Inspector missed structural problems, attorney is a flake

[Chris H.]

I partnered with my son last January to buy a home for him and his 5 year old. He was just back off military deployment and surprise divorce- so he had no cash and little income.

The local market was hot, we missed a couple homes. Found one in good area, older like 1974, but kept up okay by original owner as far as we could tell. I hired a home inspector and the report showed a lot of minor stuff, and one not so minor electrical issue which we resolved in the contract.

A week after moving in, I saw in the detached garaged the reason the garage door opener was not working. The main span beam it was attached to had a crack in it you could see daylight through. In fact both of the main beams were cracked and deflected over an inch. The garage door header was also cracked.

Hired another inspector who found numerous additional problems. 

Hired local attorney to get repair money back from home inspector. After 10 months of lost paperwork and only bills from the attorney, I am not sure where to go from here.

Any advice appreciated.

[James Wise]

Ive never seen a home inspection contract that didnt have hold harmless clauses in it.