Is Your Home Safe Part 4: 7 Easy-to-Follow Home Safety Tips
1. Don’t neglect safety housekeeping Safety housekeeping refers to keeping minor safety hazards at bay by maintaining basic safety practices. The following are good safety housekeeping measures. First things first, don’t keep clutter in front of doors, stairways or...
What Every Homeowner Should Do, But Most Do Not …and Why a Buyer Should Care
Home inspectors see a lot of issues. Some again and again. I know I do. Some every buyer should hear and act on. This is what I try and tell every buyer. Clothes Dryer Vents If you are buying a preowned house assume the dryer vent has never been cleaned. Then, have a...
Tips for Doing the Final Walk-Through Before Closing a Home
BY ELIZABETH WEINTRAUB Updated November 01, 2018 Final walk-throughs are not home inspections, even though it might seem that way. A final walkthrough isn't the time to begin negotiations with the seller to do repairs, nor is it a contingency of sale. A final...
Is Your Home Safe? Part 1 – Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING Fast Facts Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. ** Each year, carbon monoxide poisoning claims approximately...
Ten Tips to Speed Up Your Home Inspection
Speed up your home sale by preparing your home ahead of time using the following tips. Your home inspection will go smoother, with fewer concerns to delay closing. Confirm that that the water, electrical and gas services are turned on (including pilot lights). Make...
Buying a New Home – Revisit 2019
It's been a while since I posted about buying a new home and I think it is good to remind readers, both realtors and buyers about the reasons you want a new home inspection. What? You say. It's a new house nothing can be broken yet or worn out yet. All systems go,...
High-Performance Buildings
Americans spend most of their time inside buildings. We take for granted the shelter, protection, warmth, coolness, air and light that buildings provide, and rarely give a thought to the systems that deliver these services unless there’s a power interruption or other...
Building a Home? Things You Must Know! (Or Why You Should Hire a Real Estate Agent)
If you want to build a new home, there are things you need to know before you begin. Learn about construction standards and about buying land, so you know your rights. MPS Supplementing Model Building Codes The Minimum Property Standards (MPS) establish certain...
Investors and Flippers: Top 10 List of Issues That Are Hiding Now But Will Cost You Later
Top 10 List of What I have Found After Building Inspectors and Your Brother-in-Law Already Approved the House 1. Electrical main feed conductor coming loose2. Wrong breaker size for major systems3. The electrical panel that will always need further evaluation by an...
Phone a Friend
I have always offered clients the opportunity to call me long after the inspection for my advice or just to get my opinion on an issue they see. Sometimes it is right after the inspection and they forgot the priorities of issues they want to fix and just need someone...