Difference Between a Home Inspector and a Code Inspector

I’m often asked to explain or describe the difference between a home inspector and a code inspector.

Builder’s will argue that their structure has “already been inspected” and has been certified to “meet code” by the code inspector, so why would a buyer hire a home inspector?  Likewise, when I am describing a defect to my client his agent (or the seller’s agent) might interrupt and ask “But does it meet code?”

Most industries and professions have minimum basic standards that are recorded in code books.  There are building codes, of course, as well as codes in food processing, food service, medical care provisions, legal ethics, automobile assembly….and the list goes on.

In the case of some codes, like building codes, these minimum basic standards are incorporated into the law by ordinance.  This means that the particular jurisdiction has decided that anything less than the recorded minimum basic standard is “illegal” and can be associated with fines and other sanctions.  Simply “meeting” these basic minimum standards, as you can see, does not necessarily represent quality or value…but merely indicates that it represents that the basic minimum requirements of the law have been met.  Anything less is considered “illegal”.

Using the codes for food processing as an example – while it may have been shocking to learn – most of us have come to accept that the code for food processing does allow the inspector to “pass” products being sold to the public that contain up to a certain amount of rat feces.  As long as the product is at or below the code’s acceptable standard for rat feces the code inspector will “pass” the product and allow it to be sold in your supermarket. Consumers of balogna and cheese are simply to take comfort that their products have “met code”.

A house costs considerably more than a pound of cheese and more and more consumers are seeking the advice of a home inspector to provide them with a complete, accurate and unbiased description of the property that they intend to buy.  While there may be building codes in the area that they intend to buy and the structure has been presumably inspected by code inspectors…they are looking for more than to know that the very minimum basic standards have been applied to something they intend to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to live in…and to raise their families in.  Many of them are also smart enough to know that…when only the minimum basic building standard, or “meeting code” is the builder or contractor’s goal and they are 98.9% successful….the builders and contractors get an “A” but the consumer gets a bad house.

Good home inspectors will be familiar with the codes that are being applied in the areas that they are inspecting, but unlike the code inspector, they are not limited by them.  The good home inspector is the guy who will let his client know when there is “rat poop in their sandwich”.

And there lies the difference.

Cassville and Barry County, Missouri, Need to Manage Flood Risk…Now

Imagine living in a part of the United States of America where people can build, wire and plumb buildings (residential and commercial) any way they wanted to. They can use the cheapest materials, the cheapest and most unskilled labor, never be inspected by any State, City or County official, and sell the building for top dollar.

Now, add to that the fact that there is no floodplain management. Next year’s new construction at the top of the hill will send thousands of gallons of water toward your house in a heavy rain…and there is nothing that you can do about it.

Considering that neither your city or your county participates in the National Flood Insurance Program managed by FEMA, the options of flood insurance are few and the premiums are high…sometimes too high to be affordable.

What must it be like to own a house that was built with no inspections or enforcement of building standards in an area susceptible to flooding and where flood insurance is not readily available?

Welcome to Barry County, Missouri.

The City of Cassville is where the county seat is located and the City has recently spent several tens of thousands of dollars toward developing a plan as to how it will manage growth projected to double its present size of roughly 2,800 people. While rarely, sporadically and ineffectively enforced…the City of Cassville does have building codes on its books which is an important first step. It has a Mayor with vision and a City Council committed to growth and development of their City and it has citizens playing a variety roles in support of these plans.

But for reasons that not too many people want to discuss openly, a majority of the people of Cassville who participated in a vote elected not to have access to affordable flood insurance.

Heavy rains bring the waters of nearby Flat Creek literally to the town square and many citizens (owners and renters) continue to reside in the areas within the flood plain fighting mold and rot. Many of those who own the rental property have moved to higher ground.

A recent grant that the City had counted on for the development of the downtown area was denied. Although the hopes are high for future attempts to obtain this money, how likely will it be that the same government that is denying affordable flood insurance because of the City and County’s refusal to manage its flood plain properly will turn around and hand out lump sums of hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop and renovate structures that lie in the heart of the same flood plain?

Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program is based on an agreement between local communities (like Barry County) and the Federal Government that states if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risks to new construction in special flood hazard areas, the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses.

When this issue comes up on a future ballot, be prepared to vote in favor of it…and be equally prepared to hear the lamentations of those who fear change. The truth…present flooding conditions harm citizens and their property…cannot be changed. Ordiances affecing new construction in special flood hazard areas will protect even more from the harm. In return, the availability of affordable flood insurance so that these properties can be effectively repaired and families losing property can be compensated, fairly.

I hope that the many wise and compassionate people of Barry County will support this measure when they find it on their ballot.

Seven Ways That a Seller Can Prepare for a Home Inspection

The house has been on the market for a year and you finally have a contract. The buyer has wisely exercised his option to have the home inspected and your agent calls and asks you to “get things ready”. What should you do?

1. If you are living in the home, be certain that there is immediate access to the electrical service panel, water heater, furnace/air conditioning unit, crawlspace hatch, and attic hatch.

2. Be sure that all luminary devices are supplied with working bulbs.

3. Be certain that all utilities are on and operating. Inspectors will not open valves or energize electrical systems that have been turned off.

4. Be sure that pets are removed from the inspection areas and cannot escape. Inspectors will be opening all doors, windows and gates to test them.

5. Most real estate agents will ask the seller to be away from the property during the inspection. Plan for the inspection to last two to three hours.

6. Remove decorative items from window sills and from the tops of toilet tanks.

7. Ensure that there are keys available for all locked rooms, spaces, and utility buildings that are a part of the inspection.

Seven Ways to Use a Home Inspection Report

In random order, I present to you seven different ways in which a home inspection report can be used by parties to a real estate transaction for advantage and benefit.

1. Buyers can consider the reported conditions of the home’s systems to determine their ability to afford to maintain the property. A home with a 12 year old water heater, an 18 year old furnace and a 25 year old composite shingled roof is going to need some costly investments in the near future.

2. Buyers can sometimes use information regarding undisclosed defects to negotiate the seller’s action to repair the defect(s) or adjust the asking price for the home.

3. Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to disclose known defects to potential buyers.

4. Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to identify and correct significant defects that could interfere with a buyer’s desire to submit a contract to buy the property.

5. Buyers can use the inspection report as a “punch list” or “to do list” for maintaining the property after purchase.

6. Buyers/Sellers can use the report to communicate to contractors the nature of the defect(s) to obtain estimates for repair or to arrange for repairs or replacements.

7. Buyers can sometimes use the inspection report as a means to withdraw from the contracted agreement to purchase the home when certain types of undisclosed defects are reported.

Buyers and sellers should consider obtaining inspection reports only from professional full-time home inspectors. Inspection reports generated by builders or contractors are often used by them as marketing tools and a means to generate business for maintenance and repairs and do not always represent the actual conditions of the property.

For more information or to sign up for my monthly newsletter go to www.missourihomeinspection.com.

Home Inspections for Missouri Buyers

Everywhere in America real estate contracts are being written with contingencies that allow the buyer to walk away from or renegotiate his contract based upon the findings from a home inspection.   A third option is for the buyer to use the report as a “punch list” for themselves as they tackle the job of turning their new purchase into their new home.

I am a certified home inspector and have acted to help both, buyers and sellers, with descriptive reports concerning the purchases or sale of property.  In this article I will focus on the benefits to the buyer of a home inspection.

First and foremost, buyers of residential or commercial properties in Missouri must know and understand that the State of Missouri does not have any minimum basic standards applied or enforced with builders who construct buildings.  In addition to a lack of building standards, the State has no requirements for electricians, plumbers, heating and air conditioning mechanics, carpenters…or anyone else in the construction field.

Some cities and counties have, over the years, implemented building codes and contractor licensing requirements, but have not enforced them…or have been sporadic in their enforcement of these standards.

Home buyers are left to wonder “Were there building standards in effect at the time the house I want to buy was built?” and “Has anyone other than the contractor ever inspected the quality of the work?”.

In counties where there are no building codes, builders like to “duplicate” the expensive homes from the larger cities with codes and charge the same high prices for them…but not put into the home the same quality of workmanship,  wood, electrical systems, plumbing systems or other items required by building codes.  Thus, the less expense in building them increases their margins for profit.

So, in a climate where “anything goes”, it is up to the buyer to beware.  By carefully selecting a home inspector, a buyer can get a detailed description of the condition of all systems within the building and use that report to make a decision.

In selecting a home inspector, the buyer needs to be careful not to actually be selecting one of these unlicensed contractors who do home inspections on the side in order to generate business for themselves.  Finding only those problems that they can later charge you to fix is not necessarily what you want from an inspection.  Nor would it be wise to hire the same level of expertise who likely created the bad conditions to help you find them.

Professional home inspectors are in the business full time and will belong to state and/or national associations that provide them with a standard of practice and code of ethics.  They will not (even if you ask them to) repair items that they find as defective, but will be able to refer several area contractors for you to choose from if you ask for referrals.

Professional home inspectors have no interest in the outcome of the sale.  If you buy or not is of no concern to them, for they work directly for you for your agreed fee.  They will keep the content of the inspection report confidential and will only share it with people that you permit them to share it with.  Your report is objective, complete and accurately portrays the inspector’s opinions as to the condition of the property.

While professional home inspectors are often referred by reputable real estate agents who actively work in their clients’ best interest, it is usually up to the buyer to seek and find their own home inspector.  While fees will certainly vary, it is not always wisest to select the “cheapest” inspector anymore than it is to put a contract on the “cheapest” house…and for the same reasons.

For more information about me and the services that I provide, you may study me at www.missourihomeinspection.com or you may write to me at jimbushart@hotmail.com .

Help Bring FEMA to Barry County, Missouri

Much of the commercial property in Cassville, Missouri is built within the flood plain along with several residential dwellings, as well. Some of the residential units are literally rotting away and are havens for mold and many of the commercial dwellings are well below standards when it comes to electrical, roofing, and structural issues. The toll taken by the regular seasonal floods has made improvements to these properties appear as wasteful and affordable flood insurance is not available.

A small group of investors who have purchased the undeveloped land within the flood prone areas of Cassville would like to see their land sell for top dollar to future developers. They fear that a relationship with FEMA might interfere with their plans.

Affordable flood insurance would be available to homeowners needing to repair and protect their deteriorating homes in these areas if the City of Cassville or Barry County were to have a relationship containing certain agreements with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but those who might see their flood prone undeveloped land lose value have somehow convinced the rest of the citizens that they should ignore their own needs for affordable flood insurance in favor of those wanting to develop the land.

Interestingly, the new businesses that are coming to Cassville to build are opting for high ground and are not choosing to develop the flood plain, anyway, such as Super 8, Sears, Cox Healthcare Center, Wal-Mart and others. Still, small groups of special interests have convinced the populace that affordable flood insurance is a “bad thing” and a relationship with FEMA (such as what the citizens of Monett, Springfield, and neighboring Lawrence and Stone counties all have) would be a bad thing, as well. This is simply untrue.

Common sense has a way of continuing to visit and remind us of its presence and in April of 2010 the citizens of Barry County will hopefully have another opportunity allow the owners of existing buildings in these flood prone areas to be able to afford insurance to keep them in good condition and to assist the remaining citizens in the county to be able to identify and plan for emergency conditions as do the major cities that surround us.

Participation with FEMA simply makes sense. Let’s help to pull our City and parts of our county to high ground and out of the flood. When the opportunity becomes available, vote in favor of a working relationship between Barry County and FEMA.

How Many More Have to Die?

Would you believe me if I were to tell you that every single child born in the State of Missouri exits the womb with 100% of all of the skill and knowledge required by the state to electrically wire the residential care facility where you have moved your grandmother to live?

No, it is not a mystery contained in the water…the air…or DNA. Instead, it is the fact that the State of Missouri has never established any minimum basic standards for builders and contractors in the state.

While electrical fires are destroying lives, homes and businesses throughout the rural and unregulated areas of the state on a monthly basis, less than one-third of Missouri counties and cities have acted to protect its citizens with minimum basic building standards, otherwise known as “building codes”.

One such area is Anderson, Missouri, where almost three years ago in November of 2006, ten residents sleeping in a State of Missouri registered residential care facility burned to death in their beds in the middle of the night when a fire started in the attic and reduced the entire facility to smoke and rubble. While an “official cause” has never been determined, open and unprotected electrical wire splices were found in what was dry cellulose insulation in the attic where arcing could produce such a fire.

In August of 2009, in another State of Missouri registered residential care facility, I inspected an identically insulated attic that had the identical electrical defects. It was a facility that an inspector from the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s office had approved after applying all of the recommendations from the State designed to preclude a repeat of the Anderson fire.

When I asked the inspector how such conditions could exist in a facility that he had approved, he replied that he was “not an electrician”. He went on to explain that “When there is another ‘Anderson’” and not “if”, the State might get serious enough about fire prevention in all of these facilities to “implement more effective changes”.

Until then, in jurisdictions with no building codes or licensed contractors, the electrical systems that are running through the walls and attics of Missouri residential care centers for elderly and otherwise impaired residents continue to have never been fully inspected for compliance with the minimum basic safety standards by a licensed electrician in spite of the recent tragedy in Anderson, Missouri.

James H. Bushart, CMI, is a board certified inspector with the Master Inspector Certification Board and performs inspections for clients in rural Missouri. Visit his web site at http://www.missourihomeinspection.com and sign up for his monthly newsletter.