The brokers' so-called "Inspector" completely ignored well over a dozen items that were specifically outlined in the "ASHI Standards of Practice" cited in plain view on the front of his report - in addition to the things that I have listed here.
<> Inside the mobile home, the "inspector" noticed new paint thinly covering several water spots on the ceiling tile. There was a very strong smell out there of what I now recognize as paint being devoured by mold. At this point, the real estate agent very suddenly and oddly disappeared without saying good-bye, though per Maine law, the agent must always be inside the domicile with the buyer.
<> The agency's inspector looked into the water heater closet, but did not disclose the long time leaking pipes above the heater, and the 1/4 inch of rust on top of the heater below these pipes. He also ignored the rotted out shelf beneath it. The water temp was so low that I was in danger of contracting Legionnaire's Disease.
<> There was only one working smoke detector on the property. (Code is 2). But he noted more than one on the inspection report.
<> The GFCI by the bathroom sink did not work when I moved in. There are no GFCI's at all beside the kitchen sink, and these outlets are not part of the GFI circuit.
<> There is a overtly visible, yet dangersouly open junction box in a wet spot under the sink.
<> The easily removeable panels in the bathroom walls would have revealed the many leaky pipes which contributed to the lack of water pressure, which he did mention.
<> There was 1/4 " of old black mold under and behind the toilet. (The corresponding field on the report was left blank)
<> He did not disclose the ceiling damage. (Another blank field)
<> He did not inspect, and therefore missed the defective roof vents
<> He did not inspect any roofing or flashing. The first rain storm, I had a bad leak, resulting in more damage.
<> Ditto the windows.
<> There were very visible black mold stains on the siding under the windows and under the front porch roof. (Blank field again) The inspector told me to paint them over. But, as per the EPA, it is illegal to paint over mold.
<> The inspector mentioned the lack of water pressure in the shower, but neglected to remove the easily accessible panels in the bathroom walls to reveal one of the reasons - long time leaking shower pipes, rotten flooring, and more clearly visible mold and water damage.
<> The back porch leaks because of the flat roof, which is illegally shingled.
<> The wall under the kitchen sink is rotted right through to the aluminum siding.
<> The skirting is illegally devoid of ventilation panels, even though there is no vapor barrier.
<> I had to don protective gear and tear out the rotted shelf under the bathroom sink, it was so moldy and punky from more leaky pipes.
<> On the inspection report, the agency's inspector claimed that the watershed is running away from the home, although it is clearly not. And during rain or snowmelt, the crawl space has several inches of water in it.
************************************************** MORE.....
<>In the State of Maine, the seller's agent is legally responsible for doing a cursory inspection including the foundation and crawl spaces. I had researched that the crawl space was very important, so I brought a snow shovel to the "inspection". (even though the crawl space would have been easily accessible without a shovel) I offered to shovel out the easily accessible slide-out crawl space door, (in front of which were only a few inches of snow) but the agency's "inspector" told me that it was not necessary.
<><><>Yet not only was it necessary, it was imperative, since it would have revealed several of the many valid reasons NOT to buy the property:
(Please click these individual photos to enlarge)
<>...The belly board, in which there were huge, gaping holes, was covered with a mold. There were leaky pipes, huge puddles of water, and large, stinking pieces of insulation hanging from the belly board.
<>...And the hose from the warm clothes dryer was illegally vented right into it. Having seen the washer and dryer inside, any honest inspector would have mentioned that there was no dryer vent anywhere outside the home.
<>...There was also a large pile of moldy sandbags in the crawl space, placed in an unsuccessful attempt to cover one of the worst leaks - from an underground conduit. The sandbags were covered with visible mold and saturated with water, since they were made of burlap, which had completely rotted over the years.
These problems are in addition to the dozen others enumerated in the link, and if anyone in the agency had done this mandatory "Cursory Inspection", then they are guilty of serious non-disclosure.
At an "Ethics" hearing, the agent obfuscated and excused himself for this oversight by claiming that they never performed "destructive" inspection. But all of these problems were easily visible from a removable panel in the side skirting, and would have been plainly obvious even without shovelling.
