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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Photo of the Day - What the... - 02/21/09 05:42 AM
It has often been said that the last thing that goes through a bug's mind as it impales itself on your windshield is its... Well you know. I kinda wonder if the same thing was going through this workman's mind while he/she was installing this smoke detector in a fairly new constructed property in an upscale area of Franklin, TN? BTW it was functional... Can we say C'est la Vie? Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-) If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in … (31 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Needing Some Feedback... - 02/20/09 07:44 AM
I have found that through the year and a half that I have been associated with the ActiveRain community, the folks here can be a great help and sounding board. I have long been aware that your presence on the internet is extremely important. And, the difference between page one and page two means whether you get the sale or someone else does. That being said, I have been working on my new website in order to gain more presence on the net as I plan to use it as one of my main marketing tools this year. I need your … (23 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: When Is a Bedroom Not a Bedroom? - 02/03/09 06:11 AM
As real estate professionals, most of you have see properties hit the MLS system with blurbs such as, "Newly renovated 1940's vintage home; newly remodeled kitchen, 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, 1 1/2 bath, updated electrical, and the list of propaganda features goes on... I recently wrote a post entitled "How Do You Like Your Marshmallows Toasted?" In this article, I talked about hidden electrical issues often found in rehabs. Another often overlooked electrical issue is the electric panel in the back of a closet. Many us us who have been in the industry long enough, know how many electric panels … (22 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Decadence At It's Best... - 01/17/09 08:54 AM
After a rough day of tolerating colder than normal temperatures and investigating crawl spaces in Spring Hill, TN, I hooked up with fellow Active Rainer, Larry Brewer and we headed out for the "Manly - Man" watering hole, the newly constructed Logan's Road House, at the new shopping center in Spring Hill, TN to have the typical "Manly - Man" meal of what sustains most American males... Yup! You guessed it - Burgers and Fries! What else might I ask? So, after coming up with ways to solve the economy and the world's probs in general, we bid the place "good-bye" … (8 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Are You Trying to Purchase A Mercedes for the Price of a Hyundai? - 12/09/08 08:11 AM
Invariably, I get several calls a week from potential clients asking, "What do you charge for a home inspection?" What seems like a logical question to ask, when you look into the logistics of what goes into a property inspection, the question may not so be so logical after all.
As a home buyer, you are looking at a mortgage payment of several hundred if not thousands of dollars a month. You are going to be paying on this property for a long, long time. What is the knowledge of a good home inspector worth?
As independent businessmen who … (16 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Tale of Two Inspections... - 11/04/08 05:04 AM
Wow, has it been a year already since I inspected this new construction property? I got a call from the buyers wanting Complete Home Inspections, Inc. to do an 11 month builders warranty inspection. When we did the original inspection, there was a structural issue with one of the support piers and I vividly remember the builder telling the buyers that they were going to take care of it. Kind of a "NO Problem Ma'am," deal...
Uh, I guess that it was more of a problem than originally thought... Not too much difference between the before and after pictures...
… (14 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Monday Morning Motivator... - 10/20/08 05:15 AM
Monday Morning Motivator
Good Morning Active|Rain...
" The contradicting truth... We believe that nobody knows us more than we know ourselves. But in daily life we come across situations where you realize that this is not the "You" that you knew."
~ Unknown ~
This motivational moment has been brought to you as a courtesy of
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. | Brentwood, TN 37027
Join my birthday alarm. It is fast painless and the best part of all, you will be helping me out.
Feeling like your blog doesn't fit in with the mainstream? Tired of … (15 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Don't Worry, It's Been Inspected by Codes... - 10/18/08 05:22 AM
I was having a discussion with a real estate agent in my area as to why a customer who had placed an order for a home inspection later changed their mind and decided forgo this part of the property transaction. It seemed as if the buyer was talking to the on site real estate agent and the project supervisor and they convinced them that everything was cool with the property, that the codes officials had inspected the property several times during construction, and had gone through it with a "fine toothed comb" before issuing the CO (Certificate of Occupancy) as required … (26 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Sad Signs of the Times... - 10/16/08 06:27 AM
These are really trying times for the real estate industry. With so many real estate agents putting their licenses in retirement, throwing in the towel and calling it quits or working part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Not to mention the other ancillary markets that have been taking it on the chin as well such as the mortgage, title and home inspection industries. With new construction starts at a minimum, project managers are have now replace superintendents on several of the larger developments.
One thing that is not down though, is theft on construction sites. With times being tough, … (19 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: If Walls Could Talk... - 10/14/08 04:12 AM
I like to inspect older experienced houses. They have been around for awhile, and if walls could talk, I am sure that they would have a lot of interesting tales to tell. Tales like how this garage lighting system came about. Were the lights something that the neighbor was throwing away or did they actually go to a home un-improvement store and actually purchase these? How about the extension cords? Are they left overs from a mishap with the lawn mower or were they scavenged from someone's trash bin just in time to have a second life as a fire hazard? … (17 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Pawning Off Crap... - 10/08/08 07:34 PM
I have written several articles on the dangers of flexible plastic ducting being used as dryer venting. Although this material has been banned for years for this application, I still run across it from time to time, especially in older properties where the dryer system has been in place for decades. This I understand.
Having inspected a recent rehab in another county, I ran across this newly installed dryer venting system.The newness of the plastic vent material, was another indication where the contractor was cutting corners to save money. Also the splice in the system is a good place for lint … (12 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Hump Day's Photo of the Day… - 10/08/08 05:00 AM
I often wonder what goes through unhandy home owner's minds when it comes to wiring and electrical issues. Either this person had more time on their hands or they really did not have a clue. There are 8 outlets on this wall and 4 light switches all in a row. Sigh! The wall on the other side had another 6. Double sigh!! Thankfully this garage was detached from the house. There were so many electrical issues that this place was a fire waiting to happen. It really amazes me why people who do not know what they are doing like to … (21 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: HVAC System Guidelines and Rules of Thumb... - 10/07/08 06:42 AM
Older houses pose a challenge when it comes to heating and cooling systems. Today's methodologies which incorporate zoned systems or separate heating and cooling systems to climatize each level of the property are common place. Older properties follow the guidelines of "accepted" trade practices at the the time the property was built and upgrading ductwork and units to properly condition a property can get quite expensive.
When encountering conditions such as this, "seasoned" home inspectors follow rules-of-thumb and common sense to determine if a property needs to be further evaluated by a specialist. Generally speaking, the first rule-of-thumb is compressor … (7 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Frost Proof - Not Freeze Proof... - 10/02/08 04:57 PM
Wow! I woke up this morning and there was a little nip in the air. Maybe not as cold as in some areas of the country, but the nip was a sure sign that colder weather is on its way. This cool snap reminded me about something that many home owners do not give too much thought about - hose bibbs or sillcocks depending upon which part of the country you come from.
The water seeping from behind this wall is directly related to a ruptured frost proof hose bibb. So as these days start to get cooler remember to … (14 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Ouch, That's Hot... - 09/27/08 05:48 AM
As appliances age, it is not unusual for the male terminals to work loose from the molded plugs, and occasionally when they fail, the prongs become embedded in the outlet. Judging by the burn marks on the end of the terminal, it looks as if this appliance had gotten the terminals quite hot from time to time. But what is even hotter is the now bare prong that is left in the "hot" side of the outlet. As this is in a bathroom with metal faucets and connection lines, can we say that overall, this could be a real eye-opener and … (8 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: OOPS... - 09/26/08 04:44 PM
As part of the inspection process for the State of Tennessee, we are required to test smoke detectors for functionality. Here in Davidson (Metro Nashville) and Williamson Counties, smoke alarms are to be wired in tandem so that an alarm in one area will sound throughout the entire system. We generally find that things work better when the electrician finishes the job...
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This post is included in one of AR's newest groups Blogs Happen... . We are a friendly … (12 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Are You Trustworthy? - 09/05/08 07:44 AM
As we all know, new home buyers are nervous and are apt to balk at any time during the home purchase process. I was a witness to this behavior the other day. Our office received a call from a first time home buyer who needed an “emergency” inspection on a property that she was purchasing.
Being only three days out from closing, the buyer put the brakes on the closing. The house she was purchasing was an owner/agent rehab, the inspector was recommended by her agent and she felt pressured by her agent to go ahead and purchase the property. … (11 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Photo of the Day... - 09/04/08 06:36 AM
I have a fear of gas. Having been around several explosions in my life, anything that goes BOOM!!! or has a potential to go BOOM!!! scares the ever living crap out of me. Having been inspected twice by two other local inspectors and not being mentioned in their reports I could not help myself, I had to say something about this potentially unsafe condition. Even though there is a gas shut-off installed, shut-off valves can leak and get jarred. Any time a gas line has been disconnected from the appliance, it is mandatory that the gas line be capped to prevent … (10 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Photo of the Day... - 08/24/08 06:09 PM
Home inspectors do not have the equipment to inspect the throat and flue of most chimneys. However, thanks to pocket digital cameras, a missing damper and smoke shelf, this badly damaged fireplace lent itself to get a good logs-eye view of what the inside of a chimney really looks like.
The lack of rain caps allowed water into the chimney and intense temperatures of wood burning fires caused the water to expand and pop out the mortar between the fire brick. Through time and neglect the original damper and smoke shelf was eventually destroyed and burned away leaving the bottom … (11 comments)
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middle tennessee and williamson county home inspections: Find Any Deal Killers Yet? - 08/22/08 06:29 AM
Invariably, while inspecting older challenging properties, real estate agents will catch me somewhere when the client is not around and want to get a ‘sneak peek’ of how the inspection is going. Not wanting to jump the gun and tell the boys to get the D8 off the trailer prematurely, I generally tell the agent that there are a few things under the house that I want to check first.
Yesterday was no exception. I was inspecting this ‘charming’ cottage in Nashville, TN that had ‘lots of character’. Now mind you, two other buyers had walked away from this property … (15 comments)
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Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector - 615.661.0297
Brentwood,
TN
More about me…
Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Address: 7105 Crossroads Blvd; Ste 102, Brentwood, TN, 37027
Office Phone: (615) 661-0297
Cell Phone: (615) 473-8803
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