home inspections: Always Get a Home Inspection, No Exceptions
- 09/26/11 02:10 PM
One of the somewhat unique things about Westchester County, especially south Westchester, is that it was almost completely developed after the 2nd World War. What this means is that there are very few newer homes, and the inventory that we have is older, often much older, than a typical home in other communities around the USA. The home I am living in now was built in 1962. A home I spent a chunk of my childhood in was built in 1890. We have terms here like "pre war" and "turn of the (20th) century" that describe some neighborhoods. This means that … (16 comments)
home inspections: Would You Get on the Roof in a Home Inspection?
- 09/02/10 03:26 PM
I saw something today I never witnessed before. It happened when I was covering a home inspection for one of my agents (Yes- I know. What a great guy I am). A home inspector brought the buyer onto the roof to show him something. I was so surprised to see this that I snapped a picture of it on my phone. Now, this was the first time I ever met the inspector. He was a sharp guy, handled the buyer's 3-year old son like a champ, and from everything I saw made a thorough, straight inspection. He even had one of those infrared … (22 comments)
home inspections: Home Inspectors "Bedside Manner" is Essential
- 04/01/10 04:31 AM
I have great respect for home inspectors. They perform a crucial job in the real estate process, and most I have worked with do their work with merit. Just about every good inspector I have ever dealt with has understood two very fundamental truths: Be thorough and accurate. Do not scare the crap out of the buyer over a minor finding. I recently had an alarmist experience with a home inspector from an engineering firm. It was my listing, and he arrived a half hour late. I then watched aghast as we spent an hour in the basement alone, 4 hours total, … (4 comments)
home inspections: Co ops and Home Inspections
- 01/23/10 11:52 AM
This will be somewhat of a rant, but after being sick as a dog with some exotic bug my kids brought home from school, I am in one of those moods. There is a word for a home inspector who will take $500 from a home buyer for inspecting a co op apartment they are looking to buy: Thief. My opinion? Maybe. The opinion of reputable, licensed home inspectors with ASHI memberships whom I have discussed this with? Yup. By and large, inspecting a co op apartment is not needed the way it is for a house. The windows are the co-op's responsibility. … (6 comments)
home inspections: A Thought on Home Inspectors: or, It's the Photos, Stupid
- 03/22/09 03:29 AM
This is inspired by Jack Feldmann's excellent piece on a home inspection he made recently. The posting has photos of some pretty amazing termite mud tubes in a crawlspace. Pretty compelling stuff. I think most home inspectors are fine but there are still some outfits that issue pretty bad reports- chicken scratch, really. A few years ago, while on a home inspection in Orange County, about 45 minutes north of my home, I encountered a home inspector who brought with him a laptop, small printer, and digital camera. He was a retired grandfather- no Generation X tekkie. Yet we left the inspection … (8 comments)
home inspections: Playing our Position
- 03/08/09 12:34 AM
I still recall the instructor from my original 1996 license course admonishing our class that agents never give legal, accounting, or any other advice that is beyond the scope of our duty. We were even coached to repeat the phrase "I cannot give you legal advice." Wise words. In New York, the real estate transaction involves many professionals: agents, lawyers, title company, appraiser, home inspector, lender, loan officer, and so forth. While we do not operate in individual vacuums and there is some cross pollination of duties (I might provide an appraiser with comparable sale information, for example), by and large … (14 comments)
Phil Faranda is associate broker and manager for Howard Hanna Rand Realty in Yorktown and Carmel, NY. He joined the brand after being broker and owner of J. Philip Real Estate LLC in Briarcliff Manor, NY for 18 years. Since founding the firm as a sole practitioner in late 2005, the team has grown to over 80 agents & closed 1000+ transactions valued at over $1 billion. He was 2014 President of the HGMLS and a 2017 Inman Influencer. This blog commentary is geared toward consumers and industry colleagues alike. You can reach him at (914) 723-8900. Warning: *Sarcasm and irony advisory at all times.*
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One of the somewhat unique things about Westchester County, especially south Westchester, is that it was almost completely developed after the 2nd World War. What this means is that there are very few newer homes, and the inventory that we have is older, often much older, than a typical home in other communities around the USA. The home I am living in now was built in 1962. A home I spent a chunk of my childhood in was built in 1890. We have terms here like "pre war" and "turn of the (20th) century" that describe some neighborhoods. 
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