Thermal Imaging Inspection
Sorry to be such a board hog this week. We had our offer accepted and now of course, I have a million more questions. I have been reading all the recommendations for an inspector on the forum. I have called Joe Pasaturo of AVT and Richard Perri. Someone suggested that we get a “thermal imaging”…
Sorry to be such a board hog this week. We had our offer accepted and now of course, I have a million more questions.
I have been reading all the recommendations for an inspector on the forum.
I have called Joe Pasaturo of AVT and Richard Perri.
Someone suggested that we get a “thermal imaging” inspection of the property. Neither of these inspectors offer this.
We like the idea of this service because there are huge windows and we’d like to identify any leaks early on so that the developer will fix them before closing.
Does anyone have any input as to:
*Is thermal imaging necessary?
*If so, does anyone know someone who offers this?
Thank you!
I think an inspection is mandatory. But I would be more inclined to walk away if it revealed shoddy construction than to try to get the developer to fix shoddy work on his own dime.
My question on your thinking behind the thermal inspection was not rhetorical. I was really asking since I’m not sure what they are used to uncover and what you think might be hiding.
There are four possible outcomes of any inspection 1. everything looks great, proceed with purchase 2. there are really big issues and you should walk away because they can’t or won’t be fixed and/or you can’t trust the seller to fix them and/or they call into question the quality of the building overall 3. there are meaningful issues but they are discrete and can be fixed though better by you than the seller and you should get money put in escrow or walk if the purchase price doesn’t account for this defect and the seller won’t escrow money (e.g. new boiler needed) 4. there’s something that might be an issue but you need more info, so you bring in specific trades or engineers or architects to assess
Anything under $1000 to fix I would not bother with because it will not be worth your time to have the lawyers hash it out. Caulking windows would fall into that category. Also, an accepted offer is not the same as a signed contract so pick your battles (=>$1000).
Heimer are licensed inspectors and engineers. If you are buying a house, you need someone who is both. I once used someone who was only an inspector. He did a great job bit in the end I had to hire an engineer to check out a foundation issue he wasn’t sure of. If you are buying an apt, I am not sure you need any of this. When I bought a coop, the lawyer and the bank inspector took care of everything. It was not new construction, however.
No john is not an engineer. John looks at what is in your 4 walls. You should use an engineer to look at the bones of the builder. roof , boilers , structure etc all parts of the building that you can get access to . But , make sure that whom ever you go with make sure that they don’t do a cursurey job for you . Ask questions up the whazoo. They do hav firms that have people who are both engineers and inspectors. Some Folks on BB like Himer , I however, do not. I think your exprience is based on who they send out to work with you . Some of them just go through the motions , which does not help you in the least. i like using two diffrent people checking out things , you have to asume that someone will miss something important. i rather have 2 heads than one working for me. It’s a small investment that is worth it when you look at the big picture .
I do lots of thermal imaging.
See here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gatewayplumbing
But you need an engineer.
Interpreting the images is key.
Hey newdad,
I called him, and he’s not a licensed engineer. Should this be of concern? I think in a perfect world I’d love to work with an engineer.
He also mentioned that he would not inspect the common areas of the building, including the roof and main plumbing for the building) including the plumbing that would be running into my unit.
When I asked about thermal imaging, he said “yeah, sure – I can do that.. ” but didn’t really sell me on why it was important and what he thinks he’d find. He said it would mostly show any areas outside the building where water could leak in.
Do you still think I should go with him above an engineer?
Thanks again!
Forgot to say John does thermal imaging.
I disagree. You should know exactly what your buyin. The sponser is not doing you a favor buy selling you subpar coonstruction. Not to say that it is , but you just don’t know . Once you close that is all she wrote.I would much rather be informed , protected and aware. I could care less how complecated i make this for the seller .You as a New con buyer should know as much as posisble as soon as you can. Now to answer your other question. I can not recommend this guy enough .I found him on BB . He does amazing work .He takes his time and inspectsyour home. I will only use this guyfrom now on. His name and info is : Precise Home Inspection Services
John Gromkoski
(718) 514-3393
Our offer has been accepted on the property, so our real estate agent and lawyer suggested we have the inspection take place before entering into contract.
We would then ask the sellers to fix the issues as part of our “punch list” prior to closing.
Would the seller be likely to repair window leaks for you? If this is something that would be fixed by merely caulking some small gaps I’d say don’t complicate the buying/selling process by bringing this into the negotiation. Why do you think this is necessary? In general it’s better to have the seller set aside money in escrow to fix any issues found during inspection rather than have them fix them because they have every incentive to cut corners.