A home inspector found several alarming items walking through a house for sale, including a chimney with a bend to it and a puny hot water heater set up to heat water in the entire house.
The video documenting all that happened comes from Inspector Preston (@inspector_preston), who put it up on Saturday and had more than 4 million views by this writing.
In it, he starts by saying, “I’m here today at this inspection, and my client, who’s a TikTok follower, also told me the Realtors were not happy I was doing this one. They tried to get her to choose somebody else.”
He immediately notices something off
But that only made him do a more thorough job and highlight a few of the more puzzling aspects of the home, starting with a chimney with downward-pointing bricks.
“I don’t know if you guys notice, but these bricks are angled downhill,” he said, showing the exterior view of the chimney. “I was looking at the crack right there, but it doesn’t really explain why these bricks are slanted down. But … if you look out here, you’ll also notice the chimney is kind of leaning outward. And then, as you look up, you start to see a curve right there.”
He then says, “You can actually see it more pronounced from this side, right up there,” getting a reverse angle of the curvature. “And now I know why the Realtors didn’t want me doing this inspection.”
As Popular Mechanics noted in an article, a curved chimney is bad.
What else does he find?
He then focuses on some flooring issues, including an improperly finished floor in a bathroom next to a shower pan that has been stuccoed, near a sink so small that “you can just wash one hand at a time.”
He says, of the gaps in the floor and the shower pan, “Just want to point out that a tube of caulking costs about $4. Just wanted to say that.”
He finished with the hot water heater, saying, “I was not getting hot enough water in the house, and I was giving them the benefit of the doubt, thinking they just got the water heater turned down. Let me show you the water heater.”
He showed what appeared to be a Rheem Professional Classic Tankless Electric RTEX-11, which Preston emphasized was not large enough to sustain an entire house.
“That’s the water heater … that’s running the water, the hot water, for this entire house,” he said, putting his hand up against it to illustrate how small it was. He then declared the sellers “busted.”
Why get a home inspection?
According to Nationwide, “A home inspection is a safety and quality assessment on a property that is going to be sold. The inspector examines the structural aspects of the home, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, electrical work, water and sewage to ensure they are all functioning properly.” Safety considerations also come into play.
“The inspector will check for cracks, missing siding or damage to the roof – anything that could lead to water damage or pest infiltration,” the article notes regarding exterior work. “This includes an examination of the foundation if it is visible.”
The interior gets scrutinized as well, with the article observing, “The inspector will look around for any signs of damage to walls, cabinets, windows, and other visible aspects of the home.”
Major systems like plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, and heating also get a once-over.
@inspector_preston Now I know why they didn’t want me inspecting this! 🤬 #flippedhousefail #flippedhousesmistakes #flippersgonnaflip #realtors #realestatenightmares #flippedhouses #safetyhazards #realtor #realtoroftiktok #homeinspector #homeinspection #homeinspectionhorrors #foryourpage #foryou #foryoupage #fyp #fypシ #fy #fyp #fypシ゚viral #fypage #home #house #inspectortok #realestate ♬ original sound – Inspector Preston
Everybody’s a critic
Commenters had their say in response to what Preston uncovered.
“Water heater is from Temu,” cracked one, editorializing about the quality of one of Preston’s house bugaboos.
“I’m a plumber for 30 years and trust me I hate home inspectors cause they over look so much,” began one, “but wow I got to give it to you and thank you for being a real inspector and actually inspecting!!!”
“It’s crazy they blame YOU for finding the bad things in a home,” another observed. “You didn’t do the damage or improper work.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message.
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