Beware of side steppers!

Don’t get caught
I recently read a home inspection report which was the most evasive report that I’d ever seen. The report itself was very nice, full of photos and general observations but when it came to some the meat and potatoes, I was very disappointed. Thankfully I didn’t encourage the buyers to use this inspector.
The inspector noted that the home has aluminum wiring, not in and of itself a problem, especially since the house has copper pigtails. What was disturbing is the inspector refused to comment as to whether the terminal connections to the breakers and bus bar are secure and functioning properly. All of this done with the panel box open and with enough time to snap multiple photos. I guess he couldn’t put his fingers on the wires; no danger here if one touches just the insulation and jiggle them a little to see if they are loose. The same true with the breakers. The home inspectors recommendation; hire an electrician to evaluate. The inspector did a political dance to the left. He took the fifth and passed a very expensive buck.
The same was true of some water stains in the house. He wouldn’t say yah or nah to whether or not there were active water leaks in this home. He said, get a plumber and investigate further. I imagine that a moisture meter placed on the spots and running the water at full force during the inspection didn’t cross this guys mind. That’s what other inspectors do; so that they can then say, ah ha here’s a water leak.
To be fair to this fellow, he did find a lot. However this side stepping at over $300 for a townhouse home inspection is unfair to the buyer, the seller and the agents involved. This is exacerbated too by his sarcasm and hostility when I asked him about the homes grounding, breaker box, wiring and “plumbing leaks.” I was told in no uncertain terms to read the whole report and reference all of the links he’d placed in it. Reading the report and following the links are all admirable and well spent time tasks but those tasks still don’t answer the questions left begging, are the bathrooms leaking? Is the electricity working properly? I guess that I’ll have to go elsewhere to determine those answers.