Believe it or not this is a "not so uncommon" installation. Either the installer put them their to.... well I don't know. I tried to come up with an excuse for this install but I have nothing.

Photo eye / safety beams, electric eye or whatever you want to call them do have a proper installation procedure. The ceiling isn't part of that procedure as far as I know. Photo sensors are installed to prevent the vehicle door from closing on a vehicle or worse, a child who happens to be playing in the path of the door when it closes. Even without the sensors the door should reverse when it impacts an object.

I'm thinking this was not an issue prior to the installation of the storm door. And why does one need a storm door in the garage anyway?

Actually it wasn't until I walked up the steps while holding the railing that it literally hit me.

A day in the life of a metro Detroit home inspector.

 Last minute cancellations are part of business for all of us. I've learned to accept it and move forward. But lately it's gotten out of hand. I've received three cancellations in a row the past three days with today being the third.

This morning I drove close to an hour to drop off a CRM only to find the lockbox code was wrong. After waiting for an hour for a call back, which never came, I finally got in touch with the Realtor's office receptionist who gave me the correct number. When I got inside the electric was off. So there's three hours spent this morning and now a canceled inspection because of cut service entrance conductors.

Considering the SEC was cut, the buyer and Realtor could not have known the power would be off. As it turns out the sellers decided to upgrade the service equipment just a couple days ago but didn't finish the job, that's understandable. But what really gets me is that the Realtor never called me back. Even though my client called me while I was at the home and said she spoke to the Realtor just moments ago. I guess my time is not important. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but is common courtesy becoming so uncommon?

Rather than sulking all morning I made my way back to town and took my wife out to lunch. Cancellations and good food are a common theme for me. In the end I consider it a good trade off.

 Recently a client told me about a site that allows you to check neighborhoods in Michigan for possible registered sex offenders. I've never considered this until they mentioned it but it makes sense especially if you have, or are planning to have, children in your home.

Of course as soon as I heard about this site I searched my own zip code to see who might be on my street or in my neighborhood. As it turns out there are 36 registered sex offenders in my zip code with a few being within walking distance. These offenders are required to report an address change but I have to wonder how accurate the list is. My kids play in the neighborhood and while I know the parents of their friends I can't say I know them that well. It's not like these people go around telling everyone about their offense. Some of the offenses, such as urinating in public, are minor in my opinion and not necessarily someone I consider a threat. Others however have been accused of abducting children for immoral purposes.

Once in a while I talk to my kids about being safe outside and what to do in certain situations but even so you never know how they will react in a real situation. Growing up I don't think I ever worried about being abducted and our only rule was to be in when the street lights came on. Really we didn't have have boundaries either so it was common to ride our bikes miles from home to play basketball in a park or meet up with other friends. Cell phones were not avaialale yet so there was really no way to call in case of an emergency. What we did do though is stick together. We never walked or rode anywhere alone. I tell my kids to stick together at all times.

 It's 10:00 PM and you just started to relax from a long day of inspections and inspection reports. Thinking ahead to the next day you map out, in your mind, your steps in an attempt to achieve good usage of time. An assistant Pastor I knew used to say, "proper prior preparation prevents poor performance." So each night I make sure my "map" is laid out.

That's when the phone rings. You don't recognize the number but being the type of inspector who wants to accommodate clients needs, you answer the phone despite the time. Actually I've booked many jobs answering the phone late. A good amount of my business takes place after 5 o'clock. The caller starts with, "we had and inspection scheduled..." So right away you know there's a problem. For me it's typically because the bank owned home does not have either the gas, water or electric on. Sometimes all three.

There's nothing you can do but re-schedule the inspection and of course think about the two other inspections you turned away because of the filled time slot. It's easy to stew over the money lost in this situation but it's completely out of your hands.

Really there's no shortage of things to fill that time slot. You can fill it with yard work, continuing education, marketing, cleaning out your in-box, actually fixing some of your own home defects, family time and so on. Depending on the weather I like to fill my empty slot with a charcoal grill and whatever meat is in the freezer. Being a homebrewer, if the inspection was scheduled for the afternoon, I might include a bottle from my latest batch of Amber Ale or Imperial Stout.

 During a recent Metro Detroit Home inspection my client was humored by the obvious slope around doors. I was amused at the way the previous owners patched up the cracks, painted, and framed the doors to make up for it. An out of square door here and there is common but I don't think any doors in this home were even close to square.

The primary function of a home inspection is to determine whether or not systems are functioning as intended. It's also an opportunity for the buyer to learn about the maintenance required to keep a home in good working order.

Quite often, on older homes, the crawlspace is not accessed for years allowing components to deteriorate and settle. Add moisture and WDI to that equation and the result is often a significant need for repairs.

My hope is that clients walk away with a good understanding of not only the property condition so they can make an informed purchase, but have some knowledge on how to take care of their new home.

 Raised foundations are common in my area and my least favorite area to inspect. The heat of an attic is one thing but at least I know, for the most part, what to expect. Fortunately Southeast Michigan Home Inspectors don't have to worry much about poisonous spiders, other than the Brown Recluse, or poisonous snakes.

Once in a while I get lucky and enter a clean crawl with plenty of headroom but that tends to be the exception. Most of the time the area is full of construction debris and of course more than enough insects and spider webs. It's hard to block out the thought of a big spider climbing down my back while in a crawl.

No matter the condition of the crawlspace I always prepare myself for an adventure.

A solid construction helmet, much like the one pictured, is something I wear in all crawls and attics.This week a Realtor laughed at me because I looked like Bob the Builder but it's a must have.

Doing a belly crawl under a home allows for plenty of opportunities to smack your head against something. A couple years ago I was inspecting a crawl and bumped against the edge of a return. Not only did it hurt like heck, it left a nice gash on the top of my head. Truss plates in attics are worse. Those things can scalp you if you're not careful.

A solid, powerful flashlight is a home inspector best friend. Perhaps that's a little extreme but it sure does come in handy. In a crawlspace you would have close to zero visibility without a flashlight and one with a powerful beam helps before you enter the crawl. I like to shine mine into the area in case there are any glowing eyes staring back at me. Fighting off possums is not part of the SOP. I take along two Ultra Stingers to every inspection.

Deep in a crawlspace is the last place you want your flashlight batteries to die. A backup lamp mounted on your helmet will get you out of the crawl with enough light to finish your inspection.

Inspectors understand the importance of wearing a respirator in attic and crawlspaces. The crawlspace can contain harmful substances either in the soil, insulation, or organic matter. I always purchase filters rated for organic matter and change them regularly.

This photo was taken by the buyer right after I exited the crawl.

 Right now is a great time to pick up one of those little bank owned homes that are in disrepair and going for less than the price of a Ford Focus. I've even thought about buying a couple and fixing them up but I've put away my days or framing walls etc. The investor buys the home, hires a few guys to fix it up, and then turns it over for a profit. To their credit most of these, in my area, are actually well done. Sometimes they spare no expense with installing beautiful hard wood floors, granite counter tops, new roof covering (properly installed), decent floor tile, and even new plumbing.

With all the vacant homes around here "opportunists" are taking advantage of the high price of copper by stripping homes. A good "opportunist" will even take the supply lines under bathroom and kitchen sinks in-stead of just the big stuff visible in the basement.

Fortunately there is an inexpensive replacement for copper called PEX. Cross-linked polyethylene plumbing is a great alternative and is easy to work with. If installed properly it will outlast most other components and provide occupants with clean potable water.

Unfortunately when an installer doesn't not know how various components work together in a home they might take out "extra" items or forget to reassemble them properly. Reminds me of myself when I try to work on a broken (anythingelectric) and I end up with extra screws and little plastic thingies.

Ground wires are often connected to the whole house plumbing using clamps near the main service panel with a jumper at the water main. This grounding option is used on all homes in my area where there is metal plumbing throughout.

In this application the installer didn't know, or didn't care, what the copper wire was for. Of course you can't just connect it to the PEX plumbing as a line would have to be run from the panel to the water main where it exits the floor.

This wasn't a tough catch but it does show an item that might be easliy overlooked if you don't know what to look for.

 Condensing units require some homeowner maintenance such as keeping vegetation off sides, cleaning fins periodically, and ensuring the unit is placed on a solid level pad. Sometimes though you need to take extra steps to protect the unit from pets.

This photo shows a unit with excessive damage probably the result of a dog using it as a urinal. Another possibility is spray fertilizer. I've seen chicken wire placed around these units to keep pets away which is alright with me.

Typically a well maintained unit will last between 10-15 years but I've seen them much older in good working condition. My unit was manufactured in 1985 and still works like a champ.

Here are a few tips for homeower type maintenance.

* Keep a 2' clearance around the sides. Vegetation and structures close to the sides can reduce the efficiency.

* Clean the fins periodically. I prefer to use a soft horsehair brush attachment on my vacuum. That way I don't damage the fins and it does a great job of getting debris off. Commercial coil cleaners are available.

* Maintain a clearance at the bottom. The unit should be seated on a pad that is visible. Mulch and soul shouldn't be in contact with the lower fins or cabinet.

* If you have trees on your property place a cover on the top to keep leaves and twigs out during the fall/winter months. I'm not a big fan of full covers.

 When selling a home the kitchen is likely the selling point followed closely by the bathroom/s.

But when updating that bathroom it's important to pay attention to details.

There's something missing here.