Million Dollar Listings is a popular TV show on Bravo. Many of us here at IM Home Inspections are fans of the show. However, one aspect of the show that has always bugged me is that they rarely ever mention doing a home inspection on any of the luxury homes on the show. They often imply that luxury homes are sold without an inspection.
But the reality is they do have inspections. IM Home Inspections recently inspected a luxury house listed by a long-time Million Dollar Listings Los Angeles agent.
The other common question is, if a house is selling for that many millions of dollars, what could possibly be wrong? Let’s dive in and find out.
Side note: Due to our agreement to keep the buyer’s information private, we can not disclose anything that would indicate which house we are discussing.
Panel Miswired
A house big enough to be on Million Dollar Listings Los Angeles agents’ roster is going to have a large number of electrical panels. This was a smaller panel in the house, but we found it to be miswired. The ground wires were on the neutral bus bar. This can cause voltage to go down the wrong wire and be a shock hazard. While dangerous, it is a simple fix for a qualified electrician.
Disconnected Vent Pipe Leads To Rain Leak
A plumbing drain is always connected to a vent that usually goes to the roof. The purpose of the vent is to allow air to flow into the drain lines so that water and such are able to flow down the drainage system. Here, we found the drain vent had become disconnected in the attic, just before the roof line. As the pipe goes to the roof, this disconnect was allowing rainwater to enter the attic. You can the see the water stains. Luckily we found it before significant damage from rain water occurred.
Pool Pump Installation Problem
Of course a home worthy of being listed by Million Dollar Listings Los Angeles agent is going to feature a fabulous swimming pool. And this home was no exception. This pool feature numerous pool pumps. This particular pump was installed in a curious manner. The manufacture says the pump should only be installed on a secure base. Shelves are generally not considered a secure base. An argument could be made they did bolt the pump to the shelf. However you’ll notice the bolts that hold the shelf to the wall are rusting away. As pool pumps vibrate a lot, eventually this pump will vibrate the bolts loose, and potentially the entire pump falls, which would cause pool water to spill out of the pool and down the back of the lot.
Million Dollar Listing Inspections
These were just a few examples of the issues we found in this home. But it shows that even homes worthy of being represented a Million Dollar Listings Los Angeles agent needs a quality home inspection. We sent a team of inspectors who went over every inch of this expansive mansion.
To book your luxury home inspection, call 818-298-3405