rehab: I'm Only Here to Report the Facts. - 01/31/12 03:59 PM
One of the things I look up prior to an inspection is the amount of time on the market. This gives me some idea concerning the condition of the house. Yes, there are variables that I can't foresee, but, generally, the longer a house is on the market (especially if it is vacant) the worse it looks.
Today people are looking for a bargain and there are plenty of them out there. What many buyers don't seem to understand is that bargains might contain problems. They are immensely disappointed when the bargain house they are looking at has some severe issues.
… (4 comments)
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rehab: Pride in Our Work - 12/15/11 04:30 PM
Now that we are back doing some rehabing for our out-of-state investors I have become more critical about the condition of the rehabs I inspect.
When a rehab is complete it should look complete. Anyone that presents their work for sale (all of ours are rentals) should be proud to walk any prospective buyer through the property. I don't understand the lack of pride in the completed work.
The homes in these pictures all had offers and I was doing the Home Inspection for the prospective buyer.
The blue line isn't decorative, it is painters tape.
If your … (3 comments)
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rehab: As I Prepare to Make the Leap, Again Part 2.5. - 07/21/11 01:00 PM
If your wondering why this is 2.5 and not 3, well, it means my bid wasn't accepted. I was all ready to write the third in this series and all of a sudden my realtor says they want my highest and best offer.
To anyone that has been through this type of transaction, that means they have another offer. Since the price was good and the potential profit was high, I decided to go ahead and up my offer.
Here I am doing an inspection for a client that is trying to do the same thing I am.
They are a … (7 comments)
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rehab: As I Prepare to Make the Leap, Again Part 2. - 07/02/11 03:01 PM
In keeping with the way I normally look for homes to rehab, this morning I went cruising neighborhoods where several homes were listed. This is the first step and several factors come into play in the choice of the property.
1. Is the neighborhood viable. This means that, although depressed it isn't beyond recovery. People still will want to live there. Many times you can find homes that are priced right (in your price range), but the area will not support a home being repaired/rehabbed. Simply try not to have the most expensive house on the block … (6 comments)
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rehab: As I Prepare to Make the Leap Again. - 07/01/11 03:44 PM
What is the first thing that pops into your mind? Well, no, I'm not getting married. I'm looking for houses or small apartment buildings to rehab.
I passed up this bueaty, even though it presented the kind of challenge that I love. I decided to spend a little more ($) and try to get one that is just a bit less work.
Let's think about the process of rehabilitating a house (I hate the term flipping). I want to see that the home I make-over is one that will add to whatever neighborhood it ends up being in. I want it … (8 comments)
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rehab: Special Homes. A Uniquely Different House. - 07/03/10 06:30 PM
I've had my share of interesting homes lately. They just seem to get better as time goes on. I had one yesterday that seemed to a typical special home. The house was 91 years old and of structural brick. That in itself makes it different considering when it was constructed.
As I walked around the building I did notice more and more that peaked my interest. Its no secret that I love old homes and I am fascinated with the history of building in the US, but this one really got to me. It is within yards of a neighborhood … (8 comments)
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rehab: Water Damage. - 06/22/10 07:28 PM
The owner of this property called me and ask that I do a simple check on the condition of the house and yard. I get this fairly frequently from out of town investors. Having bought the property last fall they did little more that winterize the drains and blow out the water lines to prevent freezing. This was a new client (who had bought the house at auction) for me so I told him what my "Investors Inspection" consisted of and he agreed to it.
The front didn't look all that bad, but as I proceeded around the house things … (7 comments)
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rehab: I had soooo much fun with this one. - 12/14/08 12:18 AM
When I got to the inspection I found no one there yet (Lets be fair, I was 15 minutes early). So as per usual I started walking around the house. I was a bit puzzled by the arrangement of the windows (they usually denote the different floors.
As you can see the windows don't line up across the back of the house.
Well, after the windows my eye noticed a blue tarp on the roof stretching from one side to the other. I thought, "this is not going to be simple".
Once around the front again the investor there greeted me and … (27 comments)
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rehab: For those that think they had a bad day (Follow UP) - 11/23/08 12:23 AM
I wanted to post the second house in the series of homes on this street and the street behind it. This was somewhat different than the first and hadn't been broken into yet. Of course, it is just a matter of time. It may be interesting to some just because it is right across the street.
The first picture is of the neighborhood. You'll see why I said it was a quiet looking and well kept area. The second is of the house I inspected, it's the one on the left.
Here's the living room and kitchen. What a stark … (46 comments)
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rehab: For those that think they had a bad day. - 11/20/08 11:58 PM
Firstly, I'm not really complaining. I took my business the direction I wanted and at this point it has worked out better financially than other alternatives. Today I arrived on the street where I had 2 inspections 3 houses apart and was surprised by the neat, well kept, and seemingly well maintained neighborhood. Not many of the inspections I do could be said to exist in pristine areas of the region I service.
The first of the 2 I had to do was boarded up (which should have been a hint), but a representative of the owner obtained access. Here's some of … (18 comments)
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rehab: Think they might have a problem IV - 11/07/08 11:51 PM
Here I go again, sorting through pictures from old inspections (within 6 months) I came across one that I thought might be good for "Think they might have a problem".
Very few rules, just tell me one of the problems you see in this laundry/furnace/utility room. There should be plenty for all to go around, I spent a little time in this room during the inspection. This is a recently rehabed house that had been done by a few 'let's rehab a house' guys. After the football or baseball game on Saturday or Sunday they were bored so they decided to make … (13 comments)
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rehab: The Remodel from ......... a What's Wrong Here. - 09/20/08 11:48 PM
The picture below is just one in a series of a 120 year old house that is going through a renavation. I walked into the basement took three pictures and left. On my way out I informed the young super that he really should shut down and report to his boss what needed to be down before they could resume work.
Here is one of the pictures of the basement ceiling. I am going to give you one issue that I found and let everyone add from there. Remember this is a renovation, so they have to fix everything that doesn't … (6 comments)
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rehab: This for now. - 06/02/08 12:07 AM
Though I have written numerous technical reports, inspection reports and even a few resumes, this is my first attempt at a blog. In the future I plan to write some meaningful, exceedingly helpful, fact-filled essay that I will congratulate myself on for years (or at least months), but in the meantime I'll settle for this.
Four years ago I decided to change gears, so to speak, and become a home inspector. I had been a rehab/restoration/investor/plumber/engineer for a long time prior to that and now I wanted to do something that was different but the same. Staying in the Real Estate arena … (7 comments)
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