Part 14
Rust = Dysfunctional? Says Chuck in a Truck
And in Colorado, no state license is required to perform a home inspection.
The Word Problem
A home built in 2000 is younger than me — we both have to maintain what we have. But rust does not define dysfunctional.
So when I reviewed a recent inspection report on an older Denver home and saw 76 out of roughly 100 items labeled “dysfunctional,” I had questions.
To me, “dysfunctional” means one thing: not working as intended.
Rust on a window well doesn’t change how it works. It’s still doing its job. Calling it dysfunctional isn’t accuracy — it’s alarm.
To a buyer reading that report alone at their kitchen table, dysfunctional sounds like: broken. Failing. Unusable. A money pit.
In this case, many of those 76 items were aging materials, maintenance items, cosmetic wear, deferred upkeep, or components typical for a home of that era — but grouped under the same alarming label as genuinely failing systems.
That’s a problem.
Buyers don’t read inspection reports the way contractors do. They read them emotionally. And when templated reporting software applies severe terminology broadly — across minor issues, moderate concerns, and major defects alike — it can completely distort a buyer’s perception of a home.
An older home that needs maintenance is not necessarily a dysfunctional home.
When Inexperience Becomes the Problem
I’ve also seen how quickly inexperience inside the inspection process can escalate into fear.
Years ago, I worked with buyers on a HUD property where the furnace was reported as non-functional. The reason? The inspector believed the gas service wasn’t active and couldn’t test it.
HUD homes already make buyers nervous. So hearing “the furnace can’t even be tested because there’s no gas” immediately raised alarm bells. Buyers started mentally pricing out full furnace replacements. The fear around the report was growing faster than the facts.
Before going down the road of utility disputes and worst-case scenarios, I asked a simple question: “Did anyone check the furnace switch?”
The gas was on. The furnace switch had simply been turned off.
Once flipped, the system operated normally.
But by that point, the buyers were already overwhelmed by the fear surrounding the issue. The damage wasn’t the furnace — it was the perception created around it.
That’s the danger of inexperience, templated conclusions, and emotionally charged reporting language. Sometimes the biggest damage isn’t the defect itself — it’s the perception created around it.
A Good Inspector Should Educate
An inspection is one of the only moments in the entire transaction where someone walks through every system of a home and can explain how it works. That is an incredible opportunity — and one that templated, fear-based reporting completely wastes.
For first-time buyers especially, walking through a home with a knowledgeable inspector should answer questions like:
- Where is the main water shutoff?
- When was the furnace filter last changed — and how often should it be?
- What does this roof have left in it?
- How do I maintain the gutters, the sump pump, the water heater?
- What should I be watching for in year one?
A home is likely the largest purchase of your life. Understanding how to take care of it isn’t optional — it’s essential. And the inspection is the perfect moment to learn.
That kind of education doesn’t happen when the inspector is focused on generating a report full of alarming terminology — and a referral list of contractors waiting on the back page.
More on that referral list soon.
Here’s Something Many Buyers and Sellers Don’t Realize
Colorado currently does not require home inspectors to hold a state license.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t excellent inspectors — there absolutely are. Many pursue certifications, continuing education, and bring years of construction or field experience into their work. Organizations like InterNACHI and ASHI offer professional standards, testing, and ongoing education opportunities. Inspectors who hold these designations have chosen to be held to a higher standard — voluntarily.
But because licensing is not required statewide, experience levels, reporting styles, and the interpretation of what words like “dysfunctional” actually mean can vary dramatically from one inspector to the next.
Which brings us back to Chuck.
What a Good Inspection Should Actually Do
When one term can label aging pipes and a failed furnace the same way, the report stops being a tool for understanding and starts becoming a source of fear.
A good inspection should help buyers understand:
- What’s typical for the home’s age
- What needs attention now
- What can be monitored over time
- What truly affects safety or livability
That’s the information that leads to good decisions — not a single word broadly applied across an entire home’s history, quirks, and normal wear.
Words matter in real estate. Especially in documents people read during some of the most emotional financial decisions of their lives.
So yes — it really does depend on what “dysfunctional” means. And right now in Colorado, that definition is up to whoever shows up with a clipboard.
Even if that’s Chuck in a truck.
If You Want to Catch Up on the Series
This is Part 14 of the Transparency Series — an ongoing look at the things buyers and sellers deserve to know but don’t always hear.
If you are just finding this series, here are a few recent posts worth reading alongside this one:
- Part 13: When You Ask for a Recommendation — Do You Know What You’re Actually Getting? — a look at who is really behind the referral lists agents and platforms hand you, and what those relationships actually cost.
- Part 12: Transparency — What’s That? — because the word gets used often in real estate, but what it looks like behind the scenes isn’t always as clear.
- Part 11: How Your Personal Information Is Handled When Buying or Selling a Home — most people assume their information stays between them and their agent. It doesn’t always.
The full series is available in the blog at bestdenverhouses.com.
Next up: Your inspection report didn’t end with the inspection. Let’s talk about the referral list on the back page — and who put it there.
If you are buying or selling a home in Denver and would like help finding an inspector who holds professional designations through organizations like InterNACHI or ASHI — I am happy to start the conversation.