When we bought our first house last year, we felt pretty confident about it...until the inspection happened. The inspector pointed out some weird stuff like random electrical wiring tucked behind walls and a bathroom vent that didn't actually vent outside (it just went straight into the attic, um, yikes). Made me wonder how common these little surprises are. Did anyone else find unexpected stuff during their inspection?
Honestly, you'd be surprised how common these "little surprises" are. I've seen clients discover everything from hidden mold behind freshly painted walls (ugh) to DIY plumbing that defies logic. One house had a chimney that didn't even connect to the fireplace—like, what was the plan there? Inspectors are worth every penny just for the entertainment value alone...and, you know, saving you thousands in repairs later.
Gotta admit, inspectors can be lifesavers, but sometimes even they miss the weirdest stuff. Had a client once who moved in and discovered the previous owner had literally wallpapered over an entire window. Like, how do you even miss that? Inspector was thorough, but I guess wallpaper camouflage wasn't on his checklist. So yeah, they're great, but don't underestimate the power of your own eyes and a healthy dose of skepticism during walkthroughs...
Had a similar experience when we bought our first home. Inspector was super thorough, caught stuff I never would've noticed, but somehow missed an entire hidden crawlspace under the stairs. We only found it months later when my wife decided she wanted to rip out the old carpet and replace it with hardwood flooring. Pulled up the carpet, and there was this weird trapdoor thing—felt like something straight out of a horror movie.
Turned out it was just an empty storage space, nothing creepy (thankfully), but still... how does something like that slip by? Inspectors are great and usually worth every penny, but they're human too. Always pays to do your own careful walkthrough and not rely entirely on someone else's eyes.
Had a similar experience when we bought our first home. Inspector was super thorough, caught stuff I never would've noticed, but somehow missed an entire hidden crawlspace under the stairs.
When we got our place a couple years ago, the inspector caught most of the big stuff, but I still made sure to double-check everything myself. Glad I did, because behind the fridge there was this sketchy DIY plumbing job—someone had patched a leak with duct tape and plastic wrap. Definitely not something you'd want to trust long-term. Inspectors are great, but always worth doing your own walk-through afterward to catch these little budget-busting surprises before signing anything.
