Those individuals who have worked in home inspection know that it is not just an inspector being cranky when he or she does not want to turn on main water and gas and circuit breakers that are off. On those rare occasions when I have been talked into doing so I, more often than not, wish later that I had not. Invariably there is something awkward that happens that the inspector does not wish to be responsible for. Realizing that, you can imagine how thrilled I was recently when I drove to a house early to meet the utilities firm so they could turn on the water. They had already been there. They had turned on their main but left it up to me to turn on two more water valves that had to be on or there would be no water to the house. In the end, with the realtor inside listening and watching, I did turn on water because, otherwise, I would have had to make a third trip back to the house. Also, I was pretty confident that the house would be okay, but it is a situation that is unappetizing to the inspector. Why? Because everyone will tell the inspector to turn on this, that or the other thing. But, if it ends up that the house floods or something goes kaboom, you can bet that those same people (such as the seller and his agents or a bank) who told the inspector to turn it on will then think the inspector ought to pay for the damage. Dumb inspector! Fact, not fiction. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
Check out "This Day In History" -- music and vintage television from the 1950's through the 1980's. I enjoy writing these articles because they take me back to my days in radio broadcasting. Click on Elvis' gold record, below, to revisit those golden hits of yesteryear.
Sounds like something I wouldn't do. The selling agent should have know and requested that the water and gas be on for the inspection, and then verified.
Glenn,
Good to find an agent who feels that way. Most that I find do not get our reluctance to do that.
Steven, I am with Glenn, it was the sellers responsibility, or, in the case of a foreclosure here, pay whoever the listing agents send out to turn on all that "stuff". You are open to a law suit with that type of stuff.
ugh...Steven, that is not a great time. After bended knee pleading I was conviced to turn on the water last winter. I went through the home and turned all of the fixtures off, went outside and opened the valve. The buyer's agent came running out telling me to turn off the water!
Both of the supply valves to the washing machine were wide open and were shooting streams 6 feet across the and splattering on the opposite wall. Thank goodness I had Sham-Wows.....what a pain.
Jim,
With rare exceptions any time I have been talked into doing that I have later wished that I had not. The state law says we DO NOT HAVE TO DO THAT, but it allows us to turn on mains and breakers if we want. We do not want but even the water associations press for the inspector to do it.
My insurance company says, "No no no no no no no no no no". I think they mean that turning on water valve to a dry house is a no no. Doesn't mean I haven't done it, but you can bet I went to confession shortly thereafter.
I turned on the water in the house recently at a listing. Scary. I had read a bit about turning on the water here on ActiveRain. Which was scary. It is summer. The water had just mysteriously been turned off in a vacant home. I had run down water to flush a toilet... when someone ...well anyway....
Years ago I was not at the house when my buyer and his inspector turned on the water on a Fannie Mae repo. I will never forget my buyers voice on the voice message. Later he tried to tell me his girlfriend was the one who was hysterical...when water started coming out of everywhere but it was his shrill voice on the message. He did not buy that house. He did not buy a repo.
I turned on the water once to a huge problem. Never again.
Once I was at a house when the water company turned on the water. While in the driveway, after they left, and before the realtor opened the door, I could hear what turned out to be a waterfall, which affected all three levels of the house. Final talley - about $20K. I was GLAD it was not me who turned it on!
Jay,
No offense, but Nutsy thinks you need to get some cajones.
Turning on water at REOs is risky but has to be done. They insist on winterizing them and then they have to be dewinterized for inspection. Usually I stand in the door and holler to the water man to turn the water off is things don't go well. If there's a problem he can get it off quickly but I've had to mop up lots of water through the years.
I have said in the past that I would never turn on another main water valve but I let myself get talked into it one last time earlier this year. As usual for a vacant house with the utilities turned off I instructed the buyers to have their agent MAKE SURE ALL UTILITIES were turned on before the inspection. Water. Gas. Electric. Naturally, when I arrived the agent told me the water was on at the street but off at the main water valve in the basement. I told the agent and the buyers that I do not turn on water valves because of prior bad experiences. The buyers sweet talked me into agreeing to turn the water valve on after making sure ALL valves and faucets in and outside the house were turned off. We split up and made our rounds. I told them all that I will assume NO RESPONSIBILITY for any damages caused by turning on the water valve. They agreed.
With great trepidation I turned the valve and we heard water rushing through the pipes. I attributed the flow of water to water filling the empty water heater but I wanted to walk through the house to make sure water was not running anywhere in the house. Someone walked past the laundry room and (like in Jim's experience above) "Both of the supply valves to the washing machine were wide open and were shooting streams 6 feet across the and splattering on the opposite wall." What a mess! (The laundry room was supposedly checked by one of the others.)
Luckily the space below the laundry room was an unfinished basement. We mopped up the mess with towels (that I carry just in case) and no damage was done. But that was absolutely the last time I will turn on a water valve. That is not my job. The house should be ready for me to inspect when I arrive. It is the agent's job to arrange for ALL UTILITIES to be ON. If something is off I will gladly point the agent to the valve (or breaker) and let her turn it on if she wishes. Otherwise I will inspect the house with the utility off.
Steven,
No one wants the responsibility. I had shown a bank owned property that smelled of gas in the basement. I informed the listing agent and didn't do anything. I then called the gas company and they came right away and took care of it. And my client didn't even end up buying the house!
Bruce,
Once the agents were there, buyers and sellers, and I had them turn water on. The refer ice maker had not been capped. Water all over a hardwood floor. I was sure glad I had not done it. I know exactly what you mean.
Michele,
I once bucked and snorted about not wanting to turn water on. The bank implied I was some wimp that all inspectors turn on water. Not true. I said, Okay, if they give me a note saying I am immune from damages. They then told the agent "no way" if I turn on water to a house and there is a leak then it is my responsibility to fix it. I got PO'd and refused since they would not meet me half way. I am like Bruce, if the other parties cannot get the water, power and gas on then the house needs to be inspected without those things on. A good inspector can still tell a person tons about a house even when those items are off. In most cases, certainly enough to know if a foreclosure has expensive problems or not.