Fun Fact Friday: Weird Things Home Inspectors Find

You think you've seen everything in real estate...

Then you talk to a home inspector.

Home inspectors spend their days crawling through attics, squeezing into crawl spaces, opening electrical panels, looking behind access doors, checking plumbing and investigating parts of a house most of us would rather pretend don't exist.

And sometimes...

They find some REALLY weird stuff.

Welcome to Fun Fact Friday: Weird Home Inspection Finds.

First, Inspectors Go Places Most Buyers Never Do

Think about a normal home showing.

You walk through the kitchen.

Open a few cabinets.

Look at the bedrooms.

Check out the basement.

Walk through the backyard.

Maybe peek inside the garage.

You're probably not putting on a headlamp and crawling underneath the house.

You're probably not climbing deep into the attic.

You're definitely not removing an electrical-panel cover.

That's why an inspection can reveal an entirely different side of a house.

And occasionally that side gets strange.

Surprise! Something Is Living Here

Inspectors can encounter all kinds of evidence that humans aren't the only occupants of a house.

Mice.

Bats.

Birds.

Squirrels.

Raccoons.

Insects.

And depending on the part of the country...

Snakes.

Imagine crawling through a dark crawl space with a flashlight and suddenly realizing you're not alone.

No thank you.

I'll be upstairs.

The Attic Can Be Its Own Ecosystem

Attics can contain some interesting surprises.

Old bird nests.

Wasp nests.

Animal droppings.

Chewed wiring.

Stored belongings that haven't been touched in decades.

Old newspapers.

Random construction materials.

And sometimes objects that make everyone wonder:

“Why on earth is THAT up here?”

Older houses especially can have decades—or generations—of history hiding above the ceiling.

DIY Electrical Work Can Get Creative

This is where "weird" can quickly become dangerous.

Homeowners have been fixing things themselves since homes have existed.

Sometimes they know exactly what they're doing.

Sometimes...

Not so much.

Inspectors may encounter unusual electrical repairs, improper connections, overloaded circuits, extension cords being used as permanent wiring, open junctions or other questionable modifications.

There's a big difference between:

“That's strange.”

and

“Please don't touch that.”

Electrical work is one area where creativity isn't necessarily a selling feature.

Plumbing Can Be Just as Interesting

Plumbing repairs can produce their own collection of surprises.

Improvised drain connections.

Leaking fittings.

Pipes running in unusual places.

Makeshift supports.

Improper materials.

Old plumbing mixed with newer repairs.

And occasionally something that looks like it was assembled after a late-night trip through the plumbing aisle with the philosophy:

“I think I can make this work.”

Maybe it worked.

That doesn't necessarily mean it was done correctly.

The Famous Bucket Repair

Every homeowner knows the emergency solution:

Put a bucket under it.

Leak under the sink?

Bucket.

Dripping pipe?

Bucket.

Water coming from somewhere mysterious?

Bigger bucket.

A bucket can certainly prevent a mess temporarily.

But if the bucket has apparently been sitting there for five years...

We may have moved beyond "temporary repair."

Structural Repairs Can Be Very Creative

This is another area where inspectors sometimes find things that make everyone stop and look twice.

Improvised supports.

Random pieces of lumber.

Blocks stacked under structural components.

Posts installed in unusual ways.

Materials being used for purposes they were never intended to serve.

A support system may look perfectly fine to the average person walking through the basement.

An inspector may look at it and say:

“We need to talk about this.”

Hidden Doors and Mystery Rooms

Now we're getting to the fun stuff.

Older homes sometimes contain:

Hidden doors.

Sealed-off spaces.

Tiny rooms.

Old coal rooms.

Root cellars.

Servant staircases.

Storage spaces.

Blocked fireplaces.

Abandoned chimneys.

And rooms that have been remodeled so many times nobody remembers their original purpose.

Sometimes an inspector opens a door expecting a closet...

And discovers something completely different.

That's when the inspection starts feeling more like an episode of a mystery show.

What Is THAT Pipe?

Older homes evolve.

Heating systems change.

Plumbing gets replaced.

Electrical systems get upgraded.

Chimneys stop being used.

Additions are constructed.

Rooms are remodeled.

Eventually, you may find pipes, vents, wires or openings that appear to go...

nowhere.

Sometimes they're abandoned components from an older system.

Sometimes they're still doing something.

And sometimes everybody stands there staring at it until someone finally asks:

“Okay...what IS that?”

Appliances Can Have Surprises Too

Inspectors may test installed appliances and discover interesting issues.

A dishwasher that leaks.

An oven that doesn't heat correctly.

A garbage disposal that sounds like it's processing gravel.

A bathroom fan venting somewhere it shouldn't.

A dryer vent that hasn't been cleaned in years.

Or an appliance that looks perfectly normal until someone actually turns it on.

That's another lesson:

Looking good and working properly aren't the same thing.

The Dryer Vent That Goes...Where?

Dryer vents deserve their own section.

The goal is pretty simple.

Get warm, moist dryer exhaust safely outside.

But inspectors can find vents terminating in:

Attics.

Crawl spaces.

Garages.

Other interior spaces.

Or connected through long, questionable runs.

A dryer producing moisture into an attic isn't exactly helping your moisture-control strategy.

Sometimes a tiny detail can create a much larger problem over time.

Bathroom Fans Can Have the Same Problem

Turn on the bathroom fan and the moisture disappears.

Right?

Hopefully.

But where does it go?

Ideally, the exhaust is properly vented to the exterior.

If it's dumping warm, humid bathroom air into an attic, that moisture can contribute to problems you can't see from the bathroom.

Which brings us to one of my favorite homeownership lessons:

Just because you can't see the problem doesn't mean the problem disappeared.

Water Is Usually Looking for a Way In

Inspectors spend a lot of time looking for evidence of moisture.

Roof leaks.

Plumbing leaks.

Foundation seepage.

Poor grading.

Missing or improper drainage.

Condensation.

Damaged flashing.

And sometimes the source of a stain isn't where you'd expect.

Water can travel.

The wet spot you see in one location may have originated somewhere else entirely.

That's why simply painting over a water stain doesn't answer the important question:

Where did the water come from?

Fresh Paint Can Raise Questions

Don't misunderstand me.

Fresh paint is great.

I recommend it all the time when preparing homes for market.

But if there's one freshly painted two-foot square in the middle of an otherwise older basement ceiling...

Someone may ask why.

Maybe there was a harmless repair.

Maybe something was patched.

Maybe the owner simply had leftover paint.

The point is:

Inspectors notice things.

Sometimes it's not the defect that gets their attention.

It's the unusual attempt to cover or repair it.

The Crawl Space Is Where Bravery Gets Tested

If you've never been inside a tight crawl space, picture this:

Dark.

Low ceiling.

Dirt.

Spider webs.

Pipes.

Ductwork.

Insulation.

Possibly water.

And maybe an animal staring back at you.

Now crawl 30 feet farther.

This is why I have tremendous respect for inspectors who regularly go into spaces where I would personally say:

“You go ahead. I'll wait right here.”

Sometimes They Find Old Stuff—Really Old Stuff

Older homes can contain fascinating pieces of history.

Old bottles.

Newspapers.

Coins.

Tools.

Toys.

Signs.

Wallpaper.

Construction materials.

Original hardware.

Old heating equipment.

And belongings left behind by previous generations.

Most of it doesn't have much monetary value.

But occasionally you find something that gives you a glimpse into the home's past.

That's one of the things I love about older real estate.

Every old house has stories.

Then There Are Things Nobody Wants to Find

Not every surprise is funny.

Inspectors may discover potentially serious issues involving:

Electrical safety.

Structural components.

Moisture.

Roofing.

HVAC.

Plumbing.

Foundation movement.

Ventilation.

Drainage.

Possible environmental concerns.

That's why the inspection shouldn't be viewed as entertainment or simply a way to create a repair list.

The purpose is to learn more about the property.

A Long Inspection Report Doesn't Mean It's a Bad House

This is important.

An inspector may document dozens of items.

That doesn't automatically mean:

“Run away!”

Homes aren't perfect.

Older homes especially may have:

Maintenance items.

Minor repairs.

Safety recommendations.

Deferred maintenance.

Older systems.

Cosmetic observations.

And larger concerns.

The important part is understanding the difference.

A loose doorknob and a major structural concern shouldn't carry the same weight simply because both appear in the report.

Home Inspections Don't "Pass" or "Fail"

Another misconception worth repeating:

A typical home inspection isn't a pass/fail test.

The inspector isn't standing at the front door at the end saying:

“Congratulations! Your house passed!”

The inspection provides information about the property's visible and accessible systems and components within the scope of the inspection.

Then the buyer can make informed decisions based on the report, the contract and the circumstances.

Sellers Can Learn From This Too

If you're planning to sell, walk around your house with fresh eyes.

Look at the things you've gotten used to.

That extension cord that's been there forever.

The slow drip under the sink.

The loose handrail.

The missing outlet cover.

The bathroom fan that sounds like a helicopter.

The gutter dumping water next to the foundation.

The DIY repair you've been meaning to finish since 2018.

You've stopped noticing them.

The buyer and inspector haven't.

This Is Why I Like Maintenance Before Listing

I'm not suggesting sellers renovate the entire house before putting it on the market.

Quite the opposite.

I don't want sellers wasting money on unnecessary improvements.

But taking care of obvious maintenance items can make the inspection process much smoother.

Sometimes spending a little money before listing can prevent an item from becoming a much bigger discussion later.

Fun Fact Friday Takeaway

Home inspectors see parts of houses most people never see.

And over the years, inspectors have encountered everything from unusual DIY repairs and mystery plumbing to animals, hidden spaces and decades-old surprises tucked away in attics and crawl spaces.

Some finds are funny.

Some are fascinating.

Some are expensive.

And some make everyone in the room say:

“WHO DID THAT?!”

That's exactly why inspections are valuable.

A beautiful kitchen and fresh paint can tell you a lot about how a home looks.

An inspection helps you learn more about how the home works.

And if your inspector suddenly comes flying out of the crawl space faster than they went in...

I'm probably not going in there to see why.