Mike 's Blog

Tell the oil companies where to go!

2008-07-03T07:32:36Z

After responding to a previous post on gas prices and their effect on our economy and businesses, I decided to do some researching for what is coming down the pipe in the next few years as far as more fuel efficient vehicles and other alternatives. I am guessing that the majority of Inspectors drive trucks of some sort. I personally drive an F150 4.6 Ex cab w/ ladder racks. I do know of a few Inspectors who have went to the more fuel efficient small foreign cars and are somehow able to shove all of their equipment into the back. Personally that is just not an option. I am a truck man, and will always be a truck man.

So in my search, I found that Ford is rumored to be producing an F150 that is supposed to get 60 mpg by using hydraulic energy as a gas saving solution. However, Ford is not confirming this and as of right now it is only a rumor. Knowing the giant American companies, they will eventually come out with this but it will probably take them 5-10 years to do so.

I continued on my quest and lo and behold, I actually found an electric truck made right here in the good ol USA (Ontario, CA.) that will be available to the public in 2010. A bit pricey at 45,000 and the bed isn't as large as one would like, BUT it is a truck and it is total electric, 0-60 in less than 10 seconds, top speed of 95mph, Plugs into a regular 220 receptacle, and goes on a charge for over 100 miles!! Supposedly when it hits the consumer market in 2010, it will have two batteries that will allow it to go 300 miles on one charge. On top of those things, it's also a cool looking little truck. Not like some of the other funky looking electric cars and trucks out there with three wheels. I went ahead and put in my reservation for one when these become available, and in the event that Ford continues to sit on their hands.

For anyone else who might be interested, check out the Phoenix SUT and the company at http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/index.php. They are currently taking reservations for the 2010 model. I talked to them a couple of days ago, and they told me the waiting list is already nearing a year, and is growing everyday!

All I can say is, It's about time!!

The 2010 Phoenix SUT

Home Inspector Convention

2008-06-10T13:04:02Z

Hey everyone, The 13th annual Inspection Expo 2008 - Changing Course in Changing Times, will be held October 20-22, 2008 at the Rio All-Suites Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Early bird registration going on now (save 200.00). The Rio is also providing attendees a special room rate of 139.00 per night. If you want to stay longer, they are honoring that price up to 3 days before and 3 days after the convention. My wife and I are making an 8 day vacation out of it. Best of all, the majority of it is tax deductible.

What better place to gain more knowledge, obtain CE credits and have a great time. I just signed up today.

For more information visit http://www.home-inspect.com/expo/

An excellent resource to learn more about the Inspection process

2008-06-09T12:18:06Z

I would like to share with all of you my absolute favorite show on cable television. It also just so happens to be an excellent resource of information for buyers and sellers alike to become more familiar with the Home Inspection process. I feel it would be especially beneficial for first time home buyers to watch prior to their search. After watching this show a few times, it will give you some insight to the process involved in buying a home and having it inspected. It is sure to open some eyes.

Check out:

HOUSE DETECTIVE

Saturday mornings at 8:00am
Only on

Heatmor outdoor furnace

2008-05-08T14:42:46Z

Hey guys, I need some help on this one. I have an inspection this Saturday. The home was built in 1910 and has an outdoor Heatmor Furnace. I have not ran across one of these before and was wondering if anyone could shed a little light on how to inspect it, or what to look for?? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys!!

Please take care of your home

2008-04-25T09:08:44Z

Hey all,

Yesterday I did an inspection on a 1991 two story home. It was a fairly expensive home that really wasn't taken care of very well by the current owners. The overall curb appeal and interior of the home seemed very inviting, however the closer I got, the more neglect I saw.

Fascia and trim boards rotting out and just painted over.
Rotted out window sills also just painted over.
Broken seals on windows.
Original A/C Unit, Furnace and Water Heater.
The A/C units vents were damaged beyond recognition. All of the fins looked as though someone had taken a butter knife and flattened them all out.
Missing insulation on the condensor lines.
The furnace and water heater were both barely hanging on to service the current residents.
Walking around the poured slab foundation I noticed gobs and gobs of silicone squished into fairly large cracks.
In testing the receptacles, 2 outlets were found with open grounds.
Up in the attic, the exhaust vents from the bathrooms were allowed to just lay on top of the insulation and exhaust into the attic instead of the roof.
The ridge vent was covered by the roofing paper down the entire seam making for very minimal ventilation.
The current owner had replaced all of the bathroom fixtures, and they looked very nice, however none of the drain pulls worked due to poor installation method.

The list goes on and on....and this home is ONLY 17 years old!

It seems to me that a lot of people just move into a home, use it for all it is worth without maintaining anything. Then they decide to sell the home, they "slap some lipstick on a pig" and call it good to go. Then the Inspector comes in and notates all of the items that are in need of repair or replacement, and all of a sudden everyone is unhappy with the Inspector.???? I realize that it all comes with the territory, but if the seller of a home just took the time and the little bit of effort it takes to maintain the home, 1) It would certainly sell a lot faster and 2) would help avoid some of the emotional roller coaster effect that comes with selling a home. A properly maintained home is everyones dream, and a home in need of lots of work is everyones nightmare.

I am sure the seller would want the same courtesy in their new home. So take care of your home people. Properly maintain it and you will get more enjoyment out of your home, and come selling time, more money out of it, and less headaches at the closing table for doing so.

Soaking the Home Inspector

2008-03-27T15:03:36Z

I just read a recent post here on A.R. that prompted me to write this.

Does it ever seem to any of you that EVERYONE and their mother is out to soak the home inspector? Surely it cant be just me. I am bombarded with phone calls and emails everyday from solicitors offering me everything from top placement on Google and Yahoo for 359.00 (which are all total scams) to offering me marketing cd's and tapes for 485.00. Where does it end? I have had actual Real Estate offices call me and act like they are all interested in me and my business only to find out they just want me to fork out 600.00 just to be on their list. (Keller Williams in particular). I have had people contact me telling me they will put together an email marketing plan for me at the mere price of 850.00.

Quite honestly I am afraid to answer my phone anymore. It is absolutely ridiculous. I actually did a search on Google just 15 minutes ago for "home inspector marketing" 853,000 hits came up!! WOW!! Even here on A.R. They are all over the place, just trying to squeeze every dollar out of our wallets. Calling themselves "coaches" or "Marketing strategists" guaranteeing to increase your business by a thousand percent for a thousand dollars. It amazes me how saturated this industry is with these kinds of people. It is sickening.

Now I am not saying that some of these programs don't work, I am sure some of them actually do, but good lord almighty, whatever happened to old school, balls to the wall self marketing?

To test or not to test?

2008-03-24T13:29:56Z

So I have decided to actually ask a real question related to home inspections rather than continue to harp on the conflict of interest thing (at least for a little while :-)

My question relates to the testing of Radon as an added service to the regular home inspections. I already do Mold testing, and WDI inspections and thought for a while about adding Radon monitoring. Now I have seen these Siren pro series 3 continuous Radon monitors selling on the Internet for 119.95. I have also seen my competition charging upwards to 250.00 for a 48 hour Radon test. My question is this...Why would a client pay 250.00 for a one time Radon test, when they can buy these monitors for 119.95 and monitor Radon in the home all year long?

I am not so sure I could sleep at night if I added Radon testing to my services because of this. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Am I missing something? Is there a difference?

Peace

Safety Siren Pro Series 3 Radon Gas Detector Monitor

Fight the good fight

2008-03-10T08:26:04Z

I have decided to post this blog across all areas of Active Rain due to the seriousness of this issue. There have been many posts on here concerning this issue and it has brought up a great deal of controversial opinions from both sides. (Realtors and Inspectors). The fact that there are so many different opinions concerning this matter should only illustrate how big of a problem this really is. There have been a select few of us here on A,R that have been trying to convey this message to everyone and help them all understand the importance of this issue. What I am speaking of is the Inherit conflict of Interest between Realtors and Home Inspectors.

There is another post here on A.R. that concerns this very issue called "Are we next". In that post (down the page) is a link to an article of a new law trying to get passed in Kansas. I will post it here for those of you who have not seen it.

http://cjonline.com/stories/031008/opi_255434546.shtml

It appears that the Realtors there are actually trying to take control over the inspection Industry legally, and I think it is time we all try and do something about it.

I have already sent out this letter to my 3 state representatives, 2 congressmen, the Mayor and the Governor of the state of Indiana. I URGE anyone and everyone out there who feels the same way to do the same. It only takes a few minutes of time to do so. All you need to do is Yahoo or Google " State representative and your state" It took me a total of 15 minutes to type this up and copy and paste to my representatives. This is our bread and butter people, and we need to stand up and do something about the injustice in this industry, before we are on the wrong end of the stick. If we all just sit around and do nothing about this, we will have no one else to blame but ourselves.

Please feel free to copy and paste my letter to your state representative.

Mr Steve Buyer,

I am writing to you to express my concern over the conflict of interest that exists between real estate agents and home inspectors. I would like to see some kind of law entered in Indiana that would prohibit real estate agents/brokers from being able to recommend home inspectors to their clients.

The reason being is that agents have a vested interest in the sale of a property. The current norm is they hand out a list of 3 recommended home inspectors to their clients. Not in all cases, but in MANY, the inspectors on that list have either paid money to be on the list, or they are known as being "soft" so that the sale of the property goes through, the agents get their commissions, and the home inspector gets to remain on the list. Either way it is a serious code of ethics violation on both parties.

There is, in my opinion a great conflict of interest with the way the current system is. The biggest problem is that the real estate agents already act as if they own the inspection industry (they certainly have a huge influence on which inspectors get the most work) and now they are even trying to pass a law in Kansas #HB2315 that would give THEM certain control over the inspection industry. That is wrong. A home inspector's duty is to act as an independent, unbiased and objective third party and provide pertinent information to his/her client (usually the buyer) during a real estate transaction.

Being an independent home inspector myself, this is an issue of great concern for me and my family. Anything you could do to bring this to the forefront would greatly be appreciated by me as well as my peers that share the same belief.

Thank you for your time.

Mike Chamberlain
MC2 Home Inspections
317-605-3432

Foreclosure Inspections?

2008-02-13T12:09:32Z

Hey everyone, I have a question,

After reading Scotts post about surviving when it's slow, I thought a little bit about Foreclosure inspections. This seemed to make sense to me since I live in Indiana and we are ranked numero uno in Foreclosures. I came across this website the other day http://www.foreclosurebankinspector.com/ and being the sceptic that I am, wasn't sure if this was a scam or not. I was wondering is anyone else either has seen this, knows about this, or has done this before. Is this for real?

Thanks for any feedback

Mike Chamberlain
MC2 Home Inspections
www.mc2inspections.com

Wild goose chase?

2008-01-25T09:42:48Z

O.K. So I get this call on Tuesday from a woman asking me to inspect a home that she is considering buying. It was a little home, waaaayyyyyyy out in the country, probably, oh about 30-35 miles outside of my service area, but I figured well, it's a little slow right now, what the heck, I'll go ahead and do it. I took all of her information down, name, phone number etc. Then got the skinny on the house, a 1936 1 1/2 story home with a basement, approx 1200 sq ft. out in BFE. I got the address from her and repeated it several times to make sure, as it was one of "those" addresses, you know like, 105236 N. E. County Rd. 6000 W. SE. Confirmed everything for Thursday and I was good to go.

Thursday comes, I get the truck all ready and gassed up for my 1 1/2 hour jaunt to the country. I've got my Yahoo map printout with complete step by step directions on how to get there....and I'm off. An hour and a half later as I am driving down this gravel road in the middle of a cornfield, I began to get a sinking feeling in my stomach that something wasn't right. Oh I found the road all right and there actually were some homes out here. Only problem was, that none of them had the address that I was looking for. Oh I found the before address, and the after address, but what was in between was a cornfield.

So after making crop circles for about 1/2 hour, I called the client to verify everything, only to get their answering machine. So I left a very nice, professional message stating that I was out in the middle of nowhere, making crop circles, and could not locate their house, PLEASE call me back. Another 1/2 hour, 45 minutes later, no call back, having gone down every gravel road, getting stuck in a mud pit for 15 minutes, burned a half a tank of gas,and a 1/2 pack of cigarettes later, I decided to give up the fight and drag my weary behind back to the city.

I get back home, tired, beaten down, and needing a car wash badly to get all of the mud and corn husks off the side of my truck. I get greeted by my wonderful wife (god bless having a wonderful woman by your side) who was the voice of reason, telling me it could have been worse, and things weren't all THAT bad. And she was right.

Fast forward to this morning, I check my phone and I have a voice mail. Can you guess who it was? You got it, my clients husband calling me back 5 1/2 hours after the inspection was to take place. Sounding angry he told me that they waited at the house for 2 hours for me and proceeded to tell me how unhappy he was with me. The next words out of his mouth just made my jaw drop, he said, and I quote...."If you call us back, we'll give you the right address this time and directions on how to get there, so lets do it tomorrow or Saturday. If you don't call me back, I'll just call someone else to do it"

Needless to say, they will be getting someone else to do this job.

Lessons learned from me?

Always call back and confirm appointment, address and phone number
Know your service area, and stick to it
When applied with mud, corn husks are an excellent alternative to bricks as a building material

Anyone else out there have a similar story? Please share.

Peace

Mike Chamberlain
MC2 Home Inspections, Indianapolis
http://www.mc2inspections.com/

Mold issues continue to spread

2008-01-10T06:25:23Z

I came across an interesting article concerning Mold lately, and I thought I would share it with everyone. Mold is becoming more and more prevelant in todays real estate transactions. As jury's continue to award damages to plaintifs across the country, it is only a matter of time until Mold really hits the forefront. I think it is in all of our best interests to become familiar with Mold, it's causes and effects as well as the inspection and remediation of it.

Homes have been razed and schools emptied in recent years, as Indiana residents and families nationwide increasingly attribute ill health and property damage to the phenomenon of mold.

Although mold in itself is nothing new, its contamination has become a financial and legal nightmare for property owners and insurance agents.

More than 10,000 mold-related lawsuits are pending across the country, and two jury awards given last year topped $30 million, according to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

Whether the result of media hype and zealous trial lawyers, or a legitimate increasing awareness of a long-overlooked health risk, fear of mold contamination has seeped into the nation's consciousness.

A handful of states, including Indiana, has proposed legislation to research mold and look at how to regulate it. The federal government also is examining the problem: the Centers for Disease Control recently commissioned the Institute of Medicine to study the health effects of mold exposure.

And the Indiana Chamber will sponsor its third symposium on mold in January, one of a handful of presentations sprouting across the state. The forums are for concerned homeowners and parents, health professionals and the businesses most likely to be affected by the costs of cleaning mold contamination.

"There has been a lot of hysteria about mold," said Jack Leonard, president of the Environmental Management Institute in Indianapolis, a nonprofit training corporation affiliated with Indiana University.

Health effects

Internet sites are filled with horror stories of "toxic mold" and inspectors willing to come in -- albeit for a hefty fee -- to clean the fungi.

Leonard dismissed much of the media attention and the dire health warnings about mold, however.

"None of the lawsuits have been won on basis of its proven health effects," he said. "Proving that you got sick from a specific toxin from a specific mold is beyond where the science on mold is today."

There are more than 100,000 species of mold -- a fungus that thrives in moisture and is not typically hazardous to healthy people -- according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

"Mold is everywhere; it is the most common life form in the world," said Dr. William Baker, an assistant professor and allergy specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Although it is well-documented that inhaling mold spores can worsen and cause both allergy and asthma symptoms, there is no medical proof that exposure to it results in more serious health problems, Baker said.

"All of the claims now on the Internet about mold, the memory loss, hemorrhaging, numbness -- there is just no cause and effect where those claims can be proven," he said. "Most of the claims are just not reliable complaints that we can attribute to mold exposure."

Helene Uhlman, administrator of the Hammond Health Department, said concerns about the health effects are not overblown.

"We are looking at a lot more children with asthma and allergies and at the same time learning a lot more about mold," she said. "We really didn't pay as much attention as we should have before. Now that we are finding out more and more, we know we underestimated the types and varieties of mold."

Although most experts cringe at the term "toxic mold," some molds do produce toxins.

A small group of molds -- including the notorious "black mold" called stachybotrys -- emit chemicals called mycotoxins. It is those chemicals that may be hazardous if they become airborne in large quantities.

However, all mold that is dark green or black is not the toxin-producing black mold.

For instance, the dark mold commonly found between bathroom tiles is not black mold, according to John Ruyack, program manager for the state health department's indoor and radiologic health division.

"There are toxic molds, but I wouldn't be concerned if I had a spot on the wall," he said. "But if I walked into my basement, and the entire wall was covered, I'd have serious problems.

"That would be a different story. (Mold problems) depend on levels and sensitivities," Ruyack said.

Lack of standards

That degree of uncertainty is partly why mold has become such a vexing problem.

Because there are so many different types of mold and people react so differently to them, there is not a certain level of contamination at which mold is deemed hazardous.

"Unlike lead or asbestos, there is no number to pinpoint as a marker, meaning that if your (property) is below this number you're safe," Leonard said. "There is no science that would support those kinds of guidelines."

And also unlike lead and asbestos, mold is not regulated by the state or federal government. But Leonard said the recent response to mold is reminiscent of the asbestos scare in the 1980s.

"There was initial panic and then people learned how to contain and manage it. I think mold will evolve in the same direction, but it's more of a problem," he said. "Mold is more complex to deal with than asbestos was, so it will take longer to get industry standards up and running."

In the meantime, disgruntled and sick homeowners may be left with mold damage to repair and lawsuits to be filed.

Mike Chamberlain,MICP
MC2 Home Inspections
http://www.mc2inspections.com/

Inspector vs Inspector

2008-01-04T14:49:00Z

O.K. what's the deal with Home Inspectors constantly dogging each other?

As I sift through the hundreds of Home Inspector groups and blogs on A.R. There is one constant I keep seeing over and over again, and that is, Inspector after Inspector ragging on other Inspectors for whatever reason. Oh this Inspector calls himself "Certified" and he is a hack, or don't fall for all of the Acronyms after their name, they went to school at the Leroy Brown school of Home Inspections, or any moron could have found that defect. Come on guys, stop the madness. It just turns my stomach to see so many people in our profession just acting like a bunch of little kids. Is everyone really THAT arrogant? Do most Inspectors REALLY think that they are the best, the almighty expert of everything and everyone else is just a cookie cutter?

If you live in a state like I do (Indiana), where you "HAVE" to be certified and licensed to be a home Inspector, it is NOT easy to become a Home Inspector, and you ARE going to tell people you are certified and licensed, because that is the law. To become an Inspector in these states is very hard, and it is quite an accomplishment when you do become one. I for one DO tell everyone I meet.."Yes I am certified and licensed" and I am darn proud to say so. I busted my tail to get where I am, and I will be doggone if I am going to let one of my peers call me some "hack" or say that I don't deserve to be in this business.

There is enough Jealousy and hatred in this world already, we do not need this kind of behavior in this profession. Yes, we are in some competition with others in our service area, but what gives one person the right to judge another in a derogatory manner just to make themselves look like they are the Messiah of Home Inspectors?

Instead what we should be doing is banning together, and help one another. Share ideas, and experiences so that we can continue to learn and provide superior service to our clients.

Peace

Mike J Chamberlain, MICP
MC2 Home Inspections
www.mc2inspections.com

MC2 Home Inspections Indianapolis

2008-01-03T11:40:21Z

We are a fully certified, licensed and insured home inspection company. Proudly serving all of Indianapolis, and surrounding areas. Locally owned and operated. Member of NSHI, IHINA and IIAQC. Also an accredited member of the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau and the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce. Offering full service residential home inspections. Easy to read, detailed reports with digital photos can be delivered or emailed in PDF format within 24 hrs. We are available 7 days a week, dawn till dusk for all of your inspection needs.

SERVICES OFFERED:

Residential Home Inspections
Pre-listing Home Inspections
Condominium Inspections
Builder Warranty Inspections
Real Estate Investor Inspections
Mold Inspections and Testing
Wood Destroying Pest Inspections
Water Testing
Lead Testing

Call today to schedule your inspection 317-605-3432 or visit us online at http://www.mc2inspections.com.

Mike Chamberlain, MICP
Owner/Chief inspector
MC2 Home Inspections
317-605-3432
www.mc2inspections.com