Garage Doors Can Change The Appearance of Your House - 05/28/10 04:29 PM
With warm weather months here, it's the perfect season for the annual ritual of performing a spruce up around your home. Planting gardens, improving the look of your lawn and maybe applying a fresh coat of paint to the window trims are on your to-do list. An appealing exterior offers an invaluable first impression to neighbors, friends, and - if you're trying to sell, which many do prior to the beginning of school in the fall - perspective buyers. In fact, small-scale exterior projects are the most profitable during resale, according to the 2009-10 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report by the … (2 comments)

Affordable Upgrades For Your House - 05/28/10 04:17 PM
Living on a budget is the norm, rather than the exception, in the current economy. Whether you're trying to entice potential homebuyers or just want to give your living space a quick spruce up, here are a few tips for making a big impact in the look of your home without breaking the bank: * Start small. Small improvements - like a fresh coat of paint or an attractive new floor - truly update a home because people's eyes tend to notice surface areas first. Experts agree that these upgrades make all the difference to prospective buyers as well. According to … (2 comments)

Wen All Else Fails Blame The Home Inspector - 05/06/10 10:15 PM
You know in 15 years of doing home inspections I though I has seen it all.  I was wrong.  We recommended caulking a tub which we probably recommend about 50% of the time.  Never had a problem in 15 year and over 20,000 home inspections.  Well today I got blamed for a leak for recommending that.  The following is the actual email I received from the listing agent.  I took out the names of the parties and the address for obvious reasons.  Other than that I haven't changed a thing and I promise I did not make this up.  Now unless … (2 comments)

Attention anyone east of Beverly Hills, CA - Are you familiar with Jed "Clamp-itt"'s work? - 05/05/10 09:54 PM

Via Joshua Frederick -Northwest Ohio Home Inspector (Home Inspector for ASPEC Residential Services, LLC):
You all remember good ole Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies, right? (I know you're whistling the tune right now). Well it appears that Jed's fortunes have run amuck and now Mr. "Clamp-itt" has had to take on another endeavor to make ends meet. He is now practicing as an electrician in the State of Ohio.
Now my dilemma is that I'm not familiar with his practices and need help uncovering the defects. Perhaps my electrical training hasn't been so good, because I'm not familiar with these wiring practices. So I … (1 comments)

What Every Realtor Should Know About Water Heaters - 05/05/10 09:41 PM
Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin explains water heaters with his kids. He talks about inspecting the water heater and the components, He talks about the TPR valve, the anode rod, the heating element, and the drain. If you have any questions about water heaters or home inspections, contact the pros at Home Inspection Carolina http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com … (0 comments)

Termite Found During A Home Inspection In Mint Hill - 05/05/10 05:27 PM
During a recent inspection in Mint Hill NC Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin found live termites during a recent home inspection. They were found in the garage. The termites had come up the expansion crack between the garage slab and the veneer wall. The termite had got into a cardboard box of tiles. The cardboard was celleouse so the termites like that. Termites come from the ground and have to return to the ground for moisture. Termite treatment involves treating all the soil adjacent to this Mint Hill house. The next time this house is inspected by a home inspector it … (0 comments)

How To Change a Garbage Disposal - 05/05/10 05:18 PM

Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin recently had to rplace his garbage disposal. He actually find garbage disposals that don't work all the time so he thought this would be a really good time to make a video. People ask him all the time about how to fix the garbage disposal after a problem has been found with them on the home inspection. For more information about home inspection in Charlotte North Carolina or on home inspectors go to http://www.charlottenchomeinspector.com
… (0 comments)

Watch Out For Unpermited Additions On Inspections - 05/05/10 05:12 PM
While at a home in Charlotte, NC Patrick Waddell finds what is most likely an unpermitted garage conversion. Often when people need more living space they convert a one or two car garage into heat / cooled living area. The problem is that becuase they can do all the work inside out of site, they never pull permits 95% of the time. This home was listed as a 4 bedroom house and the garage was being included as a bedroom. Here were some of the problems: You can not have a gas fired appliance in a bedroom. Even if the room … (0 comments)

Wide Spread Termite Damage Found on Charlotte Home - 05/05/10 04:47 PM
While at a home in Charlotte, NC Patrick Waddell found widespread termite damage in the house. Termites love to come up through the foundation wall and the concrete slab on stem wall foundations. They find the soft baseboard and start to eat there. They will work their way around the room often eating up to 1/16" away from the paint. Once they are done with that wood they will typically move into the walls and the framing. If you or someone you know needs a home inspection, please call us at 704-542-6575 http://www.askthecharlotteinspector.com … (0 comments)

Illegal Triple Tap Found on A Charlotte Home Inspection - 05/05/10 04:40 PM
During a home insepction Patrick Waddell finds a very dangerous situation at a main electrical panel. This main panel was not illegally double tapped, but illegally TRIPLE tapped. There are two sub-panels somewhere in the home with no over current protection. Should something surge there is nothing to trip! Whatever is attached here with either continually be electrocuted or burn up and possibly catch on fire. Immediate correction by a licensed electrician will be needed. If you or someone you know needs a home inspection, please call us at 704-542-6575 http://www.askthecharlotteinspector.com … (1 comments)

Do You Know What Carpenter Bees Look Like - 05/05/10 04:29 PM
Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlind found active carpenter bees on the eave or soffit of a house in Weddington while performing an inspection there. Carpenter bees love to make their home in eaves (soffit) or facia boards. The make a hole that loooks just like a 3/8 drill bit and then they will run with the grain of the wood for "12 to "18 . The way you indentify a carpenter bee is by the absence of hair on its abdomen. Its abdomen like like its rear end so the saying is: "If it has a shinny hinny its a carpentaer … (1 comments)

How To Sell Your Home During Tough Times - 05/05/10 04:22 PM
A few years ago, it seemed like you could stake a "for sale" sign outside your home and within a few hours you would have multiple offers. Not anymore. Today's tough economic times mean that home sellers need to do their homework, take a more assertive role in marketing their home and, at times, get creative to help their home stand out from others that are on the market. Regardless of how tough the times are, the fact remains that a nice home, well maintained, in a desirable neighborhood, and priced right will sell more quickly than a home that hasn't … (1 comments)

Buying a Foreclosure - 05/05/10 04:17 PM
With the downturn in the economy over the past two years, hundreds of thousands of homes have gone into foreclosure, offering a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many Americans to buy a home at an unheard of price, sometimes 30 percent or more off the most recent sale price. Buying a home is always a challenge. Buying a foreclosed home presents unique challenges, however. You need to be willing to hunt, put up with lenders who offer surprisingly little information about the properties they've taken back, real estate agents who have little experience or incentive in selling foreclosed homes, and loan officers … (1 comments)