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kingintheyunk OP t1_j5vo7xb wrote

Reply to comment by thefrozendivide in For anyone looking to buy a house in West Philly... by kingintheyunk

I'm wondering if an inspector would catch this. They would see the strucutal issues, but would they know it's built on a creek? Maybe not all inspectors. My guys knew because they have been in the west philly real estate game for 40 years.

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ScoffingYayap t1_j5wbd7p wrote

I mean if an inspector missed something this obvious I feel like there are grounds for legal action against them if it went through

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aputhehindu t1_j5wcynl wrote

There’s not. You have to PROVE that they intentionally found and withheld information. Being bad at your job is not illegal.

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subgraphics t1_j5wj3ps wrote

Ugh, thank you. Everybody's first instinct is "sue, sue, sue". I'm not saying there's never a place for lawsuits, but maybe parallel & equally important questions more often should be, "Hello prospective homeowner, how many inspectors did you look at and consider? Did YOU do your due diligence? Ultimately, YOU chose this person to represent you and your interests...why?"

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mikebailey t1_j5wt6qg wrote

Not to roast the specific commenter but usually if people say “I feel like” about laws it’s wrong

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8Draw t1_j5xhqys wrote

This is exactly what regulations and licensing are supposed to be for because the average person isn't an electrician, doctor, lawyer, home inspector and truly has little idea how to vet one beyond the opinions of other people just as unqualified.

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atheken t1_j5y9aeg wrote

The fallacy in your argument is that the average home buyer has the time or expertise to (critically) evaluate different home inspectors.

Do they need to hire an inspector? Yes.

Should the inspector have insurance and a certification? Yes.

Beyond getting recommendations from friends and your real estate agent, the typical home buyer mostly “doesn’t know what they don’t know.” - which is why they’re paying $500 to someone to do a basic walkthrough of a house.

This extends to all sorts of areas of our lives where it’s basically impossible for an individual to be fully informed, at some point we make a judgement call and make a decision.

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jamin_g t1_j5wkoxj wrote

Yeah a property inspection is really worthless unless you know and trust the inspector

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roobinsteen t1_j5xiam8 wrote

As obvious as structural issues, or as obvious as built upon a buried creek? Because if the latter, that is not obvious.

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ArsenicLifeform t1_j5xajpg wrote

Inspector would never catch this unless the structural issues were imminent

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