when my wife and I bought our house.

I'm a licensed electrical contractor and roughly 30% of my business is fixing/ repairing home inspection violations. A lot of double tapped circuit breakers, reverse polarity, missing blank plates over junction boxes, or lack of GFCI protection on kitchen countertop receptacles. As a pro, that stuff is pretty important to protect people living in the house. I will however flat out tell a seller that this is not a violation if no violation or fire hazard exists, which happens way too often unfortunately.

I found out years ago that even a real good inspector can’t find ALL the problems due to old rules & regs. from when the home was built. Had a house that used both copper AND aluminum wiring. Apparently that ok when the house was built. Home builder used what he could get away with at the time & sold them for top dollar. Love your channel and appreciate all your insight.

Excellent. Over 35 years as a GC and semi retired working as an inspector. My desire to provide insight is reined in by the state standards of practice and liability concerns.

The company I like my clients to use has a stoplight system of severity, in reference to your third point. Red is critical, yellow is caution, and green is minor but notable. I also tell my clients when we discuss inspections that they are generalists, just like a doctor in the clinic. You will get referrals to whatever building system is "sick." But one is not going to get a stamp of approval for the structural soundness of a 50yo building from the same guy who is doing a thermal cam of the wall insulation and also testing the air conditioning unit. It's pretty rare to be turning on appliances during a home viewing, and there's no way you would know what kind of insulation is behind the wall. It is an option for a client to have foundation experts, plumbing experts, etc., come along for a home inspection - the expenses for that would rival many yellow severity repairs on the home itself. Very few would choose to do that, because they are paying out of pocket ahead of a home closing for these inspection costs.

I think this video is spot on (as a Home Inspector). One thing that many inspectors do is have a summary section that will include big money issues as well as safety issues. Thanks for not trashing the industry! :)

Awesome topic! As a veteran handyman I’ve considered getting the certifications/licenses to be a home inspector. Could you consider a follow up video on ‘how to become a top-notch home inspector’? Love your channel and straightforward honesty.

Great advice! I think your recommendations are spot on. I have a carpenter background and have worked as laborer in every trade in the past 20 years. I am currently a home inspector in Utah and Nevada.

$1600 for an 8 day course and a test. Absolutely no experience needed. No elec license, no plumbing license, no building experience, no roofing or sidewall experience. 100% completely a sham.

With Every home we've purchased, I've accompanied the inspector in the crawl space, attic and roof. Some were supportive, while others were annoyed. One even charged us more! There is value in walking through the inspection report since you can place a report item in context and prioritize the items to address with the seller.

Ethan this video was fantastic! When buying my present home 26 years ago, I was puzzled why my home inspection report identified a sink stopper that didn't close but missed evidence that three sliding doors on the deck were leaking into joists! Major problem requiring installation of gutters and replacement of subfloors! I concluded that home inspections were useless. When I sold a vacation home recently, I offered to have my carpenter who had helped with renovations and knew the place inside and out do a walk through 'home inspection' with the buyer to point out what we knew about structural integrity and what future projects might preserve and protect this old dwelling. It was a win-win for all. This was a cash buyer, no "formal" home inspection was required for the transaction.

This is a really important video for home sellers and home buyers to see! I encourage anyone watching to share this with others.

My wife and I stumbled on your channel a few days ago and we can't top watching. I've become a pretty adept DIYer over the years but still have learned a lot watching your videos. We live in NC, too, Durham, in fact, so it's nice to add an in-stater to the long list of KZfaqrs we watch regularly. Keep up with the fine videos.

Great Video Ethan!... As a fellow carpenter, I have dealt with home inspection reports over much of my career. 100% spot on!

I had an excellent, seasoned Inspector. Then also hired a Septic/Well water analysis. Then a Furnace expert & electrician. All of those experts were helpful & gave me the needed info to move forward.

Thank you for the advice with this video. As a new Home Inspector running my own company these issues that you've covered seems to reign true. During my training and education the "need' for previous experience in the construction industry or various trades was not necessary. However the training I went through did a great job at teaching as much about the building process to allow me to have a better understanding of how all the components are put together. Though I personally do not have a background in the construction trade I want to be the best inspector in my area and am always learning from people within the construction industry or various trades about more insider information.

100% agree! As a longtime custom home builder and senior building code inspector for the past 21 years I figured that it would be the natural progression to go into the home inspection business after retirement. The overwhelming majority of my competitors have little to no REAL construction experience and are saturating my local market. I've seen some of the important items that get overlooked by these companies and it's a shame that home buyers are not being protected the way they should be! Good professional Realtors recognize how much real experience matters and want to protect their clients.

Hello! Very fair video. I live in NJ which has pretty rigorous licensing requirements but I will say all the inspectors I know and work with (home inspector here) have history in some sort of trade. Additionally the way we structure our reports they get two summaries at the end of the report , the first is items that require immediate attention, and major concerns. Think leaks, dangerous electrical, structural issues, asbestos, mold, etc. Second summary is maintenance type items, along the lines of deteriorated caulk, missing insulation, beat up floors or windows, things that are not urgent/dangerous. Purely cosmetic issues almost never get mentioned, they don’t affect the safety or function of the home. Lastly our inspections usually take about 2.5-3.5 hours. We go through every single remotely accessible crevice of the building, and find things missed by other inspectors all the time. Informative, but not unnecessarily alarming is what we aim for. I think you did a good job explaining the general process but one thing I think a lot of people forget is that people PURPOSEFULLY try and hide defects in every house, but usually they leave the supplies in the basement/garage which gives away what we should be keeping an eye out for haha

Great video!! As a future home buyer, this video was very helpful!! Thank you for the help 😊

I fully agree that the home inspection industry has changed over the years. Anyone can become a home inspector just by hanging out their shingle now. When I started inspecting homes 12 years ago 90% of the inspectors were licensed trades people. I came into the industry as a journeyman carpenter and had remodeled 100's of homes. It seems that all you need now is book smarts and and good writing skills. I have seen so many reports that only have small stuff like nail holes and carpet stains. I for one never put that stuff in a report. I like my reports to be clean and precise and pointing out the things that will cost a lot to repair. I will however write a statement in the report saying the overall condition if needed. " Unfortunately we are not allowed to give cost estimates or advice on repairs. I do understand that this can be frustrating but costs can fluctuate and prices are all over the place.

Thank you for this video! I am a Home Inspector. And I also have a remodeling business. That is the reason for me opening an inspection business. I got certified and believe in the hands on knowledge/experience from over 25 years in construction! Thanks again for this video!

Very good report and excellent information to share. I appreciate the hard work that you've done here, and I'm glad its helping pay your bills, so you don't have to do as much carpentry work (and save your knees)

Excellent Video - I'm a "old school" home inspector with construction background and been doing this full time for 30 year - a lot has changed some good some bad.

Your on key with everything! As a licensed general contractor , licensed electrical contractor, licensed HVAC contractor and a licensed home inspector currently performing inspections, I see so many things get over-looked by other inspection firms. It hard to take 30 years of experience and teach other inspectors in 90 hours. Some inspectors will try to prioritize big ticket items. Most Realtors has a preference for inspectors - so the sale of the house can go through. The question to ask a Realtor is this "If you had to choose from all the inspectors, What inspector would you use for your personal house? " than the truth comes out. They will likely wave the normal inspector away and call on the professional with construction experience.

Great video. My experience is inspectors have no real knowledge of building practices. One house I sold, the first problem listed in the report was to install H-Clips on roof sheathing...on a 40 year old house. They also had three "major" problems listed with an electric panel that had just been installed and had a county inspection sticker right on the panel. I had to literally go find quotes in the NEC to show the buyer that the inspection report was wrong.

Here in Toronto, the housing market is so hot that if you make a home offer "pending inspection", it'll usually be rejected. So when we sold our house last year, we did our own pre-inspection, then fix 90% of the items. We thought that would make us more attractive to buyers, that we have a home inspection already done with few remaining issues. We ended up selling more than 25 over asking price, so hopefully it contributed.

Your shop looks so sweet! I love your power tool wall! I can't wait to create my own!

Right on info. The report format creates many of these, as well as lack of construction experience.

As a home inspector with years of experience in remodeling and renovations, you are spot on. Some take a two-week course, have never lifted a hammer or worked on their own home and consider themselves a home inspector.

Good video. My friend is a home inspector in Cincy and goes above and beyond. He actually moves things and does more than most home inspectors. He is known for being one of the best. We need more like him.😘

Thank you 🙏🏽 for sharing this video. So helpful to know for anyone looking to purchase their home. I seriously appreciate your content and insight.

Thanks, Ethan. We've had both good and bad reports, and both were not even close. We recently had two on a home we are selling. The 1st actually told the prospective buyers they needed a new foundation if purchased. We had literally been just put a new foundation under it... While the 2nd used to do foundation work and his came back, it's great and looks good.. soooo it's amazing to me how they can be so different. Blessings

Thanks, Ethan! I'm watching this again because I'm in escrow and will be doing a home inspection soon.

Home inspector here...For the most part what your saying is accurate about the home inspector business as a whole. I find it interesting how you choose to "straddle the fence" on who's side your on or what message your trying to put out there. If the client takes the time to read the Standards of Practice document provided to them, prior to the inspection, It will outline every aspect of the very detailed inspection they are paying for. Home inspectors could not possibly know every trade required for all the different entities that encompass a home as a complete unit. Are you a licensed HVAC tech? How about a licensed electrician? Licensed plumber? See where I'm going with this? Should home inspectors be a master at all these trades and be licensed in them? Look through the home inspection report shown in the video at the different sections and see if you are a master of each of those trades then tell your audience here the cost, materials list and labor charges for each issue of the home inspected. You can't do it. Home inspectors aren't licensed contractors. That is not the purpose of their industry. I am not a licensed plumber, you know what kind of liability I'm putting on myself and my company by giving professional advice to a client who's propane fired hot water heater doesn't have CCST within 18" of the connection for the water lines and I tell them how to fix it themselves. The lets say "accountant" client who doesn't own any tools, goes to his neighbors to borrow the tools I told him he'd need to fix the issue I reported (because he didn't like the price I told him it would cost to fix it) and forgets the step where I tell him to turn off the propane before he loosens the fuel supply and what happens? Make any sense? There are several more items that I can scrutinize in this video but quite frankly, I'm tired of typing!

Thank you for these videos! Is there anyway you can explain about how to differentiate between more major flaws and minor flaws and how to prioritize them as a basic homeowner? Great videos!

In my opinion, this is a very fair and unbiased assessment of home inspections. Great job!

Great vid! Great advice! There are so many hidden potential problems that are dangerous. Soldered and taped wire (Romex) connections (house built in the late 60s), and inspectors would not and cannot look for that, gas lines with wrong pipe types and other crap the previous owner did it themselves. Could not believe what I saw after mom asked me to hang a new ceiling fan. Soldered and taped connections! How many more are there throughout her home? Even some brand new homes have hidden stuff. Caveat Emptor! It also depends on what state the inspector are licensed. It varies wildly from state to state. Either way, thanks for the informative vid! Always a pleasure to learn something from the vids you do.

I followed my home inspector around like a lost puppy. Attic, the crawlspace under the add-on, onto the roof. We spent several hours. I've lived in that house for seven years now and nothing has come up that wasn't noted in the report. The house next door had a broken sewer drain line. When the renters used water in the house, that water (and the things in it...) would seep up through the driveway and trickle down the street into the storm drain. Some house flippers bought the house last fall and did the usual: new flooring, countertops, ceiling fans. They sold the house last month and the lady that bought it, despite hiring an inspector, got the pleasure of having to hire someone to break up the driveway and replace the sewer drain. She told me there was a large auger and several feet of chain in the pipe, so the sellers had attempted to clear it, but gave up.

I am so very glad I came across this video. Thank you. Learned so much.

Nice tool setup my bro! The skull to set that up is a dream

I haven’t hired an inspector for the past 5 houses purchased. I just look them over on my own. But one thing I will have inspected is septic and water testing if it’s on a well/septic.

Thank you!👍, We're going to be first time buyer's, and didn't know this information.

My home's inspector seemed to be insanely thorough. So glad he was, too!

I've been doing heritage grade restoration of Victorian and craftsman era interior woodwork and exterior trim and brickwork for many years as a domestic historian and conservationist. This video hit home with me in a meaningful way, and am about to complete the certification course to become a state certified home inspector because you're absolutely correct on these corners being quite obviously avoided because of course they are. Willfully avoiding the areas of the property where the most important things are generally found hiding is beyond inexcusable. Just because it's not their $175,000+ being sunk into an unknown risk doesn't justify taking their hard earned $300-750 for little more than a cursory glance. I think if I can crawl 3/4 mile through a Somali sewer in August without having a problem with it, a 40 crawlspace with dirt and a few spiders is not even a walk in the park, it's just going out to the mailbox. In older homes in lower income areas, they generally don't even bother checking if the windows have glass panes in them or have been replaced with plexiglass. One home on my street was sold with a massive bedbug infestation with no hint of it anywhere on the report. There's no way that could be missed even under the most disinterested inspectors gaze. It's just shameful. Most around here are ignorant of historical building techniques, and don't even know what a pier and beam foundation is, and will fail a foundation over some spalling on a small section near a bad downspout and fear monger that the foundation is collapsing and the replacement of the bricks would cost more than the house would ever be worth. What in reality was a minor issue with a small section of skirting became an immanent foundation collapse which makes no sense.

This video is an excellent awareness tool for homeowners. I may add it to my website for my potential clients as a learning tool. "Reputation for Thoroughness,” that’s my goal. As a new home inspector in AZ I appreciate this video. I have construction training as well as 10 years in the fire service. As I was doing my mandatory parallel inspection training I noticed inspectors are very lazy, they talk way too much, then rush to get their information put into their software before rushing to be late for the next appointment, or their focus is biased toward the realtor, not the actual client. Liability is the reason behind this lack of actual knowledge and work ethic because Standard Operating Procedures say that only a visual inspection should be provided. This means that any deviation and the inspector can find him / herself in court paying for fixes, appliances, or whatever the other party can get. This is devastating to a small business and so inspectors do the minimum. For example, not many inspectors will actually enter a crawl space or attic if they can’t just walk into it. To me it’s not only fun to crawl around and check stuff out, it’s needed. Another issue I have seen is a major lack of knowledge. Example, while training I have spotted asbestos in a home built in 1944 and was told it’s not. I found a dialectic union at a hidden water heater (behind a wall) and was told it’s not. I also put my hand on a very loose railing and moved it to test the extent of the issue. I was told don’t do that, the inspection is visual only. The list goes on and on, but I purposely shut my mouth, observed, and learned what not to do. My company will not operate that way... ever! As a life long AZ resident my goal is to provide the best information possible to my client, even if I have to risk liability by moving a couch or boxes. I work for my client only and do 1 inspection per day to focus on my client without distraction. Thank you for this video :)

As someone who has been learning about the housing market for the last several years with an eye to buying my own house for the first time, I appreciate this information so much. You said a good deal more than you explicitly said here, and made me think about some things in a new way. It’s overwhelming, trying to prepare myself to go into this purchase with fully open eyes. I’m grateful that some like yourself are willing to offer genuine expertise and objective information on the topic of homebuying. Bless.

what a nice guy this is. Its not his thing to say most home inspectors are fake and pretend they know things they don't; just like realtors.

From an inspectors view, this is absolute truth. I fully agree on being picky on who you choose because it makes a big difference on your understanding of the home at the end of the day. For the Major vs Minor portion, some inspectors have summary pages at the end of the report allowing to breakdown all deficiencies found into categories starting with Major. Great Explanation Video!

Thanks for an important video. I spent all my working life in construction and did home inspections on the side. The best were when the prospective buyers came along for an in depth look at what they were getting into. In my opinion, the corporate agencies have as their first priority protecting themselves from liability, not getting at the truth of the matter.

Guess I have been lucky with my home inspector, he had construction experience and explained what he found along the way and was very thorough. I now know way more about my home and know what needs to be done soon, money well spent.

Honest info as always - living up to your name :)

Thank you for your knowledge. I do appreciate it being transparent on this ..

Thank you for being so clear in this video and providing examples!

As some one who started learning about home repair, I totally agree.

In Southern California , many home buyers DO choose their own Home Inspection Co. Preferred Inspection Svcs does an incredible job. Thorough reports, with nothing missed.

I bought a house in 2020 and had to go through the inspection list and fix everything for the loan to go through and it blew my mind that a screw missing on a kitchen cabinet hinge was listed along with things like checking the roof.

A very well presented overview of what to expect when either buying or selling.

I learned what you say in this video the hard $$ way soon after purchasing my house in 2017. The old guy inspector claimed to have built homes for years. Ok, cool. On the phone, I asked if he would get on the roof to inspect, which he said binoculars can pretty much see the same thing. I was new to this, so I didn't think much of it. Turns out I had to replace the chimney cap that was cracked up and causing a leak in my family room. $2K later, I learned that with my next coming home inspection, I will be inspecting as well because there were other small issues I learned to repair during the time in this house. BTW, Michigan does not have inspector license requirement.

Great video! Keep up the good work.

When I bought my home I paid for a home inspection and tagged along. The one thing that we missed was when we went into the crawlspace under the house. We noted that there must have been a raccoon under there at some point, but were unable to inspect the entire perimeter foundation due to rigid ducting. We checked it from the outside instead and everything seemed fine. Cut to a month ago when I needed to go under the house to run some conduit and forced my way into a corner that we weren't able to go to. I'm going along and suddenly realize that there's a massive opening in my foundation leading to under my deck. Apparently when the previous owner wanted to put a deck in, they ran into some external doors to the crawlspace and just took off the doors. They didn't bother to install anything to stop my house from having a wonderful basement apartment for local wildlife. So, that's my new next project :/

Home inspection for my current house bought 23 years ago was of very little value. The inspection failed to inform me that the soil in the crawl space was too close to the wooden structure in part of the space far from the door. The pillars were spaced too far apart under the main girder. There was a rotted hole in the deck that had been simply roofed over. There were other problems due to low standard in construction. The aluminum frame windows caused some of the frames under them to have black mold due to condensation.

Thank you for this insightful video. I really appreciate the perspective of an experienced tradesperson. I understand your concerns. I am one of those newly licensed inspectors with no professional construction experience that you talked about, and I'd like to offer another perspective. It's very true that I can't tell you how to frame a house or construct a set of stairs. But it's also true that an HVAC contractor or plumber would not be expected to know those things either. And while carpenters could certainly frame a house or construct some stairs, they might not know whether an electric panel is properly wired or determine whether the air conditioner functions properly. It's also true that almost every defect a home inspector documents is followed by a statement saying to have a qualified contractor make the repairs, rather than saying exactly how to make those repairs. It's also true that most home inspectors get their jobs from realtor referrals. But none of these things is necessarily a problem. I see my role not as being a construction expert or an electrical expert but as being a homeowning expert. Most homeowners, especially first time buyers, know next to nothing about homes and their component systems and wouldn't know if something was a problem or not until it became so obvious that it's a catastrophe. My job is to be the person who can look at a house the way a homeowner would look at it if they knew what to look for. In other words, I'm the "experienced homeowner" who knows when something doesn't look right and who knows who to call to make it right. The homeowner doesn't need to know how to fix defects, they just need to know if there is one and who to call to fix it. Most homeowners wouldn't understand the problem if they saw an improperly notched beam or joist, or if the water heater is back-drafting, or if there is inadequate ventilation in the attic. They might not think to run the dishwasher and laundry machines before purchasing the home. And if a homeowner saw cracks in the basement walls, they would probably not be able to tell whether they were just typical seasonal expansion/contraction cracks or if there was a potential structural problem. Our job as inspectors is to be the person who can reliably inform the buyer about the things they should worry about and what is the proper course of action they (the homeowner not a contractor) should take. Another point relates to realtors. Realtors do provide the majority of leads, but a home inspector works for the client; usually the homebuyer, not the realtor. I am accountable to the client, not the realtor. I agree that it is a problem that there is a financial conflict of interest here, but an honest inspector doesn't let that become a problem any more than an honest tradesperson lets the desire to increase profit make them falsely identify things that need fixing. Finally, one thing a good home inspector will do that no tradesperson could do is to provide useful information to a homebuyer about how to care for and maintain all the important systems in their new home. We've lived in our current home for over 20 years, and I just discovered a few weeks ago that my wife didn't know about the air filter in the furnace. She has no clue about what to do with the humidifier every spring and fall. And if she should notice a mysterious dark stain emerging on the ceiling, she would not know whether to call a plumber, a general contractor, or a mold remediation specialist. She didn't know the clothes dryer exhaust needs to be periodically cleaned out, or where the gas shut-off or water shut-off valves are. These are all the sort of things that go into a good home inspection report. As you pointed out, there is a big difference between a good home inspection and a not-so-good inspection, and it's hard to know which one you'll get when you purchase a home inspection. As with many contractors, experience and a good reputation are critically important. I am working as hard as I can to develop as much experience and as good a reputation as I can. One last thing; contrary to what was stated in the video there is no legal prohibition on moving furniture or stored items, at least not in my state of Illinois. Inspectors use their own discretion about how far to go to find hidden problems, but that is based primarily on whether or not moving furniture, or removing a panel, or climbing into an attic, can be done in a way that is both safe for the inspector and, just as importantly, in a way that is not likely to damage anything in the house. Our first principle, as with doctors, is to do no harm. Thanks for letting me share my point of view.

Well that explains a lot. 100 year old house. Ancient plumbing and wiring. Spongy floor under a toilet, etc. Inspector only reports a handful of items. Bank shrugs and sale goes through after a painter touches it up. Always wondered why so few problems were found in such an old house, and now I know. The house, basement, porches, and attic were all very cluttered, and the inspector himself didn't really care to photo all the obvious flaws still quite visible in spite of the clutter. "Back door needs paint" and "window needs caulked" got in the report, but back foundation sinking, dangerously deteriorated concrete steps, rotted bathroom floor, and iron railway post rusted completely through did not. This house is my school of hard knocks. Wish I'd seen this video 5 years ago.

I bought a house a few years ago where the inspection report missed the fact that all the three pronged outlets in the house are ungrounded. He also didn’t go into one attic because “personal belongings were in the way”, and as it turns out the ceiling joists in there were too small for the span.

Excellent info. You nailed it!

You have a talent for clarity.

Pretty good flick. I’m going to repost it in my Social Media collection. As an inspector I cringed a little at a couple of your comments but remembered I’m not “one of those” inspectors. This post fairly represent’s my industry, and I could make a similar post about any profession or trade. I just talked myself into subscribing to your channel.

Good job explaining