Building inspections. It's a job
My day job is looking at houses for people wanting to buy them and writing reports. Work comes from my website and occasional referrals, but it’s easy to say no when I head for the hills.
It was a shock to be back at the coal face after some months roaming around the countryside. You need to focus intensely on what you are doing, as it’s best to avoid being sued after making some inadvertent error.
But some of the houses make it interesting.
Last week I went to one that will stand out in the memory banks. A couple bought what would now be a $1 million house a decade ago. The bloke was a fisherman who went on three- or six-month trips for Patagonian toothfish or was stationed at the Chatham Rise. When he came back home, the interior of much of the house was painted black, and the roof seemingly damaged by a herd of elephants. His wife was now a meth addict, and her new friends had spent the time partying and smashing various things in the house. When I arrived, the interior had been decontaminated; carpets and curtains had been removed, and the interior paint bubbled or congealed from the chemical treatment. The agent claimed the required remaining work was $100,000, but it was more like $200,000. No longer a $1 million house.
Another wasn’t that the house was interesting, although it was. One of the owners was a dedicated anti-apartheid campaigner, and after taking notes, I found myself sitting, listening to stories about his time in South Africa. A photo of him with Winnie Mandela was prominent in the hallway, along with a framed handwritten note of appreciation from her. Che Guevara‘s portrait was also hung, and the owner spent 20 minutes talking about his experience in Cuba 25 years ago.
A genuine character.
It gets me out of the house.