You’d be forgiven for thinking that the life of a home inspector is a boring one, but this fascinating Instagram account says otherwise. By posting some of their most striking discoveries on their IG, Boston Home Inspectors take us along on their most interesting home inspections.
A home inspector’s job is to provide prospective home buyers with an expert report on the state of the home they’re considering. They look for everything from building code violations to water damage, wear-and-tear, dangerously poor repairs, and other hidden risks. You might find their work a lot more interesting when you realize they’re a lot like detectives or, in the worst cases, crime scene analysts.
Some of the photos on BHI’s IG show obvious problems, like decaying shower walls, structurally unsound steps, and other clear dangers. But other photos show issues in places that the average homeowner might have never thought to check. Crawlspaces between walls, above ceilings or under floors can hide tons of problems for unsuspecting buyers.
Bored Panda got in touch with BHI to ask about their fantastic IG, so read on!
#1 Kinda Close!
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#2 Sometimes Life Just Gives You Way Too Many Options!
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#3 Peg Leg Deck!
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#4 Space Age!
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We were just as surprised as you probably were to discover that a business inspection business was running such a successful Instagram account, but the results (and some of the crazy pictures) speak for themselves.
The owners clearly appreciate the support as well, telling Bored Panda: “I’ve had great responses and success. Most people enjoy the funny items posted. I think people enjoy seeing other peoples problems or misery.”
#5 Lemonade Straight From The Faucet!
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#6 I Guess The Outlet Cover Couldn’t Fit!
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#7 Proper Way To Inspect A Fireplace!
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#8 Tight Fit!
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It hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows. The account admin clearly takes steps to anonymize the photos they post, but some home owners or realtors can get upset when their homes’ most serious flaws are outed to the world. Nonetheless, the account’s admin takes it all in stride.
“I did have some millennials trying to force me to take down a picture of sagging front steps. They got a bunch of their friends and wrote negative reviews on Google after I refused to take the picture down. The picture is still on Instagram. And their attempt to harass me actually drove more people to my account.”
#9 Almost There.. Little More To The Right!
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#10 Smart Man…he Didn’t Finish The Last Line!
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#11 While You Are Waiting…
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#12 Now I Need One!
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You may have already encountered your favorite pic of the bunch, or it might be waiting for you further down. As for the inspectors at BHI, here are some of their craziest finds:
“The two funniest items that I found [were] the sex swing, hanging in the bedroom that the realtor kept calling a TRX workout band and the shower that still had the [sex toy] on the floor.”
“The most outrageous or disgusting violation was an illegal apartment built in a basement and they had the toilet draining into the sump pump.” Yuck!
#13 Railings And Spindles Are Overrated!
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#14 Nothing Can Go Wrong Here??
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#15 See Through Or Drive Through Garage?
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#16 Getting To The High Places!
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#17 Constellation Ceiling!
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#18 Always On The Cutting Edge!
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But where did the idea for a building inspector to launch an Instagram account come from in the first place? BHI explains: “A few years back, I picked my kids up from school and took them for pizza. While we were sitting at the pizza place, they were playing with this new app Instagram. My daughter suggested I start posting some of the crazy stuff that we see and she helped me set up the account.”
Given that their work helps people buy safe homes and avoid very unpleasant financial “surprises”, we wish them the best of luck!
#19 Hmmmm, Now What To Do?
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#20 Here A Spot…there A Spot!
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#21 Found The Delta Variant!
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#22 Who Remembers One Of These???
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#23 They Have A Fanny Washer!
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#24 Now That Works!
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#25 Sometimes You Just Need A Set Of Two!
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#26 Jiffy Pop Camper
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#27 At Least The Package Of Instructions Is There…
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#28 Good News! Snow Melted In Boston!
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#29 Uhmmm!
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#30 Nothing To See Here… Move Along!
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#31 Still Working Fine!
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#32 Nailed It!
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#33 Drooling Vent Cover!
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#34 Fuzzy Little Thing!
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#35 Told My Wife That I Am Going To Install A Set Of These In Our House For Her… I’m Now Sleeping In The Garage!
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#36 No Safety Issues Here!!
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#37 Younger And Older Bonding!
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#38 Found A Bug In The Garage!
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#39 Ordered The Wrong Size…no Problem The Little Blocks Will Fix It!
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#40 Faux Painted Wall!
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#41 Just A Little Tight!
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#42 When You Don’t Turn Off Your Outdoor Faucet…
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#43 Nothing Can Go Wrong Here!
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#44 Not Sure Where To Begin, But Yes, They Technically Do Have A Roof Deck!
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#45 Not Sure Where To Begin On This One?
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#46 State Of The Art…high Tech…new And Improved Window Lock! No Tools Needed To Use
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#47 Ok 1 More… Day 8 Of Deck Week Just A Tap Or Two To The Right
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#48 Day 7 Of Deck Week!
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#49 Speed Bump Floor
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#50 Aren’t Doors Supposed To Be Fuzzy?
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#51 Listing Agent Says It Has A Closet!
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#52 164°f…a Cup Of Tea With Your Toothpaste!
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#53 2 Lines Still Working!
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#54 Furry Deck Joists Need A Shave!
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#55 Plumbing Art!
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#56 A Bungee Cord Is Duct Tape’s Best Friend!
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#57 Oldie But Goodie. Still Working Fine
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#58 #4 Wants To Be Left Alone!
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#59 High In Fiber!
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#60 The Sponge Is To Clean Up This Mess!
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#61 Crushing It!
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#62 Nailed It…and Not The Side!
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#63 The Beam Has Whiskers!
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#64 So Many Things Wrong. The Boiler That Keeps Giving!
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#65 It’s Telling Us Something!
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#66 Who Wants To Take A Ride?
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#67 A Little Hip Check! Something Is Not Quite Right!
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#68 You May Need To Rethink This One!
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#69 So Many Questions… So Little Time!
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#70 Recommend Adding A Dehumidifier In The Basement
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#71 Should Have Used Duct Tape!
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#72 Here A Plate. There A Plate. Everywhere….
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#73 No Leveling Needed!
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#74 Well, It’s Not Frost Free!
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#75 There We Go…that Oughta Work!
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#76 Lean On Me
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#77 Day 2 Of Deck Week!
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#78 Nothing Can Go Wrong Here!
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#79 Little Twist Here… Little Twist There
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#80 Roof Deck Permits Signed Off By The City Building Inspector!!
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#81 Gutters Need Cleaning!
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#82 Good Try! That’s Not 200a
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#83 Hey… That’s Not Right!
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#84 Found The Hidden Treasure And Also Why No Heat!
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#85 Spa Night!
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#86 Hvac Return Air Duct New Construction. Yuck!
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#87 Oh Boy!
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#88 How Did That Get There?
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#89 Quick Exit For The Falling Kids!
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#90 The Listing Sheet Did Say Matching Appliances…
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#91 Just One More Piece Of Wood…
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#92 Oh Boy! Where Do We Start?
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#93 Well… Technically The Condenser Is Supported!
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#94 No Photoshop Needed! Yes, It Was That Far Off.
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#95 Backwash That Smells Like C**p
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#96 Day 6 Of Deck Week. Just About There!
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#97 Day 3 Of Deck Week! No Dancing On This One!
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#98 Deck Week Day 1
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#99 What’s Up With The Sink In The Attic??
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#100 I Found The Light!
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#101 Listing Agent Corrected Me…its Just Cosmetic!
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#102 That Looks Just About Right!
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#103 Sometimes You Just Gotta Keep Climbing…
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#104 Welcome To Inspection Day!
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#105 Looks Just About Right!
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#106 But, Is It Still Under Warranty The Agent Asked!
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#107 Sometimes You Just Need A Little More!
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#108 Can You Guess.. Found In A Garage Secured To The Floor! Vintage Fuel Or Water Pump?
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#109 There Are Handrails At The Bottom And The Building Inspector Already Signed Off… The Listing Agent Said
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#110 When The Light Is More Important Than The Floor Joists!
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#111 Life Is Like The Stairs! Some Go Up And Some Go Down
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#112 Song…just A Little More Time
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#113 Joist Hangers Are So Overrated!
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#114 Long Way Down!
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#115 Now Where Did I Park My Bike?
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#116 Turn On…or…not To Turn On??
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#117 Hello Mr George…how Much Did You Pay For The New Guys
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#118 Duct Tape Fixes Everything!
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#119 Bathroom Wall Is Growing Boobs!
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#120 Blast From The Unknown Past!
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#121 Huge Upgrade…from Rotary To Push Button
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#122 Good Thing It’s Not A Gas Stove!
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#123 This Is Why Are You Always Check The Undercarriage!
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#124 Be Sure To Lock The Gate!
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#125 So Close…
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#126 Day 5 Of Deck Week And The List For This One Is Way Too Long!
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#127 Day 4 Of Deck Week. 1-2-3 Bad Footings And Your Out!
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#128 I See The Light!
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#129 Crushing It!
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#130 A Little Of This… A Little Of That!
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#131 Global Cooling On The 8:00 Am Inspection!
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