“I’ve had a couple of inspections where it felt like they were almost looking for reasons to mark things down, even when the structure was solid and the updates were recent.”
- Seen this with roofs a lot. Brand new shingles, but if the attic isn’t vented just right or there’s a weird patch from years ago, it gets flagged like the whole thing’s suspect.
- Sometimes feels like they’re checking boxes, not actually looking at what’s in front of them. Had an inspector call out “curling” on a 6-month-old roof—turned out to be a shadow from a tree branch.
- Liability’s probably a factor, but I wonder if some just don’t want to risk missing anything. Sometimes I think they’re more worried about their own job than what’s reasonable for the homeowner.
- Curious how folks handle it when you KNOW updates are recent, but the inspector still says “old roof”? I’ve tried showing invoices and warranty docs, but sometimes they just shrug and say “policy.”
- Ever get pushback when you mention local code changes? Around here, codes got updated a few years ago, but I’ve had inspectors use the old standards and mark stuff as non-compliant when it’s actually fine.
- Noticed they rarely go up on steep-pitch roofs anymore—maybe safety rules? But then they’ll make calls from the ground that aren’t always accurate.
- Anyone had luck getting a second opinion or bringing in a specialist? Wondering if that ever helps or just adds more confusion.
Makes me think: is there any way to get inspectors to weigh long-term durability over nitpicking minor cosmetic stuff? At the end of the day, most homeowners care about leaks and lifespan, not tiny dings in flashing.
- I get the frustration, but honestly, I’d rather have a picky inspector than one who misses something structural. Had a guy overlook a flashing issue once—cost me more later. Sometimes that “nitpicking” catches stuff we don’t see right away.
- That said, yeah, the ground-level calls on steep roofs are hit or miss. I’ve had them flag “granule loss” that was just pollen buildup.
- Showing receipts helps, but I’ve noticed some inspectors just stick to visual cues regardless of paperwork. Not sure there’s a perfect fix for that.
- Codes are tricky—some inspectors really do keep up, others seem stuck in the past. I usually print out the new code section if I know it’ll be an issue...sometimes it helps, sometimes not.
Is it really better to have a super picky inspector, though? I get wanting them to catch the big stuff, but sometimes I feel like the nitpicking just slows everything down and adds costs that don’t actually improve safety. Ever had one flag something minor that turned into a whole project for no real reason? I’ve had receipts ignored too—makes me wonder if some folks just want to find problems.
I get what you’re saying, but honestly, I’d rather have someone nitpicky than miss something big. Had an inspector catch a tiny crack in my foundation—turned out to be a drainage issue that could’ve cost me way more down the line. Sometimes the small stuff matters, even if it feels like overkill in the moment.
I get wanting to catch the big stuff, but man, my last inspector flagged every single nail pop and hairline crack like my house was about to collapse. Ended up stressing over a bunch of things that turned out to be just cosmetic. Sometimes I wonder if they’re just trying to justify their fee...
