Russel's blog

My memories of Fort Hood

Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:27:52 -0600

I was just 13, and still very much a juvenile delinquent.

It was the Summer of 1968.

Not as good as 1967, the Summer of Love, but what could be?

Hemisfair in San Antonio.

A 2,000-mile drive from Kingsville, Texas, to Huntington Beach, California, to visit my oldest uncle and his family. I was with my wise old grandmother and one of her lady friends, who did the driving.

When we got home to Kingsville four weeks later, there was a letter on the kitchen bar from my youngest uncle who had been living with us. The letter said very simply, "I have joined the Army. Doug."

That was it. No date. Nothing else. Just "I have joined the Army. Doug."

My wise old grandmother was upset because 1968 was the height of the Vietnam War. She couldn't sleep at night since she didn't know where her youngest son was. Had he already been sent to Vietnam? Would she never see him again? After several sleepless nights, she got a call from Doug. He was at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, but visitors weren't allowed until basic training graduation in late August.

Not the news she was hoping for, but better than hearing that he had already left the country, and she could at least call him weekly.

In late August, we got the official invitation to go to the basic training graduation review at Fort Hood. Oh, boy, was I excited. I was going to get to go to a real Army base. I knew I'd see lots of soldiers, lots of guns, tanks, the whole works.

That was back in 1968. Doug did ship out to Vietnam that September and spent two years there. He left as a Spec. 1 and came back two years later as a Spec. 5 with several medals, including a Purple Heart. I was awarded the honor of creating a wooden wall display case to display his medals.

Doug was fortunate that he came back from Vietnam -- so many didn't. Yesterday's tragic events at Fort Hood brought back many memories of Fort Hood -- touring the base, getting to see the barracks, climbing up into a tank on display, and so much more.

I haven't thought of Ford Hood for many years, but never would I have thought that years later 13 of our military heroes would not even get a chance to fight for our freedom, being killed in a cowardly way that only cowards can think of.

For those of you who pray, pray for not only the deceased and the wounded, and their families and friends, but pray for peace and tolerance in the World. We can do better than this.

My thoughts are with all.

Peace.

Twenty most recent posts

Why didn't you inspect the refrigerator?
The ActiveRain Nature Station: Finding your oasis
Have you programmed your ActiveRain TV stations?
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Jumping Cholla
Turning a competitor's bad home inspection into an education
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Joshua Tree
It must be lottery time!
Speechless Sunday: Somewhere in a National Park
It's a "Hunt for Red October." But where's Sean?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Have you visited your Grandparents recently?
Good things happen when you are persistent and consistent
Anyone need something to read and review from one of our own?
Create a blog database for you and your Clients - Featured
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Do you recommend a gas or electric home?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Remember your prom?
Gotta love those helpful Clients!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Johnny jumps up
Speechless Sunday at the San Diego Zoo: A little bigger than Zoey the Cool Cat
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: PLEASE STAND STILL!
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Should I have my home tested for radon?

My Favorite ActiveRain TV Stations

Why didn't you inspect the refrigerator?

Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:29:19 -0600

As with everything in life, it's always best to shop around. That includes shopping for a home inspector to do your home inspection.

There are many trade associations for home inspectors, some national and some state. While all of the trade associations have similar Standards of Practice, not all trade associations have similar entrance requirements.

Most require only that you send them a check for the membership dues, and then you can fulfill their requirements for knowledge, experience, and number of fee-based inspections during the first 12 or 18 months of "membership."

Because of that, it's vitally important that you know exactly what a home inspection will cover in your state. I recently read a Realtor's post stating that "All kitchen appliances will be run through their cycle to make sure that they function properly. The refrigerator will be tested for temperature and seals. The range, microwave, disposer will all be run to make sure they know what to do."

While her post hopefully is specific to her area, in most states, "all kitchen appliances" WILL NOT be run through they cycles. In some states, all kitchen appliances are even specifically excluded.

To the best of my knowledge, personal property is always specifically excluded by the many Standards of Practice for the various home inspector trade associations, which means the refrigerator WILL NOT be tested for temperature and seals, nor will washers and dryers and countertop microwaves be operated, inspected, or tested.

Although I exclude refrigerators in my home inspections, I will specifically include them if they are built in, as many Sub-Zero refrigerators are, and as are many refrigerators in high-rise condominium towers.

If the washer and dryer convey, I will inspect, test, and operate them IF AND ONLY IF my Clients request it because they are still considered personal property, and rarely do they convey prior to the home inspection; rather, they become involved in negotiations after the home inspection.

Readers should ask the home inspectors they are considering using, in advance of the home inspection, what is included and what is excluded. Many home inspectors will include something that would otherwise be excluded for an additional fee to pay for the insurance they need to operate, test, and inspect those appliances.

Although I often do more than the minimum required by the Standards of Practice of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, to which I belong, I'm still limited by what my various insurance policies will cover, and I follow the advice of my attorneys (usually -- LOL).

Here is the current licensing situation in the States that have licensing for home inspectors.

Following are links to the Standards of Practice for the various national home inspector trade associations:

Following are links to the Standards of Practice for the various State home inspector trade assocations. If the SOP is not available, it typically means that it is available to members only or through another entity, such as the State.

California Real Estate Inspectors Association
Florida Association of Building Inspectors
Georgia Association of Home Inspectors (PDF file)
Kentucky Real Estate Inspectors Association
Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors (PDF file)
New Jersey Association of Licensed Professional Home Inspectors (SOP not available from web site)
Nevada Association of Certified Real Estate Inspectors (SOP not available from web site)
North Carolina Licensed Home Inspector Association (SOP not available from web site)
Southern Nevada Assocation of Professional Property Inspectors (SOP not available from web site)
Texas Association of Real Estate Inspectors
Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors

Twenty most recent posts

The ActiveRain Nature Station: Finding your oasis
Have you programmed your ActiveRain TV stations?
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Jumping Cholla
Turning a competitor's bad home inspection into an education
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Joshua Tree
It must be lottery time!
Speechless Sunday: Somewhere in a National Park
It's a "Hunt for Red October." But where's Sean?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Have you visited your Grandparents recently?
Good things happen when you are persistent and consistent
Anyone need something to read and review from one of our own?
Create a blog database for you and your Clients - Featured
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Do you recommend a gas or electric home?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Remember your prom?
Gotta love those helpful Clients!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Johnny jumps up
Speechless Sunday at the San Diego Zoo: A little bigger than Zoey the Cool Cat
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: PLEASE STAND STILL!
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Should I have my home tested for radon?
You can do home maintenannce and party at the same time!

My Favorite ActiveRain TV Stations

The ActiveRain Nature Station: Finding your oasis

Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:51:36 -0600

I'm pretty sure we all know what an oasis is.

For over forty years, I've been creating my own little oasis with my life and businesses, places where I feel safe and secure.

I do it by creating a five-year business plan, breaking that plan into years, months, weeks, days, and hours.

Then I work those hours and days persistently and consistently, which has always created an oasis that shelters me from any doom and gloom that surrounds me and over which I have no control.

Recently, I got to see first-hand what a real oasis is, and what I've been basing my life on.

Here is a picture of where I was, somewhat desolate looking, surely full of doom and gloom if one ventured off the beaten path:

Deep down in that forbidden-looking landscape, though, was a real oasis.

Enjoy the slide show, but if it doesn't work on your computer, simply click on "View All Images" to watch it at slide.com.

Twenty most recent posts

Have you programmed your ActiveRain TV stations?
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Jumping Cholla
Turning a competitor's bad home inspection into an education
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Joshua Tree
It must be lottery time!
Speechless Sunday: Somewhere in a National Park
It's a "Hunt for Red October." But where's Sean?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Have you visited your Grandparents recently?
Good things happen when you are persistent and consistent
Anyone need something to read and review from one of our own?
Create a blog database for you and your Clients - Featured
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Do you recommend a gas or electric home?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Remember your prom?
Gotta love those helpful Clients!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Johnny jumps up
Speechless Sunday at the San Diego Zoo: A little bigger than Zoey the Cool Cat
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: PLEASE STAND STILL!
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Should I have my home tested for radon?
You can do home maintenannce and party at the same time!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: I went to see a beautiful sunset and got this!

My Favorite ActiveRain TV Stations

All the animal lovers out there, asking a very small favor of you................

Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:14:18 -0600

How can anyone look at this little guy and not help him with that very small favor.

Click here to go over to Ralph's blog and tell him you helped.

Via Ralph Gorgoglione (EcoBroker Certified - John Aaroe Group, Inc.):

There is a Seattle based animal rescue site that is in need of our help. It doesn't involve a donation, just the one thing that I know you Active Rainers are very good at - snooping the internet.

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily so they can meet their quota of getting FREE FOOD donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes about 30 seconds to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals for free'. This doesn't cost you a thing.

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

I did this myself, and thoroughly examined the site and background information of the organization prior to posting this blog.

Here's the web site!

www.theanimalrescuesite.com

Please pass it along to people you know.

With our numbers, if we make an effort, the Active Rain community as well as visitors to my dedicated blog site can make a real difference.

Thank you for your time with this,

The Ralphster

Have you programmed your ActiveRain TV stations?

Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:12:11 -0600

A couple of months ago I set out to browse all 5,737 Groups on ActiveRain.

My purpose was to create a list of 100 Groups that would be good for anyone and everyone to join, specifically new ActiveRain members to help them get started Playing in the Rain.

I wanted to get this list done soon enough so that I could make it my one thousandth blog post here at ActiveRain.

Well, actually I finished going through 5,737 groups a week ago, but while I was going through those groups, the number had grown from 5,737 to 6,035 -- ☺☺☺

Late last night I finished, and as I was putting this blog together, I thought how much ActiveRain Groups are like television stations. Each station has its special programming, and if you don't like the programming, switch stations!

Following are my Top 101 stations for anyone's ActiveRain TV.

Twenty most recent posts

The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Jumping Cholla
Turning a competitor's bad home inspection into an education
The ActiveRain Nature Channel: The Joshua Tree
It must be lottery time!
Speechless Sunday: Somewhere in a National Park
It's a "Hunt for Red October." But where's Sean?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Have you visited your Grandparents recently?
Good things happen when you are persistent and consistent
Anyone need something to read and review from one of our own?
Create a blog database for you and your Clients - Featured
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Do you recommend a gas or electric home?
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Remember your prom?
Gotta love those helpful Clients!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Johnny jumps up
Speechless Sunday at the San Diego Zoo: A little bigger than Zoey the Cool Cat
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: PLEASE STAND STILL!
San Diego home inspection FAQs: Should I have my home tested for radon?
You can do home maintenannce and party at the same time!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: I went to see a beautiful sunset and got this!
Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Not from Georgetown University

My Favorite ActiveRain TV Channels