Why sellers should have a pre-listing inspection.

       Your homes problems are often invisible to you.  We all get used to our own problems.  Other people, potential buyers are not so kind.  The unbiased eye of the home inspector will allow him to create an objective report on your homes condition.  

    Informed with the inspection report you can then choose which issues to address and repair.   Repairs completed prior to listing are usually less expensive than when completed prior to closing.  Or if larger issues do arise, you can have estimates prepared, so potential buyers know reasonable repair cost. The above concerns will probably arise prior to closing anyway, and in today's market it is important to be proactive.

   When you have addressed your issues, this sharpens your homes appeal.  Potential buyers can then see the potential of your home and not its problems.  Your home will be remembered as the house without repairs to be made or questions to be answered.  The selling features of your home will stand out.

Steve Vacha,    Home Inspector,

Home Standards Inspection Services,   Omaha Nebraska

Corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) gas pipeis the distinctive yellow pipe that has been installed in thousands of home in the Omaha area and nationally.  The bendable pipe replaced the old black pipe and multiple 90 degree angles and joints.  CSST was approved for residential use in 1988.

 A class action lawsuitwas filed in 2006 against 4 manufacturers of the CSST pipe.  The lawsuit claimed the CSST pipe posed a risk of fire due to lightning strikes.  A lightning strike can cause an energized charge to move through the gas line, if the line is not properly grounded, the charge can arc to another metal or system.  CSST pipe is very thin, and if this arcing occurs and hole can be formed in the pipe leading to a gas leak or fire.

I completed a home inspection at a home in Omaha, Ne. where lightning struck a metal flue on the roof and found the gas line.  This arcing occurred in the fireplace and caused a gas leak.  Luckily the home owner was in the room at the time, and turned off the gas.  The repairs cost almost $2,000.00 and could obviously have been more.

 Manufacturers of the pipe did not originally call for the pipe to be grounded.  Since the lawsuit all the  companies have issued installation instructions that require bonding and grounding.  Even though a gas company might have installed the CSST pipe in a home the homeowner is responsible for the pipe in their home.

The manufacturers claim bonding and grounding may provide increased protection for the gas pipe in the building.  The bonding and grounding should be done by a licensed electrician or trained professional. One manufacturer, GasTight, released a bulletin for grounding :   http://www.gastite.com/include/languages/english/downloads/pdfs/TB2007_01.pdf