First, let me acknowledge that this blog will be viewed by some as being controversial. In my opinion, I think it is educational. I want to be clear that I am not accusing ALL real estate agents and home inspectors of wrong doing. But, with any group of people there is going to be those bad apples.
Most home buyers know that a home inspection is a good idea, they just do not know which home inspector to choose. There are a few resources that can be used to find a good home inspector. Some resources are real estate agents, friends, family, lawyers, mortgage brokers, and the internet. This is not an all inclusive list, but gives you a general idea of the resources available.
Home buyers have a lot to do when trying to purchase a home, sometimes it can be overwhelming. The real estate agent many times offers a few names of home inspectors or home inspection companies to the buyer. This can appear to be a beneficial service for the buyer. The problem with this is that the agent and others involved in the home buying process have a vested interest in the buyer purchasing the home, this presents a conflict of interest in my opinion. Why is the agent referring a certain home inspector(s)? Some agents refer certain inspectors because they feel that the inspector will not "kill the deal".
The derogatory phrase "Deal Killer" is used by real estate agents to describe those home inspectors who are objective and provide the buyer with an inspection report which may cause the buyer to renegotiate or cancel the purchase of a property. Many real estate agents believe that the home inspector "Kills the Deal", when in fact, it is the condition(s) of the house that kills the deal. It is the classic "kill the messenger" mentality. Real estate agents believe this hurts their ability to earn income. Real estate agents will use a number of tactics to control which inspector that you select. Be wary of the agent who objects to your desire to use an inspector that they have not referred. Their objection is your clue that your desire to use a different home inspector is the right thing to do.
Some home inspectors are willing to minimize issues that are found with a house so as to not "kill the deal" in order to gain more referrals from the agent. The agents learn which inspectors are willing to minimize issues and will continue to refer them. Some home inspectors are related to or married to the agent, and do not disclose this to the buyers.
Home inspectors are the only service providers involved in the home buying process that do not benefit when a buyer purchases the home. We benefit before the purchase is complete. My job is to inform and educate you on the condition of the home, then you decide what you want to do.
My advice is to search for a home inspector before, or at least, at the same time you begin to search for the other services needed to purchase a home. Talk to family and friends, co-workers, search the internet and interview potential inspectors. Remember, you have the right and responsibility to choose your home inspector.
First, let me acknowledge that this blog will be viewed by some as being controversial. In my opinion, I think it is educational. I want to be clear that I am not accusing ALL real estate agents and home inspectors of wrong doing. But, with any group of people there is going to be those bad apples.
Most home buyers know that a home inspection is a good idea, they just do not know which home inspector to choose. There are a few resources that can be used to find a good home inspector. Some resources are real estate agents, friends, family, lawyers, mortgage brokers, and the internet. This is not an all inclusive list, but gives you a general idea of the resources available.
Home buyers have a lot to do when trying to purchase a home, sometimes it can be overwhelming. The real estate agent many times offers a few names of home inspectors or home inspection companies to the buyer. This can appear to be a beneficial service for the buyer. The problem with this is that the agent and others involved in the home buying process have a vested interest in the buyer purchasing the home, this presents a conflict of interest in my opinion. Why is the agent referring a certain home inspector(s)? Some agents refer certain inspectors because they feel that the inspector will not "kill the deal".
The derogatory phrase "Deal Killer" is used by real estate agents to describe those home inspectors who are objective and provide the buyer with an inspection report which may cause the buyer to renegotiate or cancel the purchase of a property. Many real estate agents believe that the home inspector "Kills the Deal", when in fact, it is the condition(s) of the house that kills the deal. It is the classic "kill the messenger" mentality. Real estate agents believe this hurts their ability to earn income. Real estate agents will use a number of tactics to control which inspector that you select. Be wary of the agent who objects to your desire to use an inspector that they have not referred. Their objection is your clue that your desire to use a different home inspector is the right thing to do.
Some home inspectors are willing to minimize issues that are found with a house so as to not "kill the deal" in order to gain more referrals from the agent. The agents learn which inspectors are willing to minimize issues and will continue to refer them. Some home inspectors are related to or married to the agent, and do not disclose this to the buyers.
Home inspectors are the only service providers involved in the home buying process that do not benefit when a buyer purchases the home. We benefit before the purchase is complete. My job is to inform and educate you on the condition of the home, then you decide what you want to do.
My advice is to search for a home inspector before, or at least, at the same time you begin to search for the other services needed to purchase a home. Talk to family and friends, co-workers, search the internet and interview potential inspectors. Remember, you have the right and responsibility to choose your home inspector.
This morning I went to the eye doctor for my annual check up. I was driving home feeling good that all is well with my eyeballs, and thinking about fixing the brakes on my daughters bicycle. I get a few houses away from my house, and I noticed something about my house that just made me say, UGH!!!! It is that time of year again. ALREADY!?!? When you think about doing something twice a year it seems pretty easy. But, when it is this. it seems like just yesterday that it was done. If I let it go it can lead to all kinds of problems like water in my basement, rising damp in the exterior brick work, efflorescence, insects and other issues. Whenever I perform a home inspection I suggest to the clients that they perform this maintenance twice a year to avoid the issues already stated. Here is what I saw.....
I received a phone call just a few minutes ago from a prospective (hopefully) client. It got me thinking that I should blog this issue. She is looking at a house in Markham, Illinois. She wants to have the house inspected, but her husband said it didn't need to be inspected because the city of Markham requires that the home be inspected by the city inspector, for a $60 fee of course. She wanted to know the difference in the inspections. I told her that the "city inspector is basically going to check for code issues, will probably do the inspection without them present, would most likely only spend about 30 minutes on site, they would receive no education about the systems or components of the house, and that a code inspection does not necessarily mean best practice or safe". A home inspector is a different animal.
Home inspectors may, but are not required to perform a code inspection. But, more importantly, a home inspection is not a code inspection. It is about educating the client about the condition of the home and the components. I will give you an example, the city of Chicago requires that all electrical conductors be installed in metal conduit. Other cities in Illinois do not require this, non-metal clad conductors can be used. Is one way safer than the other? Do the laws of physics work differently in Chicago than other cities? Probably not, the point is that code is dependent upon the municipality. Home Inspectors are more concerned about safety, the condition of the components, and how likely systems will fail. There are other issues that are addressed, but those are the three major areas in my opinion.
If something is code but not safe or best practice, I tell the client that it doesn't matter if it is code. Code means that it is the bare minimum that needed to be done. Using our electrical example above, metal conduit is code in Chicago. This means that most installs will not have a ground wire because the metal conduit acts as the ground conductor. But, best practice would be to install a ground wire anyway. It is safer, and in the case of the metal conduit disconnecting for any reason, it keeps that ground source connected. A city inspector will just check on a sheet of paper that the metal conduit is present, a home inspector goes further.
The real difference is the education. The home inspector will spend an average of at least 2-3 hours performing the inspection with the client present. The client can ask questions and have issues addressed in real time, learn about the systems, an get an unbiased report of the condition.
Many home inspectors advertise that they preform re-inspections. This service seems to generate several questions from both real estate agents and clients; What is a re-inspection? Why have a re-inspection? Why do you offer free re-inspections? I will try to offer my opinion on how the industry answers these questions and how I answer them.
A re-inspection is when you have a home inspector come back and inspect a property that the home inspector has already inspected for a fee. This is an inspection that can range from component(s) to the whole house, to identify whether defects or issues have been corrected, or just to re-evaluate the property. Any inspection services that were not performed during the original inspection usually are not included, but may be added for a fee at the clients request. Now, the important part of this is that you have the SAME home inspector perform the re-inspection, as performed the original home inspection. If you were to call a home inspector to perform a re-inspection on a property that they did not perform a home inspection on previously, you will not be getting a re-inspection but a home inspection. This of course will cost extra dollars.
Whether you are the buyer or the seller, re-inspections are a great way to determine if an issue that was cited in the original home inspection has had the appropriate corrections. The service is usually limited to the services or components from the original inspection. Some inspectors will only re-inspect the noted defected items. Any additional services would be available for a fee. Some home inspectors offer free re-inspections, some charge a fee. Some home inspection companies may offer "free re-inspections" that may not be free. The inspection part is free, but they will charge a mileage fee, or a fee for weekends, or a fee for after hours. These fees can range from $25 to $150. To be clear, I am not saying that home inspectors that charge these fees are doing anything wrong, it is perfectly legitimate to charge such fees. I am only suggesting that when you are inquiring about hiring a home inspector; that this question be considered along with all the other questions you will ask.
I offer free re-inspections for one year from the date of the original home inspection.The free re-inspection not only covers any issues that were corrected, but it includes any future home inspections during that year that you may want. This is especially helpful if you have a warranty on your house that will expire within the one year free re-inspection time frame; call me at about the tenth or eleventh month of the warranty and I can help you identify any issues. This saves you money because home inspectors, as do I, charge for home warranty inspections as a separate service. I do not charge a mileage fee, after hour fee, weekend fee or any other fee.
I offer free re-inspections for several reasons.
1) You have already paid me to inspect the property, and had an issue(s) corrected based on my opinion.
2) If I were to charge you for the re-inspection, it would create what I believe to be a conflict of interest. What I mean is this; I remove the possibility that I told you that there was an issue so that I could come back and do a re-inspection and charge you a fee.
3) Many questions and issues will only become apparent after living in a home for a period of time. I will already be familiar with your home, and will be able to offer a more educated opinion based on my previous knowledge of your home.
4) Not providing free re-inspections would be like doing only half the job.
The EPA has designated January as "Radon Action Month". This of course is to help raise awarenss of the effrects of Radon. For more information from the EPA click here http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/.
Radon is a Radioactive Gas Radon-222 is the decay product of radium-226. Radon-222 and its parent, radium-226, are part of the long decay chain for uranium-238. Since uranium is essentially ubiquitous in the earth's crust, radium-226 and radon-222 are present in almost all rock and all soil and water. Radon is a radioactive element that is part of the radioactive decay chain of naturally occurring uranium in soil. You can't see radon. You can't smell radon and you can't taste radon. Unlike carbon monoxide and many other home pollutants, radon's adverse health effect, lung cancer, is usually not produced immediately. Thus you may be exposed to radon for many years without ever suspecting its presence in your home. The USEPA action level for radon is 4.0 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). The risk of developing lung cancer at 4.0 pCi/L is estimated at about 7 lung cancer deaths per 1000 persons. That is why USEPA and IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) recommends reducing your radon level if the concentration is 4.0 pCi/L or more. Lung cancer in humans arising from radon exposure is recognized by the following health and environmental organizations:
American Medical Association
U.S. Surgeon General
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Public Health Service
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Disease Control
National Academy of Science
National Cancer Institute
World Health Organization
You Should Test for Radon While scientists can estimate the approximate lung cancer deaths per 1000 people, no single individual's risk can be estimated. Testing is relatively inexpensive, easy and is the only way to know whether you are at risk.
If you are involved in a real estate transaction in Illinois, read the IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions. Radon testing in real estate transactions, which involve multiple parties and financial interests, is unique, and specific testing protocols are required.
Controlling Radon Exposure Radon reduction techniques are used to stop radon entry and reduce indoor radon concentrations. Hiring a licensed Radon Mitigation Professional is the best way to reduce your indoor radon concentrations.
There are some older brass gas connectors (lines) that can cause injury or death. The connectors have not been made for at least 20 years, but some are still in use. The way the tubing was joined to the end pieces has a flaw that may cause gas leaks, fires, or explosions. You will recognize the the flawed brass connector because it is all brass in color (tubing and end pieces). If you are not sure if you have the connector in question, replace it anyway. They should be replaced IMMEDIATELY with a new plastic coated brass or stainless steel connector.
I am wondering about the scoring system.I noticed that when I post a blog I get 200 or 225 points. What makes it worth those amounts and why aren't they all worth 225? Then I saw that points are added to the blog over time. What causes that to happen? I like the additional points...I am just curious as to where the additional points come from. Does the amunt of groups that you post to make a difference? Does it depend on how many people view your blog?
I got no clue. But I posted some of my points to illustrate my dilemma.
This is a copy of an email sent to me by a friend. It is unaltered. Please do not blame me for the grammar and spelling. THIS IS WHAT BUSH MIGHT SAY IF HE WERE TO QUIT.
Bush quits ----- President Bush's address to the nation
Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.' Not doing it this time.
If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office. The reason I am is simple. I'm fed up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security. We face real threats in the world.
Don't give me this 'blood for oil' thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied...People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.
Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office.
Some guy named 'Clinton' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
Now some of you morons want to be led by a junior senator with no understanding of foreign policy or economics, and this nitwit says we should attack Pakistan, a nuclear ally. And then he wants to go to Iran and make peace with a terrorist who says he's going to destroy us. While he's doing that, he wants to give Iraq to al Qaeda, Afghanistan to the Taliban, Israel to the Palestinians, and your money to the IRS so the government can give welfare to illegal aliens, who he will make into citizens, so they can vote to re-elect him. He also thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and we should stop our foreign aid to Israel. Did you sleep through high school?
You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them. That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you, and the bastards are all over the globe.
You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that.
When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.' Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.
Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well Fed Ex a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.
In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Dancing with Stars.
I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.
I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.
So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.
Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.
So that's it. God bless what's left of America.
Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.
PS - You might want to start learning Farsi, and buy a Koran.
Having a security alarm system for your home is a good idea. Having signs that advertise that you have an alarm system is a good idea----MAYBE!! Thieves are looking for an easy target, they will bypass your home if you have a sign publicizing that you have an alarm system, SOMETIMES. Having signs posted is a good time for the "less is more theory". When you have a sign that advertises the BRAND of alarm system, you have just told the thief how to disarm your system. The schematics of security alarm systems are available through many sources, and the professional thief will use these sources. One source is the internet, another is an employee of the alarm system company. Thieves will actually pay the employee for a copy of the schematic. Now the thief knows how to defeat your system.
The best way to deter a thief and make it more difficult for them to defeat your system is to use a GENERIC SIGN, like the sign on the right, the one on the left tells the thief which schematic he needs. I tell my clients to change the signs to generic.
This sign is no good!! This sign is better!!!!
*THE BRINKS SIGN IS USED TO ILLUSTRATE A POINT ONLY.
"Not just an Inspection, an Education". Home Inspections in Orland Park, Tinley Park, Frankfort, New Lenox, Oak Forest, Palos Heights, and surrounding Illinois cities and villages.
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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