All Forum Posts by: Josh Goertzen

Thank you for your insight Alecia. I agree substantially that inspectors should be as thorough and noteworthy as possible when it comes to looking for repairs and issues in a home. 

Thank you for sharing Sarita, and yes I agree with what you said about water being a typical deal killer. I carry around a moisture meter and thermal camera for those very reasons because you never know what a couple of stains could mean behind sealed walls. Unfortunately inspectors can’t always catch those unless there are multiple signs pointing to some kind of leak or water intrusion throughout a home. 

Thank you so much for sharing that tough experience, Verna. I think it is important for inspectors to note that they are not the licensed experts on any given system in a home. If a certified electrician told me that a GFCI outlet in the bathroom was installed correctly, and I had initially said it wasn’t, then I would immediately know that I need to update my education on that system and would hope that other inspectors feel the same. Building science is something that changes often and there are always many new things to learn and stay up to date on. 

 As Michael Brattelli stated, inspectors are just inspectors. So we usually stay well away from giving estimates in our report because we are meant be experts at looking through multiple systems in a home and how they all work together, not necessarily experts on the individual systems themselves. That being said, we never put an estimate on cost of a repair and leave that up to you to do your due diligence and connect with contractors. If a client does ask me while present at an inspection however, I would give him a verbal ballpark because I listen to construction podcasts and can point them to where that guess comes from. But that is all estimating is from inspectors, a guess. So I would find an inspector that knows their limits as an inspector and also one that lets you know how they are keeping up with their education so you know if what they share is current. 

What are your biggest issues that seem to keep coming up with inspections? I’m curious to know if it tends to be with the inspector, the report, or something else. Please comment below! 

Hi @Dan Guenther, thank you for that insight! I would greatly welcome grabbing coffee again soon!

Hello all,

I am a real estate inspector who recently started investing in real estate. I work primarily in Northern Colorado and love what I do. I am still exploring ways how my background in inspections could be used toward investing so would appreciate any tips on suggestions of strategies you all think I should use. I’ve started off with buying equity in a new build that cash flows as a mid term rental. Would love everyone else’s thoughts on how you think an inspector can utilize their skills to grow an investment portfolio. Thank you!

Just another opinion from an inspector and investor perspective: it is important to have an electrical shut off switch (at least 6 switches or less) to kill all power to a home in case of an emergency. If I could not find one on a property, I would note that as a safety concern and would highly encourage adding one for the safety of the home owners. However, we inspectors are human, so it’s possible that the electrical shut off is present but simply was not found, as someone earlier mentioned they can be located anywhere on the property from way out at the street to even at the far side of the backyard. Some in a neighborhood I’ve inspected are even located in street lamps in front of the properties. Don’t ask how long it took me to figure that out. The shut off switch/valve is what stands out to me as something that should be either found or consider adding to the home. 

@Anthony Phillips This home is in Shelbyville, Tennessee. It is getting a good amount of attention, according to our realtor, since its a nice home in the countryside and not too far from town.