Hurricane Earl: Preparedness and Safety Tips - 08/31/10 03:37 PM
With Hurricane Earl in the news and marching his way up the Eastern coast of the United States, I thought I'd repost my Hurricane Preparedness tips in case you missed them the first time.  Be careful.  Be safe.
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When it comes to mother nature, our only real defense is planning and preventative measures. So we've put together a list of hurricane preparation tips. Stay safe this season!
Have a tip to share? Tell us below and help keep others safe. Hurricane Preparation Tips
If you are evacuating your home:
Turn the pilot light off on your water heater and furnace, then turn off the … (5 comments)

Tales of a Veteran Home Buyer: The To-Do List - 08/31/10 02:31 PM
Here's another installment of a series of posts by my friend and coworker, Faith Greenwell, called: Tales of a Veteran Home Buyer. This week she talked about having to start the big to-do list that goes along with listing your home.
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Posted By: Faith Greenwell, U.S. Inspect Blog
Once my husband and I made the decision to sell our house, we knew we had our work cut out for us.  Our first step was to create a list so we would know exactly what needed to be done and a cost estimate for our tasks...  We walked through our home, … (1 comments)

Tip of the Week: Fixing a Smelly Dishwasher - 08/30/10 02:39 PM

Tip of the Week: How to Freshen a Stinky Dishwasher. If you have a dishwasher that is getting a little sniffy or is showing some staining, pick yourself up a few packets of Kool-Aid brand unsweetened lemonade (I’m not trying to plug the brand here, but I have found that their packet recipe works better than the others). What you need to do is empty a packet into the soap dispenser; if you’re one of the lucky ones and your dishwasher has the little supplemental dispenser, put some in there as well. Now run the EMPTY dishwasher through a full … (25 comments)

Tip of the Week: Fixing a Smelly Dishwasher - 08/30/10 02:38 PM
Tip of the Week: How to Freshen a Stinky Dishwasher. If you have a dishwasher that is getting a little sniffy or is showing some staining, pick yourself up a few packets of Kool-Aid brand unsweetened lemonade (I’m not trying to plug the brand here, but I have found that their packet recipe works better than the others). What you need to do is empty a packet into the soap dispenser; if you’re one of the lucky ones and your dishwasher has the little supplemental dispenser, put some in there as well. Now run the EMPTY dishwasher through a full cycle … (1 comments)

Bananas Unite! It's National Banana Lovers Day - And We've Got Some Inspection Pictures That Are Truly Bananas! - 08/27/10 10:16 AM

 
Everyone stand up!
Bananas unite! (place hands together straight up over head) 
Bananas split! (open arms and place at sides)
Pick bananas, pick, pick bananas (reach up and pick bananas from a tree)
Peel bananas, peel, peel bananas (peel a banana in your hand)
Smash bananas, smash, smash bananas (clap hands)
Eat bananas, eat, eat bananas (stuff banana in mouth and sing with mouth full)
Now--Go bananas, go, go bananas! (do a crazy dance)
 
Did you know that today is National Banana Lovers' Day?! Just for fun on the this important National Holiday, … (16 comments)

Our Favorite Home Improvement Apps - 08/27/10 08:57 AM
Originally posted on our company Blog, by Phil Halpin, here are U.S. Inspect's favorite home improvement apps!
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Posted By: Phil Halpin, U.S. Inspect Blog
What I love about apps (iPhone apps in my case) is that there are so many things you never even think of until you enter into some new context, like home repairs. Then you find that there are dozens of apps that have already been written to help you. Here are some of my favorites:
Color Coordinating. Pallets is interesting for finding matching colors to use around the house. My wife has a good eye for … (5 comments)

A Merry Can: A Little Toilet Humor - 08/25/10 03:23 PM
I just heard this story from my friend and co-worker, Dave Rothbart, a U.S. Inspect inspector in Florida. Can you believe this one??
Dave: "I met a guy today who was a retired employee of American Standard. The house I inspected had an American Standard HVAC system and toilets. He told me to look at the American Standard logo and tell him what I saw. I had no clue, so he broke it down for me (see picture below) The company, originally manufacturing just plumbing components, put breaks in the word American so that it would read, "A Meri Can" (obviously … (8 comments)

Making A House A Home - 08/25/10 11:01 AM
It's Wednesday, that means I'm checking in with friend and co-worker, Paul Picard's first-time home buyer blog. This week he and his wife are starting to settle in and make their house a home by adding personal touches. Check out his diary entry this week. enjoy!
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Posted By: Paul Picard, U.S. Inspect Blog

We have been living in the house for 11 weeks now, and since my parents have gone home after visiting for a month, we are finally settling into a routine schedule. We set last weekend aside to get some things done that we had been putting … (2 comments)

World's Largest House - 08/25/10 10:28 AM
What is the world's largest house? Do you know? It's 484,000 square feet.  484,000 square feet--seriously? Seriously. So large in fact, you might say it's a castle--oh wait, it IS a castle. Windsor Castle is also the oldest and most famous castle in the world. First built as a fortress and rich in history, Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family call it home. In all, 300 people live and work at Windsor Castle. It's been occupied for 900 years, survived two World Wars, an accidental fire, and a near ruling in the English Parliament to be demolished. It contains about 1,000 … (4 comments)

Electrical Safety Tips That Could Save Your Life - 08/24/10 09:16 AM
Each year, more than 41,000 residential fires (fires that claim about 350 lives and cause over 1,400 injuries) are due to incidents that involve electrical equipment, such as extension cords, outlets and light bulbs. When was the last time you proactively looked for and corrected electrical safety hazards in your home?
Help protect yourself from electrical hazards by taking a few minutes to check your home for unsafe conditions. Here are a few tips of what to look for:
Make sure cords are in good condition. A frayed or cracked cord could cause a shock or fire. Replace old and damaged … (1 comments)

Tales of a First-time Home Buyer: Buyer's Credit Check Arrives! - 08/23/10 03:31 PM
While I was away on vacation, I missed a very exciting installment of Tales of a First-Time Home Buyer, a blog written by my friend and co-worker, Paul Picard. His Buyer's Credit Check arrived! Check out his recent post. Congrats, Paul!
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Posted By: Paul Picard, U.S. Inspect Blog
Hallelujah!
That’s what my wife and I have been saying for the last 24 hours. You would say it too if you found one of these in your mailbox.

Yes, that’s right, we received our first-time home buyer’s tax credit check from the IRS in the mail yesterday. We got the … (4 comments)

Tales of a Veteran Home Buyer: Deciding to Downsize - 08/23/10 09:58 AM
On our U.S. Inspect Blog, we've decided to launch a "spin-off" series of posts, following up on our popular Tales of a First-Time Home Buyer series written by our multi-talented commercial inspection report writer, Paul Picard. The new series will look at the process of selling and buying a home from the perspective of a family who has been through it several times before. I wanted to share our very first post in the series with my friends in the Rain. Enjoy!
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Written by: Faith Greenwell, Veteran Home Buyer and U.S. Inspect Employee
Preparing to sell a home is never … (2 comments)

National Air Conditioning Appreciation Week: AC Checklist - 08/17/10 02:00 PM
Did you know that this week is National Air Conditioning Appreciation Week? Well it is! And U.S. Inspect happens to be partnered with Petro Heating & Air Conditioning Services, so I got together with my friend Barry over there and we put together this "cool" checklist--and thought this was the perfect time and place to share it! Enjoy!
Chill Out About Summer Energy Costs With this AC Checklist
AC checklist:
Get the right equipment and get it installed correctly – Replacing old cooling equipment with a new, energy-efficient model is the best way to save energy costs. But to reach its … (2 comments)

Happy Friday the 13 to you...Happy Friday the 13th to you... - 08/13/10 12:05 PM
Today has finally arrived.
That means it's Friday the 13th and my 30th birthday.
(And if that ain't "scary," I don't know what is!)
As for the Friday the 13th date, it can actually be a lucky day for many. My birthday has fallen on Friday the 13th exactly five times (including today) since my birth, and will once again in 2021. (I'll have to be careful to avoid going under any ladders while I'm zipping around in my flying car). Even so, I'm happy to say that no little black cats, or madmen in hockey masks have ever taken away … (13 comments)

Friday 13th: 5 Ways to Make the Home Inspection Less SPOOKY! - 08/13/10 08:31 AM
Buying a home is exhilarating. It is not only a time of excitement and joy, but also a time of making decisions and to-do lists. The home inspection is a very important step during that process. But for some reason, it is a step that can give some buyers—and even some seasoned real estate agents—an awful fright! So, since it's Friday the 13th, I thought it was a great time to share my 5 Ways to Make the Home Inspection Less Spooky!

The Spook: Home inspections are just plain scary.The Scoop: OK, they are only scary if you let inspection … (3 comments)

Why It's So Important to Look Before You Leap Into Any Home Project - 08/13/10 07:27 AM
Sometimes what we don't know about an aspect of our home or how something works in our home can really complicate a situation. Knowledge really is power, and having it--especially when it comes to our home--can ultimately save money, time, and aggravation. I think everyone can relate to that. Has anyone ever gone ahead and began repairing something in your home or making a decision about something, only in hindsight to realize that you should have read up on it first? Or worse, that you did the complete opposite of what you now know was right--yikes! We've all been there.
It's … (5 comments)

The A,B,Cs of Grading - 08/11/10 08:49 AM
What is Grading?Home inspectors tend to talk a lot about grading around the house, and its implications. What is grading? Simply, the grade or grading around your house is the level of the ground. The ground level and how it’s graded is the deciding factor of where storm water will flow. Positive and Negative GradingThere are two types of grading: positive and negative. Positive grading is good, negative grading is bad. Positive grading slopes away from your home, directing storm water away from your foundation. Negative grading slopes toward your home, directing storm water toward your foundation. When storm water consistently … (10 comments)

5 Porch Ideas for Breathtaking Spaces - 08/09/10 01:32 PM
My friend and fellow blogger Faith Greenwell emailed this picture to me over the weekend with the attached note, "Do you not looove this porch and those swings?" And the answer is, yes, I do love them! In fact porches have to be one of my favorite features on a home, and having a swing was on my personal wish-list for years. (We got one hung in 2009, and I've been using it constantly ever since).
The picture, which had been the "room of the day" on MyHomeIdeas.com, got me thinking about other things that make us simply drool over a … (7 comments)

The Critters We See: From the Home Inspection Scrapbook - 08/06/10 10:24 AM

It never ceases to amazed me, the beautiful creatures we can come across during a simple home inspection. Thanks to Alan Brown from our U.S. Inspect Raleigh Team for sharing this with us. We are thankful for your attention to detail or we might have missed out on this beautiful bug!
What is it? This a Rose Maple Moth. They have fuzzy little bodies and pink antennae and legs. As you can plainly see, they also have beautiful pink and yellow wings. It's a North American moth and, as its name implies, it mostly feeds on Maple trees.
Posted By: … (7 comments)

Radon in Water Q&A - 08/05/10 11:34 AM
As radon testing providers for almost 25 years, U.S Inspect receives many questions about the effects of radon in water. Because August is National Water Quality Month, I thought it was only fitting that I share the top twelve questions and their answers.
 
Radon in Water Q & A
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Q: Should everyone test their water for radon? A: While radon gets into some homes through the water, it is important to first test the air in the home for radon. If a high level is found during the air test, and the home has a private well, it … (3 comments)

Cheers! To the first mortgage payment! - 08/04/10 08:54 AM
It's that time again, all! Let's see how my friend and first-time homeowner Paul Picard is doing this week with his new place. Cheers!
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Posted By: Paul Picard, U.S. Inspect Blog

So the day is finally here…the due date of the first mortgage payment for the new house. The whole process still doesn’t make sense to me. We settled June 2nd and the first mortgage payment wasn’t due until August 1st. My mortgage guy must have explained it to me a thousand times, but I still don’t really get it. He said that the first mortgage payment is different … (3 comments)

Buy Your Wife an Island for Only $250 - 08/03/10 08:49 AM
Here's a great post we published on our Web site this morning. I liked it so much that I wanted to share it here too. Enjoy!
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Posted By: Phil Halpin, U.S. Inspect Blog
I was enjoying reading Paul's Picard's post about his new townhouse kitchen. Especially the part about running up and down stairs to grill. I've was there too in our first home. But I was particularly impressed with how they worked in a kitchen Island in a townhouse. Gave it great look. 
My wife and I always wanted a kitchen with an island countertop in it, and lately … (5 comments)

What's on tap? Water Quality at home - 08/02/10 01:49 PM
What's on tap? And I'm not talking about at your local bar, I mean YOUR tap at home. Do you know the quality of your drinking water?
August is National Water Quality Month, so I thought it would be nice to devote some time throughout this month to talking about this important topic. Here are some basics from the EPA about water quality at home and how to make sure your tap is tops! See their website for more.
Q: How can I find out if my tap water is safe?A: Because of water's different sources and the different ways in … (5 comments)