ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2009
31
Comments
Sometimes the cosmos throws you a blurry question mark. Should you interpret it, get upset, throw it out as aberration or chalk it up to good luck? I received an email at 1130pm, from a potential home buyer, requesting a home inspection. I get them all the time. I responded at 430am, typical fo...
08/31/2009
113
Comments
I was excited recently when I was called to inspect a very historic property in Northern Virginia. Built in 1902, it has been actively listed and on the market for two years. No offers. Historic properties abound here and I love seeing them. The picture is blurry. The buyer had grand plans to...
08/27/2009
13
Comments
This house is 52 years old. The sellers decided to remodel. The little gem you see here is the underside of a former coat closet and part of an entry way that was converted into a full bathroom. A powder room elsewhere was converted into a coat closet, nearer to the most-used door. The far cor...
08/23/2009
11
Comments
Every inspection probably brings the opportunity to teach and learn. A recent inspection was no different. This is the HVAC unit of a two-story, 60 year old house. It was manufactured in 1993. While I won't go into everything possible here, there are some things worth mentioning. They are all ...
08/19/2009
10
Comments
I had a previous post, "I'll See Your Sump Pump, And Raise You A Drain," in which the sump pump was supposedly "grandfathered" and allowed to be plumbed into the sanitary drain. Well, it turned out that there was no "grandfathering," which I knew all along. That seller was forced by the County ...
08/15/2009
My annual two-day vacation turned into a three-day! The family spent a week at Virginia Beach, with me showing up for the weekend. No pictures of the beach - I don't like taking the camera to the sand... It was HOT! Monday was spent at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg VA. It is certainly the best ...
08/12/2009
12
Comments
No photos of disaster or creative ignorance. No single problem to report. But I AM tired of this. I arrived at the inspection of a short sale to the smiling owners (mostly undressed in a very hot, extremely filthy and cluttered house, sitting in the living room, watching TV) who immediately sai...
08/07/2009