Know your home real estate inspection rights

Don’t fall victim to surprise defects after move-in

DEAR BARRY: When we purchased our house, the home inspector didn’t want us to attend the inspection. He simply mailed us the report, but we never got to meet him. Since moving in, we’ve found defects that were not reported to us, and now we feel that our presence at the inspection should have been allowed.

Among the undisclosed problems were ungrounded outlets (discovered later by our contractor) and several safety issues with our forced-air furnace (discovered by the man from the gas company). Not being allowed at the inspection should have been a red flag. After all, we paid for the inspection. Why shouldn’t we have been there? –Ben

DEAR BEN: No home inspector with a healthy understanding of the profession would deny homebuyers the right to attend their own inspection. There is simply no excuse for such a ban. You paid the home inspector’s fee, and for this you had every right to be there; to ask him questions; to learn, firsthand, what he observed at the home.

Inspectors who bar their clients from attendance have no concept of the service business they are in and should either re-evaluate their professional function or find another way to make a living. It’s a matter of attitude, of realizing that the purpose of the inspection is to provide buyers with a thorough understanding of the condition of the property they are buying.

The home inspection is the buyer’s private consultant and advocate. That should be the essential approach. Without it, all other aspects of the inspection become suspect, particularly the thoroughness of disclosure.

Qualified home inspectors routinely test accessible wall outlets and report when they are not grounded. Failure to note such an obvious and common defect is a sign of professional negligence. Additionally, various defects involving the safety of a forced-air furnace are commonly reported by qualified home inspectors, as these can significantly affect the safety of occupants.

If you were represented by a Realtor, that agent was equally at fault for not ensuring your attendance at the inspection. Real estate professionals typically arrange for their buyers either to attend the home inspection or at least meet with the inspector at the end of the inspection for a full review of the findings. For this reason, representation by a competent, ethical agent or broker is vitally important.

The unanswered question now is, “How many additional defects remain to be discovered and disclosed?” This uncertainty can be resolved only by hiring another home inspector; someone who is thorough, experienced, and well known for competent professionalism.

DEAR BARRY: Construction is nearly completed on our new home, but we’re concerned about the windows. We ordered low-e glass, the windows that filter out heat rays from the sun. We paid extra for this, but we’re not convinced that’s what we got. The contractor assures us these are the right windows, but we want to be absolutely sure. What should we do? –Cliff

DEAR CLIFF: If you have doubts about the windows, contact the window manufacturer for clarification. Window companies typically have field representatives who investigate possible problems involving the contractors who install their products. Upon request, they should send someone to the site to ensure that all of their products are properly installed and functional.

Updated, 6:30 p.m.

Irvington resident Tony Russo, owner of Aries Wine & Spirits in White Plains, was pleased to see an event where people could find out about volunteer organizations that they may never have knew of otherwise in a pressure-free setting.

“I know some people at the Volunteer Center and there are always new groups that need help,” said Russo.

Updated, 6:13 p.m.

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and his two sons stopped by the Westchester County Center Friday to make cards for active duty soldiers, as well as veterans and those who are sick or injured. 

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Adam Getis, IT manager for Cross Cultural Solutions based out of New Rochelle, said the event brings back that feeling people had right after 9/11 — of working together and having a common purpose to somehow make a difference. 

“It brings back all kinds of memories,” he said of the approaching 9/11 anniversary. “I was working in the city at the time. It was such a big impact that you could see it from everywhere. It’s difficult. It’s hard to imagine it’s been 10 years.”

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Mary Jane Schaumann, a volunteer coordinator for Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester, said she was happy to see the young people who come to the event searching for something to do and give back. 

“That’s honoring 9/11,” she said.

Updated, 6 p.m.

Valhalla residents Jerry and Joan Bucci have been involved in community service and volunteer work over the years, but Jerry had not given back in a while and was “beginning to feel the pull.” Joan has been volunteering at a nursing home and was here to help Jerry find his perfect fit.

A recent retiree and highly qualified volunteer, Jerry came to the fair in search of an opportunity where he could use his doctorate in education or musical skills. Within minutes of arriving at Friday’s “Serve and Learn: Westchester Remembers” volunteerism event he found United Way’s Working with Westchester Library systems to help teach GED classes.

“I think it is a good idea to bring all these organization together,” Jerry said as he went off to peruse more opportunities.

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Renee Anderson, a mental health worker from White Plains, was here looking for a way to spend evenings giving back.

“I do work during the day but I am free at night and that is why I am here,” Anderson said.

“It is wonderful to bring so many (volunteer organizations) together and giving back to those who really need it.”

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Original story, 3:30 p.m.

As a group of officials prepped for a press conference outside the Westchester County Center this afternoon, Tunisha and Tariq Thomas of Peekskill were a hundred feet away doing some checking of their own.

The mother-son pair were helping process a growing stack of non-perishable food for the Montrose VA Food Pantry, checking expiration dates and handing off soup cans to Javier Betances and Ivan Fuentes of Shlepper’s Movers who would drive it all north. 

It was an apt backdrop for why everyone was here — to kick off “Serve and Learn: Westchester Remembers,” a day of service in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Local residents can connect with more than 100 local non-profits in need of volunteers. It runs from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. today with free entrance and parking.

Patch will be bringing the stories of those seeking volunteers and those motivated to turn a time of national mourning and remembrance into something positive for their community.

“It’s about taking something evil and horrible and letting humanity shine through,” said County Executive Rob Astorino. 

Alisa Kesten, the executive director of The Volunteer Center of United Way, whose team organized the event, acknowledged that no single act of volunteerism could ever bring back any of the lives lost that day.

But everyone can answer the call from victims’ families to honor the 9/11 anniversary by filling their community with good deeds — turning an “I will never forget,” Kesten said, into “I will help my neighbor.”

Chairman of the County Legislature, Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, said it was so important to recognize the service each organization gathered at the center today gives to local residents. “They do it at such a cost-effect level and they do it for love.”

Inside the center, Gil Weinstein, who was on the 88th floor of Tower One when the planes hit, came to support his many local volunteer commitments and will give a talk at a Rye synagogue tonight about his experiences on 9/11.

“I survived that day for a very important reason — so I could give my time volunteering,” he said. “It helps justify my survival.”