Originally Posted By: supton
I think I went with an inspector that the realtor recommended, and have always regretted it. Future purchase I'll still use an inspector--but I plan to read up on the subject and hopefully have a better knowledge of problem points. Rather than to wholly depend upon someone else, again.
I'd think in an 70's vintage house there would be lead paint. Older wiring, insulation, stuff that just was done to a different standard back then. Apart from ventilation, insulation, vapor barrier being behind the times I'd think the framing though would be decent though.
The real issue is making sure you vet the inspector not necessarily by recommendation. The ones I recommend have typically been doing it for 10+ years and have a construction supervisor license. The worse inspectors were usually the independent ones. Their report didn't even look professional, like just a few paragraphs written in word. Also like a used car, an inspector can't predict what will break and what won't and can only inspect whatever they can see. I've probably been on a 100+ inspections. The best ones are where the inspector takes their time and explains everything to the buyer. The cheapest ones were the fastest, they either missed things or didn't know that much or had no comment on a particular system.
As for lead paint, that's a different inspector, at least in my state. They use a portable x-ray machine to check, that machine is over 10k. It's federal law so they stopped using lead paint after 1978. I've had a few people test homes built in the 70's and generally it doesn't have lead paint as they knew it was going to be outlawed soon. Homes in the 20's, 30's, 40's and even up to the 60's tended to have it.
I think I went with an inspector that the realtor recommended, and have always regretted it. Future purchase I'll still use an inspector--but I plan to read up on the subject and hopefully have a better knowledge of problem points. Rather than to wholly depend upon someone else, again.
I'd think in an 70's vintage house there would be lead paint. Older wiring, insulation, stuff that just was done to a different standard back then. Apart from ventilation, insulation, vapor barrier being behind the times I'd think the framing though would be decent though.
The real issue is making sure you vet the inspector not necessarily by recommendation. The ones I recommend have typically been doing it for 10+ years and have a construction supervisor license. The worse inspectors were usually the independent ones. Their report didn't even look professional, like just a few paragraphs written in word. Also like a used car, an inspector can't predict what will break and what won't and can only inspect whatever they can see. I've probably been on a 100+ inspections. The best ones are where the inspector takes their time and explains everything to the buyer. The cheapest ones were the fastest, they either missed things or didn't know that much or had no comment on a particular system.
As for lead paint, that's a different inspector, at least in my state. They use a portable x-ray machine to check, that machine is over 10k. It's federal law so they stopped using lead paint after 1978. I've had a few people test homes built in the 70's and generally it doesn't have lead paint as they knew it was going to be outlawed soon. Homes in the 20's, 30's, 40's and even up to the 60's tended to have it.
