July 28, 2010

Hot Weather Home Maintenance Tips

Filed under: Home Maintenance — Chuck @ 5:08 pm

Most of the USA is suffering from unusually hot weather, and those scorching temperatures don’t just take a toll on people but they can also stress a residential building. So it is good idea for homeowners to keep an eye on their properties while also keeping some unique and helpful hot weather maintenance tips in mind. Here are a few items to put on the home maintenance checklist for the especially hot and humid time of year:

Air conditioning systems are especially overworked this time of year, so it is important to check them on a regular basis to make sure they are in good condition and are functioning in an energy efficient way.

• If there is a unit with a fan on top of it outside, for example, keep the fan grill free of debris such as leaves or branches.

• Trim the landscape around A/C units so that summer weeds and tall grasses don’t encroach, and also make sure that there are no drainage problems that might cause standing water near the unit.

• Anytime the unit makes loud noises or shows signs of rust, have it checked by an HVAC contractor to make sure it is working properly. If the unit is too old replacing it may be the right thing to do because inefficiently working air conditioners create much higher utility bills.

• Window units should be checked to make sure they are not creating moisture that is causing damage to a window frame or sill, porch, or the siding of your house. A/C filters should also be inspected and cleaned or replaced as needed.

• A dirty filter not only impedes efficiency to make it harder to cool your home but it can also create airborne dust, allergens, or mold that can be bad for your health and aggravate those annoying allergies.

Speaking of health, harsh UV rays from scorching sunshine can affect the outside of your house just like they can cause skin damage to people who sunbathe without protection at the beach. So toward the end of summer is an ideal time to look for signs of sun damage around your home.

Walk around the outside and give the paint job a close inspection. On parts of the exterior where there is less shade and the most exposure to direct sunlight you may find sections of peeling and blistering paint. That kind of paint problem can be caused by sun breaking down the chemical components of the paint over time. There are some brands and formulas of paint that are more resistance to harmful UV rays, so if you decide to repaint you may want to invest in that type of paint. But peeling and blistering is also caused by not using the right kind of paint or not priming the subsurface properly.

If it has been an especially rainy summer then the gutters also deserve a closer look. Keeping them structurally supported and clean helps to preserve the whole house, because when large amounts of rainwater cannot drain through the gutter system water seeks the path of least resistance. That could be through your roof, for example, or down the side of your house where the water can damage exterior walls. Also check around the whole property for especially muddy spots that may indicate a lack of proper drainage. These are especially critical around structures like a garage or shed because poor drainage can undermine the foundation and cause serious damage.

But standing water also invites mosquitoes, and everyone knows how quickly they can spoil a summer day or outdoor entertainment. After every rain it is a good idea to police the area and dump out any collected water from items like empty gardening pots or trash cans. If you have a water feature like a fountain you may want to buy special anti-mosquito pellets or add some household bleach to the water to keep it free of larvae.

Always be careful, however, when using any chemical or bleaches around the house. A small amount of bleach could kill your aquatic plants or goldfish, for example, and drinking standing water that has chemicals in it could harm your pets or even small children who like to play in muddles.

So always read labels carefully, take appropriate precautions, and don’t take any chances. Call in a professional whenever you have a question or doubt.

Fire Hazards

Filed under: Home Safety — Chuck @ 12:15 pm

Fire hazards are normally associated with winter when people use space heaters and fireplaces. But many summer fires happen, too, so be especially attentive when grilling or barbecuing.

• You should never leave any kind of fire or cooking unit unattended, and keep lighter fluids and matches out of the reach of children.

• Storage of old paints, varnishes, stains, and household cleaning products can also ignite a fire. Don’t keep those kinds of items or pressurized aerosols in a hot shed, for example, because as the mercury rises so does the chance for spontaneous combustion.

• Summertime means using gas powered weed-whackers and lawn mowers, too, so take extra care when using and storing gasoline and other fuels. Even a small amount of gasoline left in a can has the potential to create a fire or explosion, and if fuel is spilled on a hot engine or other hot surface that can also cause it to burst into flames.

Don’t’ forget and leave gas cans or other combustible items in the car too long, either, or they might combust. Even a laptop computer left to bake in the sun has the potential to start a fire because of the chemicals in the battery, so use extra caution all summer long.

Accidental Poisoning:

Extra summer yard work also means more fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals around the house. Many of these are engineered as potent lethal poisons, so don’t let them create an accidental illness or death.

• Never remove labels from these kinds of items, and always be sure to keep the safety warnings and first aid information intact.

• When working with hazardous chemicals it is a good idea not to do it while small children can observe you. They may interpret the activity as play and then when you are not around they might try to help out by spraying plants on their own – with catastrophic unintended consequences.

• Many plant chemicals as well as those used to suppress rodent and insect populations take time to get absorbed. Read labels carefully. Usually it is best to make sure that no humans or pets are in the area until well past the recommended time to safely reenter the zone.

• Weather conditions also affect toxic chemicals. If you use a poison ivy killer when the wind is blowing, for example, it could harm your vegetable plants or accidentally wind up in Fido’s water dish.

Once you are finished with a chemical be sure to dispose of it in an environmentally conscious way too, otherwise those toxic elements could wind up in the soil or your own drinking water supply.

We all want to feel safe inside our own homes but it is an unfortunate fact of life that there is always the potential for accidents and mishaps. Stay alert, follow sensible procedures, and then you can really and truly relax and enjoy yourself all summer long knowing that you’ve done what’s necessary to ensure protection and safety for your home and family.

Specialized Kinds of Home Inspections for Health and Safety

Filed under: Home Inspection — Chuck @ 12:09 pm

As summer heads into its last phase many home buyers who have been browsing and shopping begin to make final decisions and submit purchase offers. They’ve toured homes, they’ve looked up information about the local schools, and they’ve compared prices. At last – while they still have an opportunity to complete a move before the kids are back in the classroom – they are headed for the home stretch. But one of the most critical events between the signing of contracts and the closing transaction at an attorney or title company office is the home inspection.

Others who already own their homes are finishing up warm weather home maintenance projects and errands this time of year. They may want to consult with a professional home inspector to ensure that there are no hidden problems lurking and waiting to manifest. They, too, can benefit from the insight of a home inspector. Whatever the motivation or need may be, there are many reasons to seek out a good home inspector during the late summer months.

But some of those relate to more exotic or unusual types of issues such as those that specialized inspectors deal with on a daily basis. Keep in mind that just as no two properties are exactly alike there is also some significant variety within the home inspection arena.

There are special home inspections, for example, that a homeowner can order for the sole purpose of investigating the potential presence of environmental hazards. Someone buying an older home, for instance, may want to hire a licensed environmental inspector to check for evidence of asbestos. Although the use of asbestos is now prohibited in construction materials it was once quite popular and its application was widespread. Many homes now on the market have asbestos flooring, siding, or insulation.

The current owner may not even be aware of the asbestos, either, because sometimes it is not easy to detect. In Victorian era houses, for example, one of the common features is authentic plaster work. Plaster has a distinct antique appearance and many buyers appreciate the old-fashioned aesthetic and practical durability of a skillfully applied layer of plaster. But what most people do not realize is that lots of vintage plaster contains asbestos fibers that were mixed into the plaster slurry in order to help the mud-like material bind together better with more structural integrity.

If asbestos used in any way, shape, or form is disrupted it can enter the atmosphere of the home where breathing those minute particles may lead to serious health consequences. The asbestos can be easily dislodged during a simple repair, renovation, or the normal wear and tear that happens by living in a home. But a qualified and experienced environmental inspector can detect asbestos materials and can even take readings of the air quality inside the home to determine whether or not there are any unhealthy levels of asbestos.

Environmental inspectors and inspectors, who are trained to offer these additional services, can also check for harmful radon gases. Radon is a type of organic gas that often rises up from beneath a home to threaten the health of occupants. Radon is invisible, colorless, and odorless, but environmental inspectors have meters and gauges that can detect it. There are also numerous stains of toxic mold that are often found in homes, and some of these can even be lethal. To be well informed and well protected from such hazards a homeowner or home buyer can enlist the help of an appropriately trained and certified inspector whose particular area of expertise is environmental issues.

Other specialized inspections will cover the issue of harmful pests and insects. Not only can these inspectors look for wood-eating termites but they can also be hired to check for signs of wood-boring bees, disease-carrying rodents, or other troublemakers.

Many homeowners can, for example, suffer extensive and expensive damage from carpenter ants. They may even see ants but not realize that they are the species that devours wood. Wooden siding on a home may look perfectly normal to the untrained eye while it is being silently destroyed from within by a busy colony of hardworking and hungry carpenter ants.

These kinds of inspectors – and other inspection specialists – can also offer useful and valuable home maintenance tips. That way homeowners are more keenly aware of potential threats and can check for visible symptoms that might alert them to call in a professional for a closer and more thorough investigation.

So whatever the field of home inspection expertise may be or whatever kinds of concerns you may have as a homeowner or buyer, check with your local professional home inspectors. They can help. The services offered by the home inspection industry are varied because the issues that can impact your property are also diverse.

June 23, 2010

The Purpose of Pro-Sight Property Inspections Blog

Filed under: Purpose — Chuck @ 8:28 am

Pro-Sight Property Inspections Blogs: Keeping you informed.

Whether you happen to be buying or renting a home or representing someone as their real estate agent or broker, a professional home inspection is critical to the success of the transaction. In fact, there is perhaps no step along the way that is more important in terms of understanding the real value of a home and providing insight into issues of home maintenance and safety.

To keep you more informed and educated about the home inspection process and what to expect from a licensed property inspector, Pro-Sight provides this resourceful blog. Log on anytime to learn about how and why mechanical and structural house inspections and real estate inspection reports are essential.

Find out about what the professional inspector looks for in a home, how to interpret or understand the details in an official inspection report, and what actions can and should be taken to follow up on an inspector’s expert observations and recommendations.  Whether it is a general home inspection – like those typically ordered by the buyer prior to closing on a home purchase – or a specialized inspection for such things as environmental hazards, the nuts and bolts of the subject will be thoroughly presented in a user-friendly but insightful manner.

Those who are shopping for a home will be kept on the leading edge of the learning curve with expert answers to commonly asked questions regarding inspections and what they cover. Real estate agents or brokers will find that the blog is a convenient and reliable resource for helping to teach clients – whether they are buyers, sellers, or renters – about home inspections. When new developments in the home inspection industry happen, the Pro-Sight blog will ensure that you are kept up-to-date and informed. If you’re a home seller trying to prepare a property for an inspection, we’ll tell you how to get your house in top condition. Or you may just be a concerned homeowner, property investor, or professional landlord who wants to get a home inspected to uncover any potential maintenance issues or problems that may jeopardize safety. Whatever your reason for wanting to know more about the technical, legal, and practical aspects of the home inspection process, this blog is intended to be a one-stop comprehensive resource. Subscribe to it now to be alerted whenever a new entry is posted and ensure that you have the information you need and deserve to stay informed.

Home Safety: More than meets the eye.

Filed under: Home Safety — Chuck @ 8:24 am

Whether you rent, lease, or own your home – and whether you live in a condo or a single-family home – safety is a paramount concern. Accidents happen, and they can be both personally and financially devastating. But many of them can be easily prevented by taking some basic simple steps to ensure that your home is a safe environment for you, your loved ones, and your pets.

It all starts with taking a complete inventory of any potential hazards, because by eliminating those you can quickly and easily enhance the safety and security of your property – without really spending a dime. Once you have evaluated any potential risks you can minimize them while intelligently organizing your home to make it permanently safer. That will help you sleep better at night, knowing that you’ve rooted out those problems before they happen by taking the right proactive steps.

The obvious culprits are such things as flammable substances stored indoors or in the garage where they could erupt into a fire. These include such household items as old cans of paint thinner, containers of kerosene or lawn mower fuel, and BBQ grill lighter fluid. Leftover paint stored away in buckets and cans, bottles of unused cleaning products, and stacks of old newspapers not only take up useful space but they also pose an easy-to-remedy household hazard. Check all around the house for these items and unless you’ve used them within the past 2-3 months, consider getting rid of them. The cost to replace that old bottle of lighter fluid is miniscule when compared to the cost of an accident, and freeing up extra room for storage can be a huge bonus in any home.

Keep in mind that many household items – from old batteries to cans of varnish or solvent – need to be disposed of properly to help protect the environment and to also prevent them from injuring someone who might be involved in hauling away your trash to a landfill. If you’re not sure how or where to safely dispose of something, contact your town’s municipal waste management department and they’ll be more than happy to help you.

But there are other threats to safety that can be either concealed or totally invisible to the untrained eye. These run the gamut from structural problems like rotted beams or loose brickwork to more subtle agents like toxic mold, radon gas, or carbon monoxide. Your home may have outdated electrical components, faulty wiring, inadequate circuit breakers, or a faulty chimney, stove, or furnace. While these problems sometimes show external symptoms such as scorch marks on the face plates of electrical outlets or a dimming of kitchen lights every time the refrigerator cooling systems comes on, others are virtually invisible and silent.

Each year, for example, many people are killed or hospitalized because of overexposure to carbon monoxide in the home – which is both silent and odorless. Or there may be rodents living in an out-of-the-way place like the corner of an attic or a tiny hole in the wall of the garage, and if they gnaw on electrical wiring that could cause a fire. If the wrong kinds of outlets are installed in the kitchen or bathroom they could lead to accidental electrocution, and if a gas appliance needs repair or the wiring to the hot tub is incorrect those could also have tragic consequences.

Even something as simple and benign as a bathroom vent fan can become potentially hazardous, because if the fan is not properly ventilated it will blow moisture up into the walls, ceiling, attic, or whatever other area of the house it is connected to through the fan’s ductwork system. That creates a breeding ground for mold, and many forms of household mold will make you sick – while some types of mold are potentially lethal. You won’t see the mold, and you probably won’t see that the fan isn’t working as it should, either, unless you trace the venting system all the way to the outdoors.

When in doubt, don’t risk your health and that of your family. We know that we need to keep regular appointments so that the dentist can look for potential cavities hidden under the surface and catch them in time. Otherwise we won’t notice them until they turn into a toothache that could mean a painful and expensive root canal infection. Similarly, for about the same price as getting our teeth cleaned and checked twice a year we can take advantage of the expertise and experience of a professional.

Licensed contractors, environmental inspectors, general home inspectors, or other specialists may be available to check your home or offer expert recommendations. Members of your local fire department can also be consulted, and they can help point out safety issues and do checks of items like smoke detectors to make sure they are properly working and ideally located within the areas of your home.

Staying aware of what’s going in within your domicile gives you a head’s up on any lurking problems. That helps to eliminate unnecessary fear and anxiety and enhance your safety and well-being – and it could even lower your home insurance costs over time by minimizing hazards and claims.

Summer Home Maintenance Tips

Filed under: Home Maintenance — Chuck @ 8:23 am

Although we would all prefer to spend each and every one of our summer weekends relaxing on the beach, golf course, or around the outdoor grill, the warm weather also provides an excellent opportunity for doing outdoor chores. So set aside a little time, at least, to devote to routine annual or semi-annual home maintenance projects.

To make the endeavor more useful, satisfying, and productive, plan your home maintenance projects with some expert tips in mind. If you have a copy of the home inspection report you got when you hired an inspector before buying your home, take it out and give it a quick read. There may be some comments or notes from the inspector regarding recommended home maintenance procedures. Highlight those with a marker, and make a checklist of ones that should be done in the summertime.

You will want to concentrate on the outdoors, naturally, because during the rest of the year those tasks may be harder to do thanks to shorter days and colder temperatures. Plus it is much more fun to be outside during the summer, so you can combine work with pleasure – especially if you mix up a refreshing pitcher of iced tea or lemonade to keep you hydrated while you’re working.

Check painted surfaces for peeling, cracking, or blistering. Sometimes painting the trouble spots on a home or garage can help prolong the life of a paint job and reduce the number of times you have to repaint your whole house. Make sure the gutters are clear and that they drain away from the foundation of your home, too, because summer thunderstorms can produce dramatic amount of potentially damaging rainfall runoff. Also visually inspect the roof to see if any shingles are curled, misshapen, or missing. Those might be easy to repair or replace, but if you neglect them they could wind up costing you an entire roof replacement or expensive water damage inside the home.

Do a walk-around to inspect the perimeter of the home. You should look for any termite tracks along the foundation. These are thin, tiny trails of dirt shaped like branches. If you aren’t sure how to identify them, have a termite inspector show you examples so that you can be on the lookout for these telltale signs of trouble. You should also learn to accurately identify carpenter ants and wood-boring bees, because these insects can also do a tremendous amount of damage to your home. A good inspector can check for these and also show you what to look for so that you can do regular spot checks on your own.

Be sure to keep your air conditioning system or heat pump filters clean, and keep the HVAC fan outdoors free of leaves and other debris. Everything grows faster this time of year, too. So keep bushes, weeds, tree limbs, and even flowerbeds and mulch trimmed or manicured away from your home and foundation.

Here’s the easiest and most pleasant summer chore of all. Stand beneath the shade trees on your property and while looking up into the leaves and branches, check for dead limbs. A sudden gust of wind or an ice storm next winter could send those crashing down, so if you find evidence of dead, diseased, or rotten limbs have the trees inspected and treated or trimmed.

Also, before stepping on the ladder, cranking up the hedge trimmer, picking up a paint brush, or doing anything involving home maintenance – be sure to practice safety first. Too many homeowners cut corners on simple safety procedures and wind up making unfortunate trips to the emergency room – which is no way to spend a bright and sunny summer afternoon. Take your time and protect yourself – because nothing is more valuable than your good health and the health and safety of those around you.

Use OSHA-approved safety glasses to protect your eyes, wear cotton or leather gloves to help avoid blisters, cracks, and abrasions on your hands, and wear an appropriate dust mask or respirator when working around chemicals, dust, or other products that could be potentially hazardous when inhaled. Sturdy footwear is a must – otherwise you could twist and ankle or step on something sharp and get injured – and if you’re going to be exposed to poison ivy or other toxic plants then wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Sunscreen and a hat with a brim or visor are also important to protect you from harmful UV rays.

The effort you make will pay off throughout the year by keeping your home in tip-top condition and ensuring that it performs as it should. A home that performs well is less expensive in terms of repairs and utility bills, so that will keep your overall homeowner costs to a minimum.

Home Inspection Tips: Look before you leap.

Filed under: Home Inspection — Chuck @ 8:22 am

The warm weather months are the prime season for real estate buying and selling, and millions of Americans are busy shopping for homes and finalizing their transactions. Purchasing a home is typically the largest financial transaction of a person’s entire lifetime, and those who realize the American Dream through home ownership want assurance that their home is well constructed so that it can potentially last a lifetime. For that reason it is always highly recommended that before closing on any home the buyer should hire a licensed and qualified home inspector to thoroughly evaluate its structural and mechanical performance.

Here are some tips for ensuring a successful home inspection:

  • Schedule the home inspection as soon as possible after submitting an offer to purchase.  That will allow you enough time to negotiate any potential repair allowances or expenses with the seller. It will also give you time to have repairs or other remedies completed and, if necessary, inspected again before the date of your closing.
  • Attend the inspection, if possible. Being on hand while the inspector examines the home offers you a rare opportunity to ask questions and get valuable home maintenance advice. The inspector can point out particular areas of interest to you and explain any special concerns or issues he or she discovers.
  • Don’t neglect the home inspection process just because you are buying a new home from a developer or builder. Some of the most catastrophic problems with homes have been found in new construction, and if nobody has lived in the home before then there is no one to verify whether or not problems or potential problems exist. A professional inspector knows exactly what to look for – even in the examination of a brand new house – and they will give you a full report to help you make your important buying decisions.
  • Once you receive the inspection report take some time to read through the entire document. Many homeowners simply scan the report for problems and then toss it out or file it away somewhere. But each report contains lots of insightful information about the property. Knowing what the inspector found and described about your home can make you a more informed consumer and a more conscientious homeowner when it comes time for proactive home maintenance.
  • The inspection report also gives you a common reference document that is written in appropriately technical language. That means that referring back to the home inspection report can facilitate clear understandings during discussions about your home with contractors, tenants, insurance companies, real estate agents, and other interested parties.
  • Even if the home has been recently inspected and the current owner shares that official inspection report with you, you should still exercise your right to hire your own inspector. Houses aren’t static, unchanging structures. The condition of a home can change drastically within a very short time, and relying on outdated information – even if it was accurate at the time it was compiled – can be a serious mistake.
  • Before hiring a home inspector, first confirm his or her professional credentials. Each state has its own criteria and licensing or certification system for home inspectors. You want to be sure that yours has the educational and training background required – as well as current and verifiable professional certification.

A professional home inspection is one of the best investments you can make, and it represents just a small fraction of the cost of the real estate purchase. Nobody would risk buying a car without first having it checked-out by a knowledgeable mechanic or other car expert. Otherwise they can end up paying a considerable amount of money for a lemon. But compared to the price of a home, vehicle purchases are relatively minor. Trust the experts before signing on the dotted line and signing up for a long-term mortgage commitment.

Hire the best possible home inspection professional, and then rest assured that you can make a wise, well-informed, confident home purchase. Not only will the expertise of a professional home inspector provide you will valuable insight and information, but it can also offer you invaluable peace of mind and reassurance during the often stressful process of buying a home for yourself and your family.

May 26, 2010

Home Safety: Protecting your family as well as your investment.

Filed under: Home Safety — Chuck @ 10:57 am

There is nothing that makes a house feel like a real home more than the sense of personal security, comfort, and safety that it provides to us and to our families. No one should have to live in fear of their safety and well being, but the unfortunate fact is that there are a whole host of different home safety issues or conditions that can easily go undetected. That’s why a comprehensive and professional home inspection is so important.

A home may, of course, look and feel fantastic to the untrained eye. But only a qualified and experienced property inspector can investigate to examine the potential for hidden or disguised risk that may be lurking beneath the surface.

These days, for example, many buyers and investors are taking advantage of lower real estate prices to purchase bargains. These might include foreclosures, REO properties being unloaded by banks and mortgage companies, or deeply discounted houses and condos being sold by homeowners who are under duress due to unmanageable mortgages. But when properties have been left vacant and on the market for a long time, when they have been abandoned by foreclosed-upon residents, or when sellers are strapped for cash then maintenance and safety issues are often pushed aside or completely neglected. An unsuspecting buyer may inherit a slew of unknown and unseen problems that can add untold amounts of repair costs to the actual price of the home – while undermining any potential for equity appreciation.
A qualified inspector will critique the home in a fair, objective, unbiased way but will leave no stone unturned while investigating any potential safety hazard. That may mean checking to be sure that the electrical wiring is up-to-date and that it meets local building and fire codes. An electrical inspection, for instance, includes major components like breaker boxes and will check to be sure that wiring is intact, appropriately insulated, and properly grounded.

But it will also look at seemingly minor things, such as making sure that there are functional GFI outlets near sinks and other sources of water. While these are relatively inexpensive and simple items, they can prevent an accidental electrocution and are mandated by building codes. Sometimes the face plate for the outlet may be present – with the characteristic GFI design and red reset button – but the wiring behind the plate is inadequate. The outlet can look safe and compliant, in other words, while it is actually no different from any ordinary outlet that will not automatically shut off in the event of a dangerous surge of current. Without a proper home inspection this kind of easy-to-miss hazard could go undetected – especially since it is a relatively minor part of the overall electrical system. But despite the fact that it is a smaller detail it stills represents one of the most serious health and safety hazard features – and if overlooked it could lead to a catastrophic outcome.

There are also structural issues – like unsafe chimneys, unstable building foundations, insufficient supportive joists and beams, or poorly designed stairways – that can be hard to spot without expert help from a property inspector. Mechanical problems with systems like stoves, boilers, and furnaces are another category that can make a home unsafe. A tiny crack in the heat exchanger compartment of a furnace, for instance, can leak deadly but odorless and invisible carbon monoxide gas into a house. Every year there are unfortunate and preventable fatalities that occur simply because homeowners are not aware of this lethal threat – but it is a problem that an observant home inspector can catch a majority of the time, so the situation can be remedied.

Not only do these pose a threat to the safety of occupants, but they can also cause the kinds of accidents that injure others and lead to financially devastating lawsuits. If someone is coming up your front steps and falls because of a rickety banister or improperly pitched and measured stair runner or riser, for example, it could have terrific repercussions.

Environmental hazards are another big area of potential health risk, because the presence of such things as toxic mold, radon gas, or asbestos can represent potentially deadly problems. A good building inspector with the proper skills and measuring devices can also determine if any of these pose a problem, while accurately distinguishing between false alarms and actual threats and dangers.

Rather than waiting for such latent problems to turn into unwelcome and unexpected threats to your safety – as well as the safety of family members and precious pets – every homeowner or buyer should have a complete home inspection done by a certified expert.

Home Maintenance: An ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure.

Filed under: Home Maintenance — Chuck @ 10:56 am

Anyone who is smart will be careful to eat right, exercise on a regular basis, and consult a health care professional whenever they notice any unusual symptoms or just need to get a thorough checkup to stay informed and aware. In the same way, wise homeowners should also practice prudent home maintenance and consult a professional inspector whenever necessary to get an accurate picture of the condition of the property and be alerted to any necessary repairs or maintenance issues.

Otherwise, just as it happens with our health and our bodies, if home maintenance is ignored or neglected it will eventually lead to more serious and expensive problems. As the old saying goes, and ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – and that is certainly the case when it comes to taking care of a valuable real estate investment.

Take a really simple example, for instance, of a stain on the ceiling of the living room. Unless it becomes too unsightly, many homeowners might put off having it repainted. But an inspector will see that spot as an outward symptom of a problem worthy of investigation, and by looking deeper he or she will likely find a faulty plumbing pipe, a leaking roof, or moisture that is being trapped between the floors of the home to create potentially dangerous mildew and mold.

A surprising number of homeowners do not know, for example, where to find or how to replace the filters on their air conditioning units. The filters cost just a few bucks each, and they should be replaced at least twice a year, if not more, in order to ensure that they continue to keep the system flowing freely and working at peak performance. Taking out the old filter and putting in a new one usually takes about five minutes or less. But lots of homeowners wind up with extraordinarily high utility bills or damaged central air conditioning units – which can costs thousands of dollars to replace – just because of dirty filters.

There are also landscape issues to consider – like keeping bushes from growing too close to the sides of the house where they can attract pests, cause accumulated moisture, or weaken the foundation. Drainage sloped the wrong way can be easy to remedy – or if it is left unchecked it can cause rotten siding, eroded foundations, and flooded basements. Even home maintenance of trees on a property can lead to structural damage or even a serious injury – and if dead limbs fall across the property line you could wind up getting sued for damage done to a neighbor’s home or to city owned property.

The list of potential issues that can result from a lack of home maintenance is practically endless, but the good news is that most routine maintenance is both simple and inexpensive. If you spend just an hour or two a month to monitor your property and review a home maintenance checklist it can save time and money while also adding invaluable peace of mind and security. Many types of maintenance tasks can be done by the homeowner – even without special skills or training – and the results of this kind of oversight are reflected in pride of ownership and a better looking and more enjoyable home for you and your family. If you are planning to sell, those small home maintenance chores will pay off in a big way by contributing to your home’s curb appeal and equity – and by making a strong positive impression on Realtors, potential buyers, mortgage appraisers and buyer-hired building inspectors.

Of course most people are not adept at the kinds of tasks that a contractor or handyman might do, and many homeowners who want to do a good job of home maintenance are frustrated by the fact that they just do not know where to begin or what to do. That’s why it is so important to take advantage of the expertise of a home inspection pro when purchasing a home. The inspector not only takes note of any potential problems, but if you sit down and talk with the inspector you can learn a tremendous amount about the way to property and professionally take care of your home and all of its various components and systems. The inspector can point out sections of the printed inspection report – which you get to keep for your own records – that include maintenance checklists. You can find out how and when to conduct your routine maintenance, and what to do if you notice anything out of the ordinary that might deserve a closer investigation.

Home Inspections: One of the most valuable professional services.

Filed under: Home Inspection — Chuck @ 10:54 am

A professional home inspection is a standard procedure in the main steps of the typical home buying process, and nobody should consider buying a home without first having an inspection done. Home inspections can also be helpful to investors, Realtors, or those who are planning to rent or lease a property and want to know as much about it as possible before signing on the dotted line or negotiating the price.

Home inspectors are licensed and certified according to the regulatory requirements of each legal jurisdiction or state, and before being allowed to perform inspections they must undergo exceptionally rigorous training and testing. In addition to having to pass one of the most demanding and challenging professional licensing exams, these men and women also have to log extensive hours as apprentices or interns, learning the practical application of their home inspection skills under the tutelage of a more experienced and senior inspector. Then, even after getting the proper credentials and being granted the authority to perform official home inspections, they still have to attend mandatory continuing education sessions to ensure that they stay informed and on the cutting edge in terms of developments in the inspection and home construction industry.

That helps to explain why home inspectors are so heavily relied upon for their expertise in ferreting out any potential problems with a property. Every day the services they perform relieve headaches and financial liability for homeowners, buyers, and Realtors.

The typical home inspection will take anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire day, depending upon the particular features of the home, its size and age, and the various methods employed in conducting the inspection. Most conventional home inspections are ordered and paid for by the buyer because the inspection gives the buyer a keener understanding of the property in order to help them make informed decisions regarding their purchase and contractual negotiations.

The inspection report is a multi-page printed document that describes the architectural features and the location of the home and then gives a detailed outline and critique of all of the major structural and mechanical components or systems of the home. Many relatively minor or more obscure details are also included in the report to help the home inspector’s client gain a complete in-depth understanding of the nature of the property. The inspector will indicate, for example, whether or not the condition of the home reflects homeowner pride of ownership and attention to routine home maintenance and upkeep.

There are extensive sections of the report that describe and explain the mechanical systems of the home – like the HVAC system, the electrical wiring, and the plumbing within the house. The inspector will also test the functioning of such things as ovens and stoves, water heaters, radiators, garbage disposals, garage door opening mechanisms, and thermostats. Visible structural components – like the house framing, the flooring and foundation, the roof, and the insulation in the home will also be examined and evaluated.

If there are features like swimming pools, or landscape irrigation systems those can be usually be added to the inspection, for an additional fee. The inspector will also study the drainage of the terrain to make sure that excess water flows away from the structure in a safe and orderly way. Any masonry will be visually inspected to ensure that it the mortar joints and strong and that there are no problems with moisture seeping into the home through brick or concrete, and that the masonry work is stable and meets standard building codes. Good house inspectors will even check to make sure that the home has adequate ventilation, secure locks and doorknobs, window screens that fit correctly, and paint or other surface coverings to preserve and protect the building.

All of this data is compiled into the report and delivered to the client, usually by e-mail, or posted online in a password protected area; some inspectors will even print a summary report on-site. The client can go over the report along with the inspector and ask any questions, or have the inspector offer more detailed explanations or interpretations of the findings. Having the report not only helps with making home buying decisions, but it also comes in very handy as a homeowner reference and a document that lists various features of the home and indicates which ones may require maintenance or repairs in the future.

That makes the inspection report a really valuable and useful item for the lifetime of the building – and is just one more way that the fees paid to hire a professional home inspector repay the client and are well worth the initial investment.

 
 

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