home inspection albuquerque: Have you ever told a client they shouldn't buy this home?
- 09/26/17 05:53 PM
As Home Inspectors, it is our job to tell the condition of the home we are inspecting, on that particular day of the inspection. It is not our job to tell them to buy or not to buy, although sometimes it is hard not to! Have you ever had a client ask you if they should buy it? "What do you think... is this a good home to buy?" Been asked that a multitude of times! Always the generic answer, "I cannot tell you whether you should buy it or not. My job is to tell you the condition of it so … (75 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Your Evaporative Cooler can ruin your furnace!
- 09/21/17 10:09 AM
Here in the Southwest region of the United States, many homeowners use Evaporative Coolers as a cheaper way to condition the air in their homes. They are also called Swamp Coolers. It is much cheaper to use, can be very effective! It also adds humidity to the air, much needed here in our dry climate. It has been said that New Mexico is the driest state in the US... I believe it! It is common to see Evaporative Coolers on homes here. They are very creative as to how and where the coolers are mounted. An evaporative cooler (or swamp cooler) cools the indoor air … (10 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Corner Toilet?
- 06/19/17 08:05 AM
You know the cool thing about being a Home Inspector is getting to see the crazy, different, sometimes whacky things people have in their homes, or the crazy designs people come up with. Last Thursday I did an inspection on a Townhome that had some really crazy lines in it. Trapezoid rooms, triangle rooms, all irregular, you name it... I'm sure the framers had fun with this one!
When I came to the bathroom, I saw this gem in the corner! A corner toilet? My first! I posted it on my Facebook page for all to see... and got some interesting comments, … (27 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Why do we have GFCI outlets in the bathroom?
- 06/03/17 08:54 AM
GFCI outlets... what is GFCI? It stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. It can save your or your family's life! I was reminded of this the other day when I stepped into this bathroom. Now, I didn't meet or see the homeowners here, but it appears that the lady of the household has big hair! She's even got a can of Big Sexy Hair!! So what does a GFCI outlet do? It's there to protect people from electrical shock. When you look at a normal 120-volt outlet here in the United States, there are two vertical slots and then a round hole centered below them. … (10 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Dead Front Screws?
- 10/26/16 10:29 AM
Screws.... yes, screws. Mr. Inspector, you mean to tell me that you are writing up that the screws that hold the dead-front cover on the electrical panel are wrong? That seems pretty picky sir! There is a reason for using the correct screws, and yes, it is an electrical defect if the correct screws are not used! Why? Well, let me tell you, I just had this happen to me the other day. I got to the electrical panel, and noticed that the bottom right screw was different than the rest of them, not to mention it required a flat blade … (5 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Could you plant that tree a little closer?
- 10/20/16 01:20 AM
Trees.... we all love trees. Trees provide shade for us, our homes, and helps to purify our air that we breathe. Where trees don't belong is planted right beside the structure of our homes. I see it all the time, usually it's the builder with their landscaping packages. They put these cute little trees and bushes surrounding the newly built construction to dress it up and make the new home pretty. But, those little pretty bushes and trees grow up! They can destroy a homes foundation and the exterior walls. They can uproot driveways and sidewalks. Landscaping should be carefully planned … (15 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: SOS Signal!
- 06/06/16 01:50 AM
A couple weeks ago I did an inspection on a house with a flat low sloped roof with gravel over it for UV protection. They are usually a torched down, hot asphalt covering then they spread the gravel so our beautiful sun does not fry and dry out the roofing material. They are very common here since we have so many southwestern style homes here.
So I am climbing up and I can see the gravel has been distrubed... no wait... it's words scraped into the gravel! Kids playing on the roof? Well, maybe more serious! Maybe not. The one said "Best … (4 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Satellite Dish Installation
- 05/02/16 12:36 AM
We have so many choices when it comes to TV entertainment these days! Why, we can even go the old school route with a HD antenna.... you may only get some local channels, but it's free! Well, except for the antenna investment. Also, we have many cable choices as well. And, we have the satellite dish. Yes, the satellite dish. You see them mounted all over the place. When the homeowner moves they usually leave it behind. So they are mounted everywhere! I have seen them on a short pole beside the house, I have seen them bolted to the side walls … (26 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: The old double sink valve trick
- 03/14/16 01:35 AM
Life as a Home Inspector can be a challenging one, we see all kinds of cool stuff, some amazing stuff, and some things are always good for a chuckle or even a rip roaring laugh! You just don't know, and they all are different! That's what makes it so interesting. The other day I inspected a home for this young fella, it was going to be his first home! Way to go young man, I made sure I educated him during our walk around, he was a nice kid and soaking it all in. When we got to the master bathroom. I … (10 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Where oh where has my evaporative cooler gone?
- 02/25/16 01:07 AM
I did this inspection a couple weeks ago, I'm sure not everybody knows what an Evaporative or Swamp Cooler is. An evaporative cooler (or swamp cooler) cools the indoor air using evaporation. It lowers the dry-bulb temperature of the indoor air. They have pads that are wet with water running through them. When the blower fan turns on, it draws air from outside. The air passes over the wet pads and blows into the interior. The water in the pads absorbs the heat from the air as it passes through them. This causes some evaporation of the water, and the temperature of … (5 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Inspecting an abandoned home
- 02/01/16 01:15 AM
I done an inspection on an abandoned home the other day. I say abandoned because the home had been sitting empty for many many months, maybe over a year, how long I'm not even sure. I can say though that my inspection of said home has been delayed and rescheduled several times whilst the bank and listing agent got it to the place it could even be inspected! No utilities of course, and when they turned the water on, they realized the previous owner had removed the water softener and that loop was still open.... water everywhere. Cancel the inspection till … (7 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: It's all about the installation!
- 01/25/16 01:14 AM
I did a Pre-Listing Inspection last week for a very nice older couple. They listened to their Realtor and realized it is a great idea to get a Pre-Listing Inspection! They didn't want any surprises when they buyers Home Inspector does his inspection and finds stuff they didn't even know about! It was a good thing they did too because I ran into something pretty quickly on the exterior of the house. They had a refrigerated air conditioning unit installed in 2009. Nice unit, looked to be installed well too. But... while I was doing my thing, I noticed that the condensate … (7 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Garages, is yours safe?
- 12/07/15 12:12 AM
A good majority of homes have attached garages these days. People use them for everything! Modern garages have evolved to the point that a recent straw poll indicates a mere one quarter of homeowners are able to park a vehicle in their garages. About half say they can squeeze one car in, and the other quarter is somehow able to park multiple vehicles there. Most folks use their garage space to store personal items. Other uses run the gamut, from hobby shops to rehearsal studios to a budding dot-com headquarters. My rule of thumb has always been, if you want to park one … (57 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Why do they mount these things on the roof?
- 11/15/15 11:54 PM
Evaporative Coolers, or Swamp Coolers as they are called here are on a very large percentage of homes here. They are not being used right now, most of them have been shut down, drained, covered in canvas and winterized. But during the summertime, they are used for cooling homes. They are found predominately in the southwestern area of the country. They work pretty good, they only use about 10% of the energy that refrigerated air costs, so they are effective, but leads to my question: Why do they mount them on the roof?? They almost always leak at one point or another, … (4 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: They call him Flipper, faster than lightning...
- 05/06/15 02:09 AM
We have all seen or heard of the TV show Flipper... I am probably showing my age here but the show ran from 1964 to 1967. The term "Flipper" has also been given to an investor that buys distressed homes, fixes them up, and "flips" them for a quick profit. Like in any other profession, there are good and bad flippers. I have seen some that were terrible. Fill the house with bling, new kitchen appliances, maybe cabinets, paint, carpet... bingo! Only during the inspection revealed a huge hole in the roof, rotted wood, Polybutylene pipes, Broken or hard to open … (22 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: Gasp... I can't breathe!
- 04/27/15 12:01 AM
I had an inspection the other day in the beautiful town of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. It's almost a suberb of Albuquerque, but it's a separate little area that has grown to be almost as large as Albuquerque... it may be larger! Anyway, this was an older home, built in 1981. The first thing I noticed was the soffit vents were clogged. A little closer look revealed that they were clogged with paint... all of them! There are not that mant vents anyway, so to have them clogged like this will restrict and air movement in the attic. Soffit vents allow cooler … (41 comments)
home inspection albuquerque: The pitter patter of little feet...
- 02/11/15 11:18 PM
The last thing you want to hear at night when you are lying in bed is little feet running or scurrying in your attic! If you bought an existing home and didn't have a Home Inspection... you may not know it till you spend your first night there! Going into attics during the course of an inspection is always adventure. You never know what you’re going to run into… literally! In older homes especially, shining the light ahead of you before you stick your melon up there is always a great idea! Recently, I inspected a home that was built … (8 comments)
As Home Inspectors, it is our job to tell the condition of the home we are inspecting, on that particular day of the inspection. It is not our job to tell them to buy or not to buy, although sometimes it is hard not to! Have you ever had a client ask you if they should buy it? "What do you think... is this a good home to buy?" Been asked that a multitude of times! Always the generic answer, "I cannot tell you whether you should buy it or not. My job is to tell you the condition of it so … (75 comments)
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