One time, when he was at home during the inspection, a seller wanted to argue with me about his furnace. I do not argue with people when I am in the field but he had seen that I was taking a number of photos of the furnace, and he wanted to make it clear to me that it did not require service by a professional and I should not call for that in the report. He claimed that it was old but it was just fine. A problem is the guy was obviously a do-it-yourselfer who had many views that were not concurrent with industry standards. The furnace above was in the category of one that the home inspector is not going to happily check off as being just fine. It was 28 years old and well beyond the design life of a gas furnace. The rust was a good visual indicator of age and potential problems. In a case such as this, the inspector should, and any good inspector will, state that the furnace is beyond design life and call for another look by an HVAC professional who will, at the least, service it and at the worst state that a new furnace is required ASAP. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
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Wow shocking that furnace lasted that long
I always advise my Sellers NOT to be home during their inspection. It is a natural tendency for sellers to try and see what the Inspector is saying and add their 2 cents worth. It is too hard on them, especially if they are the original owners and lived in the home a long time.
Have seen many sellers get emotional over any criticism, best to stay away during the buyers due diligence period.
It really is best if the seller is not there during inspections. It's also nice if the seller's agent remains quiet during inspections.
Geat information, Steven. You are absolutely correct that a good inspector will refer issues like this to the advice of a Hvac professional. Have a great week.
Eldon
It is best, in almost all cases, if the seller is away or at least out in the barn doing something else. I love it when the seller expects to go on the final walk and debriefing with the client.
Rust you can see is often an indicator of a crack or problem you cannot see. Who wouldn't suggest further evaluation? And if the unit is "fine," why would a seller object to that? Hmmm...
A sellers' presence at the inspection is rarely a good thing. In most cases it slows the process, and often agitates the buyers..... as well as their inspector. A form 17 disclosure that has everything checked "I don't know", and a seller running interference should raise any inspectors' suspicions.
I agree too that the seller slows down the process for perspective buyer as well as the home inspector. The rust is sure sign of a problem and way to go to refer this out to the HVAC guys!!
Have a great week!!
The seller must be extremely cautious. Home inspections are educated opinions and arguing cannot make opinions more positive!
Homeowners are generally proud of the homes and the homeowner who is handy is usually double so. Once in a while you get the guy who thinks cause he has his hands in something he has magically blessed that item with longer reliability and life. Don't you just hate being the bearer of bad news to MR . Handy Homeowner ;)