Bob's first home was full of code violations, defects, hazards, and things that just plain didn't make sense. He could not see the issues, though, as it was his first home and he thought the home was the greatest. After living there a while, he wished that someone objective, independent and trained could have walked through the home with him during the purchase process and opened his eyes. He would probably still have bought that home, but his expectations would have been a bit lower, and the surprises not quite as deep.

Over the next 20 years Bob has had two more "challenged" homes. He and his family lived through two major renovations that replaced systems, added structural components and dealt with everything from biohazards to historic preservation. He also was involved in the design and beginning construction of a unique custom home that was featured in a well-known architects book.

Living in a "challenged" home teaches you much more than you can imagine, as you need to learn how things work, where they are, and how to keep them working. When something fails on a rainy Friday night and the repair man laughs when you call, you know you are going to have a learning experience during that night. Similarly, some seemingly small jobs are impossible to get people to do, or their prices are equally challenging. Again, you learn, maybe more than you wanted to. Maybe you learn more than once.

Independent Home Inspection

All Maryland Licensed Home Inspectors have bound by an Ethics pledge that they will keep their clients interests first, but this is not always enough.

There are many home inspectors that get most of their clients from only a few sources. "Upsetting" one of these sources with a bad home inspection report could jeopardize future home inspection leads.

Bob gets the majority of his leads from the internet, or from previous client referrals. Some buyer agents and other agents do refer clients to Bob because they know he is thorough, picky and takes the time to explain things, and they are looking out for their clients interests. They will be the first to say that they don't want to see him when they are the seller's agent.