It’s Hard to Surprise a Home Inspector, But Not Impossible

Every week, the detail-oriented folks at Green Scene Home Inspections will give CandysDirt.com readers an education in inspection. Want to see what they see? Tune in for “Upon Closer Inspection.”

As a home inspector, you learn to expect the unexpected, but sometimes, we’re legitimately surprised.

Here are a few examples of times home inspectors encountered something unexpected, or “Things That Make You Go OMG.”

An unfortunate surprise, in this case, is a growing wave of burglars stealing appliances from vacant homes. The inspector saw this dishwasher-shaped hole in the fence and confirmed that the unit had been removed from inside. We don’t often have to do a police report in addition to a home inspection report.

WARNING: The picture at right is really, really gross, and you might want to skip it. If you do, you’re luckier than our inspector who said, “You might want to check your rat traps BEFORE you list your house.” 

So… the inspector might want to check for signs flooding or water damage? Or maybe it’s laundry day.

When you open up the panel and find a nest of angry yellow jackets. Surprise!

OMG moments aren’t really what you’re looking for in a home inspection, but they do keep things … interesting!