Plumbing Home Inspector VS City Inspector and Large Plumbing Company - Who is Right? (for sale, broker) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

cindyV7530 · 07-20-2013, 04:50 PM

We listed our house for sale. We noticed before we put it on the market that there was a pipe in the crawl space that was leaking. We had a large plumbing company come out and fix the problem. They applied for a city permit for the work they were doing which would require a city inspector to check the work once it was complete. The pipe was replaced and The city inspector passed the work and closed the permit. We had an offer made on the house about a week after this and accepted the offer. The buyer had a plumbing inspection done on the home. The plumbing inspector sent a report with vague notes and no pictures and said some pipes were sloped wrong/settled wrong and needed to be replaced. His report referred to an area were work was just completed by the plumber and city inspector signed off on. We contacted the buyers inspector and asked if he could be more specific about what was wrong since no pictures were included and literally the report was so vague no one knew what he was talking about. When we called him he said that he didn't remember what his report was referencing. The report had been done 8 days ago and even though he pulled up the report he could not remember the issue. HE then said that " it may be an optical illusion" and " may be we should take a level down there and put it on all the pipes. We did this and could not find an off level pipe. We then called our agent to have him talk to him to see what the inspector was referring to. Our agent eventually told us he left him a message stating it was " pretty obvious what he was talking about".We then called the large plumbing company that did the work. They came back out and checked the level of the area in question and said it was fine. We contacted the city inspector, he said it was fine. We then waited for a reinspection from the buyers inspector. When he came back out to reinspect the repairs we preformed we went under the house with him to see what he was talking about. He first response was " its too tight of a space, I can't even get back there to see those pipes" ??? We told him he said he looked at it on the report. He then crawled within 8 feet of the pipes in question and shined a flashlight on the area where there were 4 pipes and said " I can look and see its slanted wrong from here" . We told him that we used a level and then the plumber came out and used a level and it registered good on the level. He then said " well your levels must be wrong" . At this point, we crawled out and left him under the house. We spoke to the sellers agent and our agent about the discrepancy in his reports and the fact that he cant even physically crawl over to the area he is referring to let alone check it with a level. When he came out from under the house, the buyers agent took him aside out of ear shot and the next thing we know his big butt is crawling back under the house. We can only assume he was trying to squeeze himself into the too small. He has now changed his tune to " one pipe is sloped wrong". Again, the plumbing company who did the work checked ALL of the pipes in this area. If there was work to be done, I am sure they would be more than happy to take our money, but they said its fine. We are 2 week from closing. What do I fix when the inspector says something needs fixed, I have someone out to fix it and they say nothing is wrong. I've now had 2 people double check from 2 different companies and s city inspector signed off on it. The inspector changes his tune upon reinspection and says something totally different. Not sure how to proceed and not getting much advice. Any advice appreciated!

twingles · 07-20-2013, 05:04 PM

what is the question?

cindyV7530 · 07-20-2013, 05:12 PM

Sorry I was not clear on my question,, little frustrated and caught up explaining the situation in detail. What do I fix when the inspector says something needs fixed, I have someone out to fix it and they say nothing is wrong. I've now had 2 people double check from 2 different companies and s city inspector signed off on it. The inspector changes his tune upon reinspection and says something totally different. Not sure how to proceed and not getting much advice.

mskb · 07-20-2013, 05:24 PM

I would think, in my opinion, that you've done your due diligence. Provide receipts and, if possible, statements from your plumbing company and the city inspector that the work was done, pipes level, and inspected. It's then up to the buyers to decide if they will accept it or not. There were things our inspector pointed out that were permissible but not standard (the faucets on the hot tub were not the way we expected but is allowable) so the owner did not want to change it. We decided to accept it since it didn't affect function. Obviously more minor but you don't have to fix everything if you feel it has been fixed or is not an issue. Maybe your agent can try to get a read on whether it's a deal breaker for your buyers.

CHTransplant · 07-20-2013, 07:35 PM

TL;DR. Try paragraphs next time.

cindyV7530 · 07-20-2013, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHTransplant

TL;DR. Try paragraphs next time.

great! now do you have anything useful to add to this discussion?

MikeJaquish · 07-20-2013, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindyV7530

great! now do you have anything useful to add to this discussion?

He made a helpful suggestion.
Your OP is pretty much unreadable. You may get more input if it is edited for clarity and formatted into something other than a wall of words.

From all appearances:
You have an agent.

To be helpful:
Your agent should be helping you through your transaction, with advice. Agent has more knowledge of the transaction and the house than anyone here.

If your agent is not helping you:
Talk to your agent's Broker In Charge.

twingles · 07-20-2013, 08:16 PM

you have gotten good advice....if you have an agent on your side then what is their advice?

I am still not clear on what you are asking but in your shoes I would tell the buyers accept it or walk.

P.S. a lot of people wont read such a post...the advice to re format is good.

BoBromhal · 07-20-2013, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindyV7530

Sorry I was not clear on my question,, little frustrated and caught up explaining the situation in detail. What do I fix when the inspector says something needs fixed, I have someone out to fix it and they say nothing is wrong. I've now had 2 people double check from 2 different companies and s city inspector signed off on it. The inspector changes his tune upon reinspection and says something totally different. Not sure how to proceed and not getting much advice.

which brokerage does your agent work for? which brokerage does the buyer's agent? if the same, are they operating under designated dual agency?

carcrazy67 · 07-20-2013, 08:55 PM

I sorta think I know what the OP is talking about. Home Inspector says the drain lines are improperly sloped and notes as such on the report (pictures may not be of much help unless there is a good point of reference available). Company that did the repair and City Inspector says they are ok. So who is right? Slope is usually pretty obvious if you have a good point of view and the line is long enough. In essence it takes very little slope for the drains to function properly. From a technical perspective, drain lines require between 1/8" drop/ft. to 1/4"/ft. depending on the size of the line. When it is hard to tell visually, the use of a level is standard procedure. There is even a special level for this purpose. Let me ask you this: Do the lines drain properly with no backup? If so, the slope is probably ok. It would seem to me that if you have a receipt from a qualified plumber and the city has signed off on it you should be good to go! As noted, your agent should be working through this with you!