Thermal Imaging for Home Inspection is here to stay, like it or not...
It is vast becoming a hugely talked about Industry. Thermal Imaging, Infrared, Thermography, Air Tightness and so much more within the Home Inspection Buisiness. I have seen many talk about it and few actually following thru due to increased costs of equipment, expanded time on the property and potential clients un-educated to appreciate the costs.
So where does the real estate agent stand? I'm hoping for some serious feedback, considering the recent purchase of some $28,000.00 in cameras and their components recently. Thermal Image tests are important quality control measures when building or renovating a house. Heat losses in buildings can account for up to 50% of the total energy consumption and comes from air leakage through chimneys, attics, wall vents and badly sealed windows/doors, stucco etc.
Moisture control problems are just a tip of the iceburg. The recent mass production of ram shakkle stucco homes thru-out the state show considerable defects in insulation, poor workmanship, amateure materials and more. Track homes were built in mass with over worked inspectors, shady trades working by "the piece" furiously trying to finish and get paid. Where does it leave us? Everything looks grand from the exterior, however when peeling back the sheets of this fiasco of building, many deficiencies are uncovered. Should we keep our mouth shut, after-all it is supposed to be "non-evasive" & "non destructive" inspecting.
Cost? Affordable! Extremely affordable. For a few hundred bucks we can show you where the house can save that and tenfold more by simply chasing the losses. Then go figure how much you save with a solar panel. I recently attended a 3 day seminar at ASU with a new start up trying just that. It is expected that savings wouldn't kick in for 20 years by going solar! What a joke. I say, invite us in and show you your losses directly. I didn't like that, I mean show you the potential gains.
All new buildings must meet air tightness requirements of the Building Regulations. By reducing air leakage, you will obtain a better comfort in the building. The building can also be heated more efficiently to conserve energy and save money.
Detection and Visualisation of Air Infiltration and Exfiltration
Adequate air exchange is essential for the occupants' health and safety, but most buildings have a far higher rate of air exchange than is necessary. The root cause is often poor design and/or construction which allows air leakage from the inside of outside of the building, or the opposite. The leakage pathway is often complex and, without thermal imaging, extremely difficult to visualize. This also allows the contractors to quickly identify and repair the problem areas to stop the energy loss immediately.
Improved Energy Efficiency
To identify areas of energy waste infrared imaging has quickly become a valued tool in identifying problems related to energy loss, missing insulation, inefficient HVAC systems, radiant heating, water damage on roofs, and much more. A thermal imaging camera identifies patterns of heat loss that are invisible to the naked eye. Thermal imaging will quickly indicate the air leaks within a property and measurement data are easily compiled into a report.
Professional home inspectors and energy auditors here at Target Building Inspections are using leading-edge infrared technology from FLIR to perform energy auditing of homes and buildings to improve energy efficiency, thus leading to savings on energy costs.
This might date me somewhat but I want to draw your attention to an event that happened with very little fanfare of discussion. It is a further example of the change that surrounds us daily and how it goes unnoticed.
November 17, 2009 marked the end of the FHA Streamline refi. Although technically we still have a FHA Streamline product here are a few of the changes:
Old FHA Streamline allowed for No appraisal, no max LTV, no income verification, no asset verification, credit scores unimportant, fast closings. If you had an FHA mortgage and wanted to lower your payment without going through the entire verification process you could. It was a very consumer friendly product.
New FHA Streamline allows for a new appraisal (not required but "advised"), 97.75% max LTV, income verification, asset verification, credit scores do matter, must be able to qualify, no fast closings.
In 1988 FHA eliminated its non-owner occupied loans. Then in December 1989 FHA eliminated its non-qualifying assumable mortgage. I can remember the discussions that took place among loan officers, how this would change the landscape of FHA loans, the advantages of FHA mortgages. Well, 20 years later it turned out FHA probably did the right thing and the program has continued to assist buyers with limited cash on hand and good credit. Somehow I can't help but think the impact of the "New FHA Streamline" will have a different affect. How different, only time will tell.
The New GFE and HUD-1 are coming, make no mistake about that. Regardless of what you have heard about delays, changes, or my personal fav "this will never happen" get ready...it is happening and it is happening January 1, 2010. As a Realtor what do you need to do in order to be prepared for these changes?
In order to keep this simple and in the spirit of the length of a blog I am going to give you some tips I think are important to navigate the potential dangerous waters ahead.
First, the New GFE puts a tremendous amount of responsibly on the loan officer to give the customer an accurate quote. Ask you loan officer these questions:
1. If he or she is prepared for the New GFE?
2. What training they have been receiving?
3. Are they prepared to sit down and explain it to you?
4. Have the received the software changes or do they know when they will?
5. If they are a mortgage broker have they heard from their network of lenders on how they want the New GFE completed?
6. If your loan officer seems to not know what you are talking about, please look for another loan officer.
With the New GFE and HUD-1 there will be confusion, make no mistake about that. If confusion exist, and it will, that does not mean you should shop your loan officer. What you are looking for is making sure your loan officer is aware of these changes, have heard of these changes, and is being trained about these changes. If these things are occurring then your loan officer is doing as well as any of can right now.
Check This Out. At last check these zip codes 29150(Sumter), 29201,(Columbia), 29203(Columbia), 29405 (Charleston), 29601 (Greenville), 29603(Greenville), 29624 (Anderson) are all in HUDs revitalization areas which means that Teachers, Police Officers and Firefighters/Emergency Medical Technicians can utilize the Good Neighbor Next Door Program to buy HUD homes for 50% off. They may use FHA, VA or Conventional (keep in mind that all property requirements per loan type stand firm and HUD will not do any repairs)
You may also wish to contact a HUD approved housing counseling agency in your area for unbiased and free counseling on your particular situation. You can find a list of these agencies at http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hccprof14.cfm
Just a quick blog to personally thank and welcome Boeing to NorthCharleston! The 3,000 new jobs will go a long way to helping our local economy...to say the least.
If this is something you are interested in...please don't call me.
You could, however, visit AnnualCreditReport.com, pull a free report and start the process of rebuilding your good credit.
Across the country there are many state agencies that can walk you through the process of rebuilding your credit, help you to develop and live by a budget and prepare you to eventually buy your own home.
Always make sure that you are working with a HUD ApprovedHousing Councelor before you hand over ANY money or sign ANY contract for services. Here in South Carolina a great place to start is Family Services, Inc.
Do you suspect your bad credit scores are the result of identity theft? If so, the FTC has wonderful resources about how to proceed if you suspect identity theft.
If you feel you have been the victim of discrimination or unfair business practices you can contact...
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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