
August,
2005
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Re-Inspections
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Issue
#40
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This
month I would like to discuss re-inspections, based upon the
question below from an Kaplan instructor.
Michael,
How
about something on how to handle changes to an existing
report? For instance, if during the inspection the water
is off, the roof is old, or you are not allowed into any
area. Two days later the agent calls to say the water is
on, the roof has been replaced and now you can get into
that room. Do you rewrite the report; send a letter, or
an addendum to the report?
It
sounds simple but I have found that there is not always
a clear answer to this. Some agents don't want a change
to an existing report; they want a complete report with
no additional letters. To them it is a flag and they don't
what a buyer to see changes.
Jay
In
my opinion the best plan is to prevent a revisit in the first
place. I always ask the agent or client during the booking
process if the house is vacant. If so, the next question is
"are the utilities all turned on?" Of course there
are conditions that occur occasionally wherein some area is
not accessible; utilities are suddenly turned off, etc.
In
those cases where a revisit is necessary I believe an entirely
new report is unreasonable. I have always written what I call
an addendum to the original report dated____. The first paragraph
is always an explanation as to why the addendum was necessary,
such as due to no utilities at the time of the original inspection,
unavailable areas, etc. I then list the systems or areas now
available for inspection and their condition. I would not
consider an addendum a "change" to the original
report, only a list of systems or areas that were unavailable
during the original inspection. The addendum now "completes"
the original report as there would have been notes in the
original report about the systems or areas that were not inspected
due to whatever reasons.
Now
the new roof is another issue; that is a change from the condition
of the home during the original inspection. I would note it
appears the roof has been replaced and to obtain any warranty
information from the seller. If it had not rained in the two
days you mention I would note that the weather has not yet
tested the water-tightness of the roof.
I
generally don't like performing re-inspections of items noted
in my original report that have been "repaired."
Most of the time they are not corrected or repairs are inferior.
For this reason I charge a high fee for correction re-inspections
and ask that the invoices from licensed repair companies be
there at the site for my review. Re-inspections of condition
corrections open up the workmanship/code compliance/adequacy
arena. In the few instances when I am asked to do a re-inspection
of corrected items I always make it clear in my report I am
only verifying that a correction was made, not its adequacy,
future performance, etc.
We'll
talk next month,
Mike
Casey
Kaplan Professional Schools
Now You're Ready For Business!

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