Just like you should interview real estate agents before choosing one to list your house, you should also get second opinions on other services related to your house.

Let me take you back a few years.  There was an inspector in our area who was an alarmist.  Anytime even a minor problem was found (replacing light fixtures, installing a GFCI outlet, etc.), he would cry that the sky was falling and would convince buyers that the problems were so serious that they would all die if they bought the house.  Many agents lost many contracts because of this inspector and we eventually took his name off our referral list.

In cases like that, it is always good to get a second opinion.  Get a structural engineer in to look at the problem.  Hire a roofer to make the repair.

Yesterday I got a call from my buyer whose water heater had shut off.  It was covered under the home warranty, so the warranty company sent a plumber.  When he arrived, he said my buyer was lucky she wasn’t dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, it wasn’t covered under the warranty because it was an installation issue, and she would have to pay him $1200 to repair it.

The family before her had lived with the water heater for three years with no problems.  Her home inspector is really good and he saw no problems.  It doesn’t add up to what the Chicken Little Plumber described, so before anything else, I suggested she get a second opinion from another qualified, trained plumber.

She does not plan to let him know what the original plumber from the warranty company said when he arrives later today until after she hears his input.  I’ll be anxious to hear the verdict.

Photo by Ben Lucier via Flickr Creative Commons.