Home Sweet Home: Does this Bug You?

I'll get to the point. I represented a Fremont home buyer, http://www.tricityhome.com opened an escrow then ordered termite inspections. The listing agent already had one-year old termite report. We looked at it.

The year-old report called for the master bathroom floor and shower stall to be replaced, almost $4,000. Not the worst we've seen right? Now, our termite guy goes out today and does not call the bathroom and floor, What?

Turns out that this is how it went, one year ago, the first guy must have crawled under the house and saw a wet piece of floor joist that was cracked and drips hanging down from what appeared to be a damaged floor joist; an ongoing leak under the shower area. It happens.

Today, our inspector was forewarned about the bathroom by me, and I asked him to check it out. So, naturally, he looked at the shower in great length. Here's what followed.

Have you ever seen new lumber in the hardware store that was showing a crack? And, that crack was dripping a bit of sap? Well, that's exactly what this was, sap, not damaged wood and not leaking and not structurally compromised. Our termite guy half joking said, "wow, maybe the earlier inspector has to pay off his new truck." My eyebrow raised up even now. Did yours?

I am not saying all of us are to crawl under the floors with the inspectors, but it does raise a few concerns as to what we may have gone right ahead and approved for in the past with out even knowing it?

Do you have a loyal, ethical inspector? Good. Have them stick next to you in all your inspections, like, well sap.
Did you ever have something like this happen? Please let me know.

by Jeff Pereyda