There are people in this world that conduct these inspections for a living, they are called HOME INSPECTORS. These companies are attempting to get you to do something that is outside your scope of practice. I am REALTOR, I am not able to conduct a home inspection, I must have a home inspector do such a job. These individuals are licensed and monitored by the state, in Texas the Texas Real Estate Commission licenses these individuals.
The companies that are asking this of a notary are placing themselves and the notary at risk for legal problems later. I am NOT an attorney, but according to my training and extensive education, one should NEVER do something for which one has not been trained. Let's say, for instance, that you sign off on something, maybe the skirting condition. Looking from the front of the home, the skirting looks fine... but if you look underneath one edge, you might find termite damage or something of that nature. If you failed to report that, you could potentially be sued since you signed off on that inspection.
I personally would not feel comfortable signing anything like that. I have had people inquire about having pictures taken of the outside of a home, from a non-invasive point outside the boundary of the property. I do not mind doing this for companies, and usually will do this as a courtesy to the company.
As a REALTOR, I do what are referred to as BPOs, broker price opinions, in which I take pictures of the exterior of a home, and conduct a CMA, comparative market analysis, on that specific home and give my opinion as to the potential value or selling price of a home. This is something I do everyday in the position of a REALTOR. It is my job, my specialty, to give an opinion as to the value and potential selling price of a home...
Well, anyway...
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