| A home inspection, because it is a visual | | | | limited in scope. |
| inspection by a trained professional, has a | | | | |
| certain number of built in limitations. An | | | | When the water is off, an inspector cannot |
| inspector cannot see into walls. However, | | | | look for active leaks at sinks, tubs, toilets |
| when the utilities at a home have been | | | | and other fixtures. Furthermore, the |
| shutoff, such as water, gas and electricity, | | | | inspector cannot test the positioning of hot |
| that imposes limitations on the inspection | | | | and cold water taps (hot water to the left), |
| and that severely impedes the overall quality | | | | nor can the water pressure or the temperature |
| of the inspection. | | | | of the hot water tank be evaluated. When |
| | | | electricity is off, outlets, lights and most |
| A home inspection is, generally speaking, a | | | | things electrical (heaters, furnaces, |
| visual inspection of a home. An inspector is | | | | electric water heaters, disposals, ranges, |
| not able to look under or between floors or | | | | refrigerators) cannot be evaluated. The |
| inside walls. While this is a standard | | | | inspector can look in the main electric |
| limitation to an inspection, there are other | | | | panel, but that is about all. It is possible |
| sometimes other limitations that are imposed | | | | that the inspector might be able to determine |
| by circumstances. These circumstances might | | | | if there are any GFCI outlets or see knob and |
| lead to a less than ideal situation. For | | | | tube or old two-prong systems. When gas is |
| example, it is not uncommon to find homes | | | | off furnaces, and often water heaters, go |
| where the utilities are shutoff. This is | | | | without being performance tested, other than |
| frequently the situation at homes that are | | | | a few visual checks. When these elements of |
| vacant. The seller might have had the home on | | | | the inspection are excluded, it decreases the |
| the market for some time and decided to save | | | | quality of the inspection and the value to |
| money by disconnecting the utilities or, in | | | | the client. |
| cold weather, the decision could have been | | | | |
| made to winterize the plumbing and have the | | | | If you work in real estate, and do not know |
| main water turned off. The likely scenario, | | | | this, home inspectors only operate normal |
| and how it impacts the buyer, is that that | | | | controls. The inspector will not come in and |
| person wants to buy the home and the | | | | start turning on the main water valve, the |
| inspection is scheduled to visit prior to the | | | | main breaker, the gas from the propane tank, |
| systems being turned back on. This is | | | | etc. If these systems are inoperable when the |
| problematic and it is best if the realtors | | | | inspector arrives, they will remain that way |
| involved evaluate this situation and try to | | | | and not be evaluated. The reason: The |
| get utilities turned back on prior to the | | | | inspector does not want to be responsible if |
| inspection. Needless to say if, when the | | | | turning on the main water leads to a ruptured |
| inspector arrives, there is no electricity, | | | | pipe in the house, or if flipping the main |
| no fuel (gas, propane, heating oil) and or no | | | | breaker leads to a fire or electrical short. |
| water, the inspection is very limited. | | | | When main controls are turned off, it |
| Sometimes a few utilities are hooked up, but | | | | sometimes means there is a more serious |
| other key utilities are not. Whenever any | | | | problem in the home and an inspector cannot |
| combination of circumstances, such as | | | | take the risk of finding out. |
| described here, exist the inspection is very | | | | |