Sextants were essential instruments used by explorers to find their way through unknown territory and have no use during home inspections. A Home Inspector could be viewed as an explorer of unknown territory using a variety of special tools and instruments to discover.......
I HAVE THE ESSENTIAL TOOLS & INSTRUMENTS THAT CAN SAVE YOU $$$$.
About 20% of the properties I have inspected had one or more of the defects I will allude to below. (these are not DIY --- "Do It Yourself" --- repairs)
Defect (A) can cause a fire or kill you and yet it is easy to fix. (less than $200)
Defect (B) is costly to fix. ($800 to $2,000)
Defect (C) can be fixed for less than $200 but can cost you up to $5,000 if discovered too late.
FACTS:
Defects (A) & (B) are found in areas that are often not readily accessible and visible and require one tool that few inspectors own and rarely use.
Defect (C) sometimes presents a clue/sign to indicate its existence but usually requires the use of two special instruments. Few inspectors own one of them and I am the only inspector who owns both of them.
Home inspectors are not required to discover these defects and rarely do, because:
The "standards of practice" exempt and protect an inspector from a claim of negligence (errors and omissions) for not discovering defects in areas that are not readily accessible or visible. (see: 266 CMR)
The "standards of practice" require an inspector to use only 2 tools -- a screwdriver and a one dollar electrical test light. When an inspector states that he adheres to the rules of the "standards of practice" he may be doing just that: using only a screwdriver and a cheap electrical test light and that can cost you dearly.
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