Standing Out in Ohio Podcast

Handling Home Inspection Drama: Lessons Regarding Furnace Age

Jim Troth

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Ever found yourself caught in the crossfire of a home inspection gone due to seller opinions? Join Laura Troth and me, Jim Troth, as we unravel the tale of a home seller whose explosive reaction over a furnace's manufacture date led to unexpected drama. You’ll learn how something as seemingly trivial as the date on a furnace can ignite tension, and why it's essential to rely on professional inspections for peace of mind. We share our frontline experiences and the lessons learned, offering a glimpse into the unpredictable world of home inspections.

This episode doesn’t just stop at drama; it ventures into the wider landscape of real estate transactions. We explore how trust, communication, and accurate information are pivotal in navigating property sales. Whether you're a seasoned real estate professional, a buyer, or a seller, tune in to uncover insights that could give you an edge in Ohio's competitive market. Get ready for a candid discussion on how to manage misunderstandings and stand out in the bustling world of real estate.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast, where we discuss topics, upcoming events, news and predictions with real estate professionals and entrepreneurs. Listen and learn what makes their companies and themselves stand out and gain advantages over the competition and gain market share. Subscribe for the latest news and discussion on what it takes to stand out from the crowd. Now here's your host, jim.

Speaker 2:

Hey everybody, welcome to the Standing Out and how podcast. This is Jim Troth and of course, with me is the office. Goddess Hello everyone. Laura Troth, I know everybody knows your name, so it's all cool, it's funny Alright. So what we're going to talk about today is there was a situation which we did an inspection and apparently the seller was offended, offended, offended, insulted, crabby because of the date of the furnace issue, or discrepancy or incorrect belief, doesn't matter how you want to phrase it and I don't know.

Speaker 3:

Just assume I'm mad because the home inspector is wrong, which is well, and not only that, but he got the whole freaking inspection report which he shouldn't have gotten. So let's break and come back to that.

Speaker 2:

So we'll talk about that, but first let's listen to this.

Speaker 4:

Habitation investigation is the way to go for a home inspection in Ohio. Trio trusted licensed home inspectors for your needs. From radon to mold to warranties for a great home inspection, you really can't go wrong. Visit home inspections in ohiocom okay.

Speaker 2:

So we did an inspection. I can't remember how old the house was. It really doesn't matter. I'm going to say it's at least 20 years old.

Speaker 3:

At least. At least because they replaced the furnace.

Speaker 2:

Because they got a new furnace.

Speaker 3:

Okay, they got a new furnace this year.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 3:

However, when we did the inspection, we pulled up the model number.

Speaker 2:

What year was it? Well, the serial number it was manufactured in 2020.

Speaker 3:

Right.

Speaker 2:

So the seller automatically assumes that we're wrong. Okay, and he's Ballistic. Yeah, he's not happy. Was there anything else? I think it was really it, no wait. There was something else, is this guy trying to say there's no moisture issue.

Speaker 3:

No, that was another one. We can talk about that one later.

Speaker 2:

I think this guy also tried to say there's no moisture issue.

Speaker 3:

There were a couple of other things, there was something about windows. Maybe Is that this one.

Speaker 2:

I don't remember that I just remember the furnace because that was the the big huge deal about well, yeah, and he stopped talking to his agent, oh he was he stopped talking to everybody for 24 hours at least he's just he's just upset, so upset. So you guys had the first put in, so it's brand new.

Speaker 2:

We're like, wow, here's the model, here's a serial number on it, and we double check, we send everybody nope, this is a 2020 furnace. And the guy did have a receipt showing like, yeah, it was recently installed, within the past year. Okay, easily, within the past year. That does not change the fact that your furnace was manufactured in 2020. It has rust stains inside there showing that, hey, it's been used.

Speaker 2:

That's not our fault, whether it was pulled from somebody's house for a warranty issue or you've had it for a while and it's just now been put in. It's just now put in. I don't know, I don't know, we don't know, but we do know it was manufactured in 2020. 2020. At this point, it's a 40-year-old furnace Right, which is still not bad.

Speaker 3:

No, not at all.

Speaker 2:

But he was just throwing a fit.

Speaker 3:

I believe the term that she used was he was throwing the adult version of a temper tantrum.

Speaker 2:

Some people can do that, yep, so anyway. So the whole thing on that is why are you not going to believe the home inspector, especially on the date of an appliance?

Speaker 3:

Right.

Speaker 2:

When it's so easy to verify what it is and hook it up yourself. Yeah, instead of going. Oh, okay, they did install an older furnace. It's not the first time we've seen this. It won't be the last. We have actually seen where somebody moves in and sometime sometime between the inspection and somebody moving in they replace the water heater with a shitty old water heater and the stove that got swapped out cook stove. Cook stove got swapped out.

Speaker 3:

we've seen thermostats swapped out because we had a guy call us and you asked him to send you a picture of the thermostat so that you could help him and you're like, wait, that's not what was there. It's probably not been set up right, I didn't do that inspection.

Speaker 2:

but he's like complaining that well, this is the same guy who he wanted money back for the sewer scope. Yep, he, this is the same guy who. He wanted money back for the sewer scope. Yep, he wanted money back for sewer scope. He's like yeah, we had some guys come out there and said there's absolutely nothing wrong on it, so I want my money back for that at sewer scope. I'm like what do you mean? He's like oh, he said they already cleaned it out and there was no issue with it. They like let me tell you what. Let me come, I'll be in the area, let me scope it again. No, they never done a darn thing.

Speaker 2:

They didn't even open it, everything was, was still nasty and offset and lots of scale. There's no way they cleaned it. I'm like nope. And then about a week later he's like, hey, my furnace is not running. You guys need to come pay for this thing to get fixed. I was like, well, what's going? He's like, yeah, I turned the thermostat and they're like, well, well, let me see what saving you have on. Luckily it was a picture in the report. I'm like, dude, that's not the same.

Speaker 3:

It's the one when we did the inspection.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's not the same thermostat you had before, and he's like, oh, oh, okay, and then he just went away. But once again went away, once again it wasn't our fault.

Speaker 3:

We didn't make that up.

Speaker 2:

It's sellers being douchebags. That's all I can explain it. I had a seller one time we did a special for it. The previous seller, when he bought the place, took away the kitchen appliances and put in old shit. That is not how you. That is not how the contract works.

Speaker 3:

That's not how you win. That is not how the contract works.

Speaker 2:

That's not how you win friends and influence people. No, if you are a real estate agent, you really need to make certain that you have a home inspection company or you do it yourself. But you take pictures of those appliances and make certain that those same appliances are there. If that's in the contract, I don't know. We don't write contracts. We don't look at your purchase agreements or anything like that. You want to make certain those things are in there or you're going to have unhappy buyers and if they're unhappy, you're part of that transaction.

Speaker 3:

They're going to be mad at you for not protecting them.

Speaker 2:

It will be the thought in their head, and you don't want that.

Speaker 3:

No, but even then, and your seller should never, ever get the report and and I understand like maybe sections for for them needing to to repair things, but it's very emotional, like I.

Speaker 2:

That was another thing for that seller. Regarding the age of the apprentice, he was upset about other things that he said were not true.

Speaker 3:

I think he's talking about the moisture, but it was obviously there there was mold in that house.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there's like well, indicators of mold growth. And he's like no, there's not. And they're like dude, look at the picture. I don't know if the people even requested.

Speaker 3:

I have no idea what they requested, but all all we know at this point is that the seller should not get the whole and complete report. They need just what they need to know to fix stuff. And this guy for for the one that we were talking about, they didn't request anything, like they had no request a remedy. I don't think so the seller was just crabby about it and they hadn't even put in a request to remedy. She's like we didn't need anything.

Speaker 2:

So his throwing a little temper tantrum like he's a child is pointless. Right, because there wasn't even a request, but it's in the first place.

Speaker 3:

Why throw a temper tantrum?

Speaker 2:

She's not requesting anything, so we're fine with it I agree home inspection report should not be given to the seller or to the listing agent just sections just if you're asking a request, remedy just that section. Why would you give them the whole thing?

Speaker 3:

they don't need it. People can't handle it emotionally anymore now.

Speaker 2:

People are getting mentally weak, and that's all it is people get, and they're like why you're.

Speaker 3:

You're in the middle of a real estate transaction. You have somebody buying your house that's not requesting anything and you throw a temper tantrum, stop talking to people for over 24 hours and don't respond to texts, to phone calls, to emails, to nothing.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna take my ball and go home yeah, I mean you're, you're gonna damage.

Speaker 3:

You're gonna damage that contract. Let time lapse. Oh for what? Like it made no sense to me, so just act like a child yeah, just just be careful.

Speaker 2:

If somebody can handle, it fine maybe, but be careful, I would say the contract falls out and you give away the. Yeah, it's not. The whole report goes out of contract. What's going to keep that listing agent or the? Or the seller? Give the report to some new buyer, okay? Who has no contractual protections with the? Whoever did the homeless person?

Speaker 3:

well for the agent. Do that? That's a breach of confidentiality and that goes against their licensure.

Speaker 2:

Yes, because they're not supposed to do that, and ours Yep. And so they got some strange random other third buyer Go. Oh, an agent gave this to me. I guess it's all legit. Okay, things can change. I'll say a month goes down the road, well, something happens, the buyer has an issue, who?

Speaker 3:

are they coming back to?

Speaker 2:

The agent. It's the closest person they would have legal standing for, because with us there's no contractual obligation. No, the agent that gave them that has a tacit statement that the report was accurate.

Speaker 3:

That's what the attorney is told.

Speaker 2:

It's kind of like tacit. Hey, the agent gave this to them. The agent is basically saying this is valid, good Hot. So honestly I don't feel bad for agents that give away an inspection report for some other buyer. They give it away because they think they're going to save their buyers money. You might save them a couple hundred bucks, but you're increasing your liability as an agent.

Speaker 3:

And let's be realistic about this Home inspections are not that expensive In the grand scheme of things. Our $300, $400 for an inspection is not how much your 3% commission check is. But our inspection protects you as the agent, it protects the seller and it protects the buyer, because that buyer walks in knowing what's going on with that house protects the buyer, because that buyer walks in knowing what's going on with that house.

Speaker 2:

So anyway, that's the story we have from a couple weeks ago, where a seller was upset over the age of the furnace. I mean he should go after whatever place it was that installed that installed it. I think I remember I'm not positive, it really doesn't matter. You go, hey, why did you sell me a furnace that was four years old, unless they told him we're going to put an older one If they?

Speaker 3:

did. In which case, then he knew that.

Speaker 2:

And now he's upset that it got caught. So don't know. But things happen, but we do not.

Speaker 3:

Just be careful.

Speaker 2:

We do not recommend giving the report to the seller or to the listing agent. If you send anything for it, you have to send a request to Rem listing agent. If you send anything for it, you have to send a request or remedy, or you want a reason to get out of the contract? Just send them a piece of it.

Speaker 3:

That's all you need to do well, with our report they could do a request to remedy. They could, where they don't have to worry about it. Just click on.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, what we got here on my computer. It was a snipping tool just snip that little picture and send it. That's it.

Speaker 3:

That's all you need.

Speaker 2:

You don't need to give up everything. Nope, I think that's it for that story, and that was. This is the one that they called no, no, no, there's some of this I call every single hour. It felt like complaining about something or wanting to change something. That's a different story.

Speaker 3:

Somebody something or wanted to change something. That's a different story. Somebody wanted to change the WDI, that's a whole different story. Did we ever talk about that one? No, we won't. Yeah, we should if we didn't.

Speaker 2:

Anyway, that's it for this one. Thank you everybody. Have a great day.

Speaker 3:

Bye-bye.

Speaker 1:

You've been listening to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast. Be sure to subscribe on Spotify or Google Podcasts to get new, fresh episodes. For more, please follow us on Instagram, twitter and Facebook, or visit the website of the best Ohio home inspection company at homeinspectionsinohiocom or jimtroffcom. That's J-I-M-T-R-O-T-H and click on podcast. Until next time. Learn and go do stuff.