MA Home Inspectors for Action

Wrote Governor a letter with no response Back in October 2021

We at Wash Home Inspections back this completely.

Unreal, Why doesn’t the lawmakers pass along demanding inspections along with appraisals you would think the banks really should’ve learned something from the last crash.

"Walk through Consultations" are clearly in violation of the CMR. When doing these, the licensed inspector is not observing and reporting on "readily accessible" components as required in the Standards of Practice. If inspectors stopped doing these "false sense of security" consultations that help validate a sale, they would not exist. Only legitimate inspections would be option. Jay Rizzo

You are there because the house is for sale , that's why you are there, therefore its pursuant to sale...pretty simple...

I like your thinking. BUT, careful with the lenders idea because the lenders will base who they partner with solely on price . Ask the appraisers.... and we don't want to be sent to a queue or a standardized form

It is time for home inspections in pursuant to a sale to become mandatory. The fact that buyers are not being allowed to perform an inspection is wrong for many obvious reasons.

The real solution is for the lenders to require home inspections. I sent a message to NACHI to see if they could lobby the lenders to bring some sanity to this whole trend.

My understanding of 266.cmr is that a "consultation" is not a violation of that law, because no offer has been accepted and the "inspection" (consultation) is not part of a sales transaction. Yes, this is the worst I have seen in my 40 years of inspecting. Inspectors who are trying to make a living cannot be blamed for doing a "quick walk through". What choice does an inspector have when there are 20 people lined up to buy a house and a "potential" buyer wants a rough idea as to how much over listing price he / she might want to offer? The reality is that demand far exceeds supply and until the supply and demand balance out, inspectors have no choice. Home owners are well aware of the marketplace and are taking advantage of it, by telling their agents not to bother with offers that have inspection contingencies. Ray Jackson, you need to cool your jets. There are a lot of inspectors mid way through their careers, who cannot afford to wait around to get a call for a regular type inspection. BTW, those inspectors are not breaking the law.

Its about time

Agree and support. I would add that on a higher level, to protect consumers, Home Inspections should be made mandatory by State.

The situation is out of control. These walkthrough’s have already caused enormous damage. I know with reasonable certainty the Board has already taken action against an inspector over this. However, the evidence seems to suggest they were somehow(?) unaware the penalty they levied against this individual was related to a walkthrough. I’ve spoken to the broker who was present at the walkthrough in question, who provided details. I’m hoping to question the Board on this if they choose not to again ignore my request to address them the next go around. Unfortunately, I’ve also conducted a dreadful post-closing inspection where the young, first time home buyers (infant in hand) we’re delivered the news that the majority of their attic rafters had cracked in half and collapsed, some foot and a half. The entire roof structure was grossly undersized when the home was built. In my nineteen years, it was the most serious roofing issue I could recall. The day I conducted this inspection was the same day they closed on the property. In tears, they’re telling me how pressured they felt to waive the inspection and do a walkthrough. It’s a strange, strange world when I’m feeling both sympathy and anger towards my own clients. This is not sustainable. E & O policies DO NOT cover these walkthroughs. Say it loud!

I'd like to add an additional observation as it pertains to these abbreviated home inspections. Basically, the sellers and the sellers representatives are dictating the terms of what a home inspection is, not the regulators in charge of our regulations. Could anything be more bass ackwards? We're allowing the sellers/sellers reps to dictate how long we inspect and in some cases what we inspect.

It is inevitable that due to these "quickie Inspections", "walk and talk", "1-hour inspections" "run through's" or my favorite "just the important stuff" is going to lead to a serious injury or death or at a minimum a huge repair bill for a first-time home buyer. Real estate agents, some home inspectors and even the banks should be ashamed of themselves for participating in a blatantly illegal act. About 3 months ago I wrote letters to both the AG's office and the Inspection board regarding this practice and it fell on deaf ears. There are inspectors advertising on their web's that they are circumventing the 266.CMR and breaking the laws. This should be fair warning to any Home Inspectors breaking the law that we are coming to get you and the board should be immediately pulling their licenses. We also need to be educating the buyers and the real estate brokers that they are taking on a huge liability. Ray Jackson 34 years as a Home Inspector

I have been in business since 1984. I've seen it all but todays reality is unpresidented. 266.cmr was created to protect home owners health safety and welfare. The buyers have the right to perform due diligence within the scope of the home inspection laws and regulations. This strict guideline has protected well over one million home owners from serious financial and physical injury. The sellers and real estate industry should not be interfering with the sellers due diligence when In pursute of a home for their family. The home inspection law should be the same as the lead paint law and what I mean by that is this. The lead paint law does not allow a seller or real estate agent to interfere with a lead inspection or discriminate against a home buyer who has a lead paint inspection contingency in their purchase contract. What is happening in the past year is reckless and dangerous at so many levels. Any inspection less than a full 266.cmr compliant inspection should be stopped for the sake of the home owner as well as the realestate agent and the home inspector.

I get many calls requesting consult inspections that I revise to take on due to the liability involved.