31 May Trust Is Gold

Trust Is Gold

Whenever I find myself in doubt, I hear my father’s booming voice, “Honesty is the best policy”.     

Like in most fields and or specialties, what we knew when we started and what we know now is a reflection on the things we learn along the way.  

We learn from the continuing education in our related fields of expertise and we also learn from the ongoing hands on work experience.  This invaluable combination hones our skills enabling us to provide a valuable service to our clients.

As an inspector, we are trained to detect things that are not right and or require further evaluation by a specialist in said field.  I guess that metaphorically speaking we can think of an inspector to be like your family doctor.  Your doctor checks your physical condition and identifies irregularities with you, if any, and recommends a specialist such as a nose ear and throat specialist or provides advice on other issues that can easily be handled by the client and or negotiated with the seller.

You want to believe that you can trust your family doctor and the recommendations based on the findings he or she provides to you.  Honesty, in this case, is the best policy and it is the way to go when inspecting and providing the report to the client. 

This, in my view is powerful because it does two things.  First, the client will no doubt appreciate the inspectors transparency.  Second, the client will value the agent who brought said inspector to inspect their potential purchase.  Regardless of the clients’ final decision on wether they buy the house or not, their decision is based on a report by the inspector that provides information with the clients’ best interest in mind and an agent who wants the very best for their client.  Purchasing a new home can be trying at the best of times and that is why trust between all concerned is gold and the long term benefit for the client, agent and inspector, is a positive experience.

Speaking of positive, there are homes that show wall receptacle covers showing a grounded outlet which in fact are not grounded at all.  There was a time when homes were built without grounds and at the time it was acceptable. That is, these were two pronged receptacles.  These are still found in many homes today.  It was a matter of time that the Building Code required that the wiring include a ground.  That meant that this was required with all new construction and, if you were going to upgrade your electrical system it would also have to include proper grounding.  During the inspection, testing the receptacle will confirm whether the electrical configuration is in order or not or at the very least reveal an irregularity such as a false positive.  As long as no upgrade and or renovation is done to the system in the older home, it is not required to bring it up to present code.  However, if it is decided to renovate the system, then it is.  Consulting with a licensed electrician to understand what is involved, including cost, would be the next step.

When an inspector recommends further evaluation by a licensed electrician, it is with the client’s best interest in mind. 

Geoffrey Darwent CPI

Condominium Management & Residential Home Inspector, CPI

Gestion de condominium & Inspecteur des immeubles résidentiels, IPC

Assuré / Insured

Member InterNACHI

Membre InterNACHI-Québec                                                                                                                                             gd.darwent@gmail.com