Crazy Stuff I Have Seen on Home Inspections
By far the funniest or craziest thing I have ever seen on a home inspection was back in 1999 when I was inspecting a house in Charlotte NC near Garinger High School. On this particular inspection everybody was there including the buyer, seller, buyer’ agent, seller’s agent, an uncle, an aunt, some kids, and a dog whose ownership I was not sure of. Anyway I am inspecting the crawl space of this house doing my usual circular crawl when coming back down the back stretch my flashlight beam caught something odd. It was hair and some dingy looking fleshy colored skin maybe. I thought Oh my God! It’s a body. As I got closer, I noticed it was a body alright but not won that was ever alive. It was a deflated inflate-a-mate doll! I pulled that doll out of the crawlspace and with everyone looking announced that someone’s missing her. Everybody laughed except the seller. I ask him if he had anything he would like to share but thought better of it.
Once I was inspecting an old Queen Anne House built in Dilworth around 1902. One thing for sure when inspecting a house this old, you can’t go back on the builder. Anyway while inspecting this beautiful old house the seller was following me around everywhere. Home Inspectors hate this because it’s hard to focus. I mean I actually ask him to leave the bathroom once as I really had to use it and I really didn’t know him all that well. Well anyway since I couldn’t shake I thought I might as well talk to him. Since this was a really old house and every other one I had inspected had rumors of the supernatural I thought of something to talk to him about. I asked him if they had any ghosts. He didn’t say anything. I reassured him that we don’t put anything like that on our report. He still didn’t say anything. Finally I said “You know in most cases they say that ghosts make the house more valuable.” He said “Well in that case we have five”
I have also seen many crazy repairs and improvisations including automotive hoses used for plumbing lines. I have seen duct tape used for just about everything including patching holes and cracks in the tub. One seller in Huntersville used pantyhose for supports for all the ductwork under the house. That was very creative but not very durable. They all had runs in them. I have seen a garbage can used for a rain cap on a chimney. Now that is creative. I’ll bet his neighbor has been wondering where his garbage can got too. Basically I want to say that in a lot of places creativity is good thing, unfortunately home repair isn’t one of them.
No collection of home inspection stories would be complete without the snake sightings. I have seen many. There is one house I have to inspect yearly that has so many snake skins under it that I take my dog with me. I hate going under that house. I will only go after I have had a strong drink and I can take my dog. I have seen many snakes including one hit with my flash light and then he proceeded to come after me. I have seen them in all different parts of the crawl, attic and around the house. Once on a million dollar house in Piper Glenn I moved some firewood to get to an outlet. I went to get another log and almost grabbed the fattest copperhead I have ever seen. I screamed like a little girl. The scariest snake experience came from a house I was inspecting once near Carowinds. We home inspectors always pull the insulation back at front dirt filled porches because this is a hotspot for damage. At this house I pulled the insulation back and a snake feel on my arms. I freaked out. I liked like Scooby Doo and Shaggy with all four limbs circling like wheels to get out of there. Once out the real estate agent asked me about the snake and I told them “You know that saying that they are more afraid of you than you are of them, well that is a lie!”
This is only the tip of the iceberg of stuff I have seen during inspections. I have said Jeff Foxworthy should ride around with me for awhile and he would have plenty of material. For more information about home inspections please go to http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com or visit my blog at http://www.askthecharlotteinspector.com
About the Author
Preston Sandlin is a home inspector and real estate investor in Charlotte NC. He has been performing home inspections and buying real estate in Charlotte NC for over 12 years. He is a member of the North Carolina Home Inspector’s Association, the Charlotte Regional Realtors Association, and the BBB.
Mirei Kurosaw in Pink
