Mold growth and moss growth on roofs. - 09/30/08 08:22 AM
Long Island is very lush with flora and fauna. Many people spend hours on their gardens and plants, but many also let it become overgrown. Plants and trees in contact with the house and roof is a no-no. Ivy growing on the siding is also asking for trouble.
I often see a type of mold growing on roofing shingles that is from certain types of trees. This will also promote moss growth between shingles. Water and organic material begin growing, and soon you have a green or brown carpet on the roof.
I have driven by some peoples houses and seen men … (4 comments)

Two prong receptacles are antique, and should be changed. - 09/29/08 09:53 AM
Many old homes still have very old two prong receptacles, as well as old wall switches still in place. I have seen the old style push-button wall switches in place too. These golden oldies are fire hazards as many were made with a material called phenolic. This is a resin based material that does have good thermal qualities, but does break down after many years in service. Voltage that passes through any old device does heat up, and after many years of heating up, then cooling down, it begins to degrade.
Some people like the look that these devices have, and … (6 comments)

Real estate presentation folders for clients are a waste of money. - 09/28/08 06:57 PM
I get contacted once in a while to advertize in an upcoming presentation folder by the salesmen of these companies that offer the folders free, or for a small fee to real estate offices. The part that I find funny is that the offices that are getting the folders never contact me about it.
They don't even do business with me! And I am suppposed to pay $300 to advertize in a real estate offices' folder that doesn't know me, or want to know me. I think it takes a lot of balls for these people to call me about this advertising ploy.
I … (10 comments)

I finally convinced a real cheapskate to go with my service, instead of Mr. Lowball - 09/27/08 08:22 PM
Today it happened. I got a phonecall from a possible client who wanted to know what I charge for a home inspection. The first question wasn't "What is your background and what are your qualifications"? I tried a different approach this time. I asked him 'Don't you think that there are differences between home inspectors"? He was puzzled, but I hit him with "Did you know many inspectors have the bare minimum insurance, and that many don't go on the roof, and that many do not remove the electrical service panel cover"?
I asked then if he wanted a regular inspection, or … (1 comments)

Found bottles of toxic chemicals in an old home. - 09/25/08 04:31 PM
While inspecting an old home in Selden, Long Island yesterday, I came upon an old storage cabinet with very nasty chemicals used for killing insects, for stripping wax from floors, and industrial chemicals that were probably from the previous owner who worked with chemicals.
The seller didn't know what to do with, or how to dispose of these toxic liquids. She was going to pour the chemicals down the drain in her basement floor drain! Luckily I told her what it would do to the underground aquifer (water table). Because of the amount of bottles that I saw, it would have … (8 comments)

Not all silver colored wire is aluminum. - 09/23/08 08:03 AM
I inspected another Long Island home yesterday that had previously been inspected by another inspector. The report was on the kitchen table, so I read some of it. The inspector called out aluminum wiring in the service panel that should be pigtailed.
I looked, and saw no aluminum branch circuit wiring, but the main feed wires to the main circuit breaker were obviously aluminum. These wires generally are not the wires that electricians pigtail, the smaller wires to the circuit breakers are the ones that should either be pigtailed, or replaced with copper wire. I check these larger wires to see if … (3 comments)

Why do home inspectors recommend only licensed contractors in their report? - 09/22/08 10:33 PM
Some people do not understand why I recommend items in the report be repaired by licensed contractors. Sellers will sometimes state that they will repair certain things brought up at a home inspection, but I will not condone this.
We, as inspectors, want to get someone in the house who is duly licensed and can do the job the correct way the first time according to modern standards. So much of the work I see on a day to day basis is of amateur quality, and most of this work is done by the homeowner. There are some who know what to do, … (11 comments)

Repeat customers are a joy - don't let them forget you! - 09/21/08 10:14 PM
It is so nice when a client calls you back for a second home inspection. They would never consider hiring another home inspector on Long Island after I perform an inspection for them.
This is especially wonderful when they call you back for a third, and, in some cases a fourth inspection. When you do the right thing by your client, and take care of them, they appreciate it and they tell their friends. When you pay little attention to your clients, you become "forgettable".
Sometimes you do build up a camraderie with certain people. this is what makes the inspection business fun. I … (9 comments)

Offer something for nothing, and you may get some business. - 09/18/08 06:31 PM
Many times when things are tough, it can be smart to drum up business by offering something for free.
It may cost YOU money, but it may return 2 fold, 3 fold or more fold. An agent that I know that has been very agressive and has gotten more business since changing offices. He has done a mailing for one of those educational buyers' seminars meant to bring in couples, as well as others looking for a home.
Nothing new, I know, but he offered a local chef of a new restaurant in town to cook some favorites at the event, and the food went over well. The … (4 comments)

Can you afford to NOT maintain your Long Island home? - 09/18/08 09:02 AM
As a busy Long Island inspector, I have a lot of coverage area. Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as the 5 boroughs is alot of territory, and I seem to see most of the same things at peoples' houses. It is usually the same problems over and over again. With older homes,  it seems to ratio of people who maintain their home compared to not is about 60% to 40%, with most people maintaining their home, and the rest very complacent.
Sometimes you need to sell your home quickly due to a death in the family, or a job change, or … (2 comments)

Toxic gasses in the basement. - 09/17/08 04:54 PM
Another inspection finds a basement bathroom with an improperly installed waste ejector system.
This is a system used when you have a bathroom installed in a basement, and the homes' waste piping is above the floor in the basement. The waste from the toilet, and the sink and shower will be routed, via under-concrete piping, to a reservoir with a pump system to pump the waste up to the waste piping where it can then go into the septic system or cesspool.
I regularly see improper venting, or sometimes no venting at all, and the wicked smell of poo permeates the air when the system … (2 comments)

50,000 points on Active Rain! - 09/12/08 12:37 PM
This is somewhat of a milestone for me. I joined in November of last year when there were a little more than 62,000 members. Now 108,000 plus are on this site. We have increased in numbers dramatically.
I never knew what blogging was about, and didn't realy get it in the beginning, but feel I am sort of a veteran. I still do not take full advantage of what is here, but I do enjoy it, and I do get business from it as well.
Many interesting stories are here, and hopefully some people gained a little knowledge from my posts. … (5 comments)

Do you know what the difference is between the two types of hi-hats available? - 09/11/08 10:57 PM
Many homeowners do their own renovations, and I do myself as well, but I find out how to do it the right way if I do not already know. I performed another inspection where a seller installed his own recessed light fixtures, and there was a problem.
When you put too large a bulb in a recessed light fixture, the fixture overheats and the thermal overload will shut off the fixture, even though the wall switch is still on. This happened today as the wife of the renovator installed a new bulb that was too large in wattage for the fixture. She … (1 comments)

How to avoid a garage explosion! - 09/10/08 09:18 PM
This is a very rare occurance, but when you have gas or oil fired heating equipment in a garage, it should never be resting on the floor. It should be raised off the floor by 18 inches.
If you have a car with a gasoline leak, or any gasoline vapors in a garage, these vapors can be ignited by the furnace or water heater. These vapors are heavy and stay close to the floor, but can easily be ignited by a flame, or even a spark, from anything - especially your water heater or furnace.
I saw a recently installed gas fired … (8 comments)

Do you really think a newly constructed home doesn't need an inspection? Read on. - 09/09/08 03:21 PM
This is a subject I have blogged about before, but today I found a real serious issue in a newly constructed home. It seems someone dropped 2 two by fours into the chimney flue for the fireplace during construction in a home I just inspected today.
I was laying on my back looking into the fireplace and checking out the chimney flue. The flue damper was jammed and I could not open it easily. It felt like something was resting above this damper. After a few minutes of trying to open the damper to check inside I finally got it open, … (10 comments)

How to invite termites and carpenter ants into your home - its real easy! - 09/09/08 07:38 AM
People are sometimes shocked to hear there are termites and carpenter ants in their home when I perform an inspection. The usual response is "we don't have termites!". Then you show them and they realize they do. Some will still not admit it.
If you think that because you never had termites that you will never get them, or carpenter ants - which can cause a lot of damage too - then you are kidding yourself.
First off, remove any tree stumps from the property. These are foods for wood destroying insects, and when they finish eating there, they look elsewhere, … (11 comments)

Asbestos is good for you! (well we thought it was) - 09/06/08 06:54 PM
Asbestos was once considered a wonder product because it had so many fine attributes. It was a great insulator for heat, it was tough (used in floor tiles), and was also flame resistant. Only years later did we find it ain't so good.
If you see those old faux (fake) chimneys on houses from the 50's and 60's, many times there is asbestos insulation surrounding the exhaust piping as it enters the ceiling above the boiler or furnace, and it can extend up through the attic.
I often see a 'ring' of this material in the metal bulhead above the heating plant where … (1 comments)

Why can't we all just get along? - 09/04/08 08:17 AM
I rarely experiece this, but once in a while it happens. I show up for the inspection and the selling side abruptly approaches me (even before I get out of my truck) immediately with comments like 'you KNOW the house is 'as is', or 'there is no room for negotiation', or 'the seller CANNOT put a DIME into this house', or 'the sellers are already taking a serious beating in this market'.
YES I KNOW! How can you not know.
I see the heartache and troubled couples on a regular basis that are loosing their dreamhome, and I do not enjoy it. I … (2 comments)

Larger homes require larger fees. - 09/02/08 10:23 PM
I performed an inspection in a wealthy neighborhood today. The house was unusually large - over 2500 square feet. I generally charge the same fee for all houses under 2200 square feet, but the bigger houses take much more time and can have much more to them.
I asked the agent what the square footage was only because I know the area is known for large homes and mansions. She said it was a normal size home.
I said 'Normal for WHO?' This place was sprawling, and I soon told the buyer the fee would increase by only $75. And I … (6 comments)

Long Island Home Inspector covers Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx and Manhattan - 09/01/08 08:57 PM
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… (1 comments)

If the house was built in a valley... - 09/01/08 07:53 PM
...then there are special considerations you must think about as a buyer.
I inspected a home that was built in a low area - the street is higher than the house. The asphalt of the street has a built-up 'curb' to channel the runoff away from the house. The concrete driveway has a substantial slope towards the house and garage, and they even put a curb of concrete at the base of the garage door in an effort to keep out the runoff.
When I checked the sheetrock in the garage (it was completely finished), which has stains consistant with mold, … (0 comments)

 

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