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A home inspection interview with Shawn Foster of Bluewater Inspections

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Shawn Foster of Bluewater Inspections that took place on the night of October 12, 2009 in Hermosa Beach, CA:

Tony: Shawn, thanks for agreeing to sit down with me to talk about home inspections. How long have you lived in the South Bay?

Shawn: I moved here in 2001. I am originally from Kansas City, but have lived in the Taos, NM area as well as Scottsdale, AZ.

Tony: When did you first become involved with housing?

Shawn: When I was 14, I was working with masons doing some wheelbarrow and mixing jobs. I’ve been pretty involved with housing ever since. I have done framing, wiring, painting and all kinds of work on houses.

Tony: When did you start doing home inspections?

Shawn: I’ve been doing home inspections since 2002. Up to this point, I’ve done at least 2,500 of them.

Tony: I’m assuming your turnover is related to the number of homes being sold. Last year, a little less than half the number of houses that sold in 2002 were sold in Manhattan Beach. Have you experienced similar downturns in your business?

Shawn: Absolutely! The market has dropped significantly in the years that I have been doing this. In fact, many of the real estate agents I used to work with have moved on to other professions. However, I enjoy it and only make up for the free time by doing related work.

Tony: What other changes have you experienced during this time?

Shawn: I used to take a big reference book with me when I went to the field. He was cumbersome and time consuming. In the last couple of years, I’ve started using a handheld for this. I can do a tour in an hour or so and capture all my notes on my handheld. I can download my notes when I get back to my office and sync the photos I’ve taken. Not only does this make life so much easier, but I believe the results are even better for my clients. They get a comprehensive report complete with key photos, as well as a to-do list of everything they would need to do to improve the house.

Another change is that it seems to be more of a buyer’s market right now. This can affect the motivating factors behind inspections and possibly the home negotiation process.

Tony: What is the biggest challenge in homes these days? It is common?

Shawn: The answer would be mold, of which there are many types. It is not only a physical problem for the structure, but can present health risks to the occupants. Fortunately, it is not very common in the South Bay.

Tony: Do you have any interesting stories from the field?

Shawn: I remember a house behind the gates in Palos Verdes that a buyer was considering. It was amazing how mold infested it was. The potential buyer and his agent waited outside while I checked inside. I got out after a while and walked to my car to get a respirator and gloves after seeing how damaged this house was. I later found out that the buyer passed on this particular house. He shared with me that it was the look on my face when I went to my car that told him the extent of the challenges inside. I will never forget that place.

Tony: Thanks again for taking the time to chat with me.

Shawn: You got it. Thank you.