When Things Go Wrong (also known as home ownership) “Last man in” theory and most recent advice While the recommendations in our reports represent what we believe are the best ways to resolve problems, many contractors don’t like to make repairs because of the “Last man in” theory. For example, a roofing contractor believes that if he is the last person to work on the roof, he will get blamed if the roof leaks, regardless of whether or not the roof leak is his fault. Homeowners rarely remember that the electrician worked on electric wires on top of the roof in September. All they remember is that a roof leak that occurs in November must somehow be connected to the roofing contractor who worked on the roof in August. Therefore, roofing contractors don’t want to do a minor repair with high liability when they could re-roof the entire house for more money and reduce the likelihood of a callback and an unhappy customer, which makes perfect sense. It is also human nature for homeowners to believe that the most recent expert has the best advice, even if it is contrary to advice received previously. As home inspectors, we find ourselves in the position of “First man in” and, therefore, it is our advice that is most often dismissed when the next person comes along. In fact, many other professionals who don’t want to make repairs will blame the home inspector and try to make us look like idiots: “Oh, there’s nothing wrong with that. I can’t believe your home inspector said there was.” So in those cases where those licensed professional specialists state something contradictory to what we said, all we ask is that you have them do the same thing we did: put their opinions in writing on their company letterhead and sign and date it. That’s what we did with your inspection report, so that’s the least they can do. Recommendations We make recommendations for your safety and to help you with common maintenance tasks. If you disregard our recommendations, you might risk your health and safety, or risk damage to your home and possessions. Buying a home is expensive, but we cannot condone ignoring our recommendations to save a few dollars. Even if you are very capable of doing the repair work, it should be done now, before you move in. After you move in, you might forget about it because other things take up your valuable time, such as when you’re going to have the house warming party, who you’re going to invite, and what you’re going to serve—are you going to cook or have it catered? Ignoring our recommendations is a risk that only you can evaluate.