Real estate blog entries tagged with home inspection by Paul Duffau, Caring for People, Educating about Homes (Safe@Home Inspections, LLC in SE Washington)

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home inspection: Enter a Giveaway for a Free Audio Book - 08/30/15 09:03 PM

Surviving the Home Inspection is now available as an audiobook. To celebrate, I am giving away FIVE free copies through Audible.com.
I've written this to be accessible and informative for your clients. The heart of the book are more than a dozen checklists to guide the sellers to a successful experience at the inspection. Here's what one reader had to say:
"This is an outstanding guide for all home sellers facing the dreaded home inspection. I have sold two homes in the past, and the information this author has presented would have significantly eased my apprehension and anxiety."
The contest will run to September 11th. … (0 comments)

home inspection: Getting Ready for the Home Inspection - 07/11/12 12:39 PM

Congratulations! You have an offer on your home and the inspection date and time have been set. Now, let’s try to make this work as easily as possible for everyone and have an inspection process that helps you get to a successful closing.

First, let’s take care of some basic maintenance issues that might distract from the inspection:

· Have you changed the furnace filter recently? A dirty filter will be mentioned in the report and causes the buyer to question other issues like the ductwork and cleanliness.
· Are all the light bulbs working? Test your interior and … (19 comments)

home inspection: Are Sellers Shooting Themselves in the Foot? - 04/16/12 01:00 AM

Maybe it is just me but does it strike anybody else as odd that so many sellers shot themselves in the foot after they get an accepted offer?I can't count the number of times I've had buyers suddenly start questioning their decision when the seller leaves the home thrashed after it was immaculate for the showing.Or sellers that have an offer and refuse to accept an inspection time for the buyers - I had one last week that moved four times because nothing pleased the seller. I finally asked the agent if they really wanted to sell the house because the … (2 comments)

home inspection: Oh, We Don't Have Those Here.... - 07/20/10 09:47 AM

One of the very neat things about living in the southeast part of Washington State is that the weather is truly unique compared to the western half of the state.For example, Clarkston typically gets less than 13 inches of rain per year effectively making it a desert environment. Pullman gets about 21 inches per year.To put it in perspective, Olympia get more than 50 inches per year. This makes inspecting a home very different for the Eastern Washington inspectors even though we're governed by the same rules. For example, I've had people say that we don't have termites here. Fortunately, our … (6 comments)

home inspection: Aging Electrical Systems - 06/14/10 05:12 AM

Welcome to Monday! It looks to be a gorgeous day and, hopefully, a great week for everybody.
The Fire Protection Research Foundation has released a new study on aging residential electrical installations. The good news? Many of the older wiring systems are still functioning surprisingly well. Even pre-1950's conductors with thermoset rubber insulation are holding up well though the rubber can get brittle with age - the more these wires are handled, the greater the risk they'll pose.
Lights were also a problem area - primarily from using bulbs too large for the rating of the luminary installed. Most luminaries (lights) … (7 comments)

home inspection: Does This mouse trap on my Butt make me look fat? - 03/01/10 01:12 AM

I'm not very good at looking before I leap and, in this case, slithered. Just inside the crawlspace access, the owners had put a glue pad mouse trap.
Those things are incredibly sticky!
It took a few minutes to get it off my coveralls and I had to stand on a board over the trap and peel the clothe away.
My client Jeff had a hearty chuckle and took the picture for me.

… (10 comments)

home inspection: Who Let the Dog Out? - 02/24/10 01:31 AM

html> A lot of the defects that I find in a home aren't the result of equipment failure or poor building techniques. Instead, they're concious lifestyle choices that a home owner will make to improve the quality of life for themselves or their family. It just turns out that the decision that they make, while convenient, may have a few unintended consequences. In this case, the pedestrian door from the garage to the home is intended to be part of the fire barrier system - not that it will stop a fire but delay it. Cutting a hole in for the … (3 comments)

home inspection: Does Your Inspector carry Errors and Omissions Insurance? - 02/16/10 05:14 AM

One of the things that changed with the new State Licensing law in Washington State was that your home inspector is no longer required to carry Errors and Omissions Insurance. At least, when we were required to be Pest Inspectors, a small amount of insurance or bonding was required to protect the home owner. The debate over E&O insurance is probably as old as the home inspection industry. Many inspectors (ASHI estimates up to a third!) don't carry it thinking that it's either too expensive or makes them a target. At the ASHI conference in Las Vegas last month, I had … (5 comments)

home inspection: What does the manufacturer know? - 02/14/10 03:15 AM

Here's my most recent video. Nothing very fancy here but I ended up telling my clients that the fault that was found just isn't correctable in any practical way. Hate it when that's the case and especially in a brand new home. This was a house built in 2008 that has not yet been occupied - they were using it as the model home - so there's a limited warranty on the place. The buyers wanted to get ahead of the curve and hired me to go through the house to help them develop a punchlist. The siding issue was actually … (7 comments)

home inspection: Why don't you put Earth against Wood? - 02/09/10 04:10 AM

Because bad things happen. I took this video last week at an inspection I did out in the country in Idaho. Beautiful house and land but some things just don't work. In this case, the wall of the root cellar has already collapsed and I think the generator shed isn't far behind. … (3 comments)

home inspection: Underground Storage Tanks - 11/04/09 04:55 AM

The inspector shall "Report any evidence that indicates the possible presence of an underground storage tank. " Part of the process with having the inspectors go through a licensing process is that we now have more consistency in the reports that get generated. That quote above right from the new Washington State Standards of Practice for licensed home inspectors. Tracking these down can be tough though. Underground tanks were often placed by the side of the home and, in the forty or fifty years since they were used, those areas were converted to flower beds or shrubbery. Normally, I'll look for … (5 comments)

home inspection: Foundation Cracks - 10/28/09 07:18 AM

I don't call for engineering review often with foundation cracks. When I first started inspecting homes, I had several agents complaining about home inspectors (imagine that!) that would over-emphasize concrete cracks. In some cases, the agents were right. One of the advantages of being code-certified (I was a certified Special Inspector in Reinforced Concrete, Pre-Stressed/Post-Tension Concrete, Struct. Masonry, Struct. Steel) is that I had a chance to work alot with the material and do a lot of testing.
So when I do call for engineering review, I rarely get the agent complaining that I'm going overboard. I tell my clients, "I … (0 comments)

home inspection: New Technologies - 06/29/09 05:54 AM

One of the disadvantages of living in a rural area is that the newest technologies and techniques take a while to get to you.
For a person that is a habitual "early-adopter", this has been really frustrating.
A new technology that I have been waiting to get into my area was a fully wireless capability for internet. I send a lot of information by email to clients and agents but was either stuck finding a free wi-fi location or waiting until I got to the office at night. The first was iffy and the second was demoralizing after a ten or … (3 comments)

home inspection: The Newest Home Inspector Marketing Trick - 03/12/09 11:03 AM

I just received an email that encouraged me to participate in a "new" marketing program that offers my clients FREE gas and Groceries. Here's an excerpt:
Grocery Program Helped Me Steal A Sale. I was in a recertification program for my termite license today and my cell wouldn't get reception in the building. I leave this afternoon and found out someone left me a message this morning to get an inspection. Called back, he said he already booked with someone else and was ready to hang up. I said, "Do you mind if I asked who you went with?" He tells … (14 comments)

home inspection: Just What Industry Are We In? - 02/09/09 11:04 AM

The title of the post and the question itself probably seem a bit silly. Everybody here on AR is in the same business whether they're a Realtor, Inspector, Mortgage Broker, Stager. Quite often though I see people confuse industry with job. A good example was this last Friday.
I was taken by surprise during one of my inspections Friday, of a Clarkston WA house. I had an exchange with a Realtor from Lewiston ID that went something like this:
Inspector: So, have you been keeping tracks of the changes in the home inspection side of things?
Realtor: No. Why should I pay attention to your … (8 comments)

home inspection: Concrete - Not Just Grey Slabs - 02/09/09 01:48 AM

Everybody has an idea of what concrete is - hard, gray, cold. That's been changing for the last decade though as more and more people experiment with concrete as a decorative element in homes and businesses. Some areas of the country have already seen some of these finishes but here in the hinterlands of Washington and Idaho, they're fresh and exciting.
Through the use of stains and colored pigments, stamps, textured patterns, ornate sawcuts, epoxy overlay, and more, the concrete elements of homes and commercial buildings concrete are becoming increasingly attractive. Let's take a look at a few techiniques....
Exposed Aggregate
One … (1 comments)

home inspection: For Pullman Realtors and Home Buyers - 02/05/09 03:20 AM

Pullman Inspector Comparison
As you know, the State of Washington just recently established a new regulation that each agency must provide a written policy for referring home inspectors. I thought that the above chart might help in determining the standards you set in the policy.
Obviously my information is complete but you might find that it makes it easier to build your referral list with chart similar to the one above. I have tried to provide accurate information for the other inspectors but I have a few blanks.
Feel free to adapt the above if it is useful. I do ask … (2 comments)

home inspection: Hell Yes, inspect that custom home! - 02/01/09 05:49 PM

I have agents ask me whether they should have a new home inspected. We're a little more trusting out here - everybody knows everybody else and new homes are supposed to be "inspected" by the local building departments. I always tell them yes and tell them the story of a home that I did the forensics on - this one is still in litigation.

Now this is a bit extreme - I don't normally cut into walls to see what's happening but in this case, the homeowner was paying to have the structural components checked so we were intrusive.
… (7 comments)

home inspection: Undermining the Licensure Law in Washington - Before it even takes effect! - 01/29/09 11:09 AM

I recieved the following email from the ASHI of Western Washington- Well, it didn't take long! We have just received word that the first attempt to change the new Home Inspector Law has been brought forth in the Legislature. It is Senate Bill 5644, which you can review at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5644.pdf Basically, the bill attempts to allow on-line learning and inserts the word MOLD into the requirements for a Home Inspection. We would expect the DOL to fight the on line learning change, as all Real Estate classes are currently required to be instructor lead courses. Both the Real Estate Licensees and … (10 comments)

home inspection: "We Don't Need Gutters" - 01/21/09 03:57 AM

In addition to being a home inspector, I am also an infrared thermographer - the two don't always meet in the middle - and I have been keeping busy checking on wet basements for the last two weeks.
As many of you know, the Pacific Northwest has been getting hammered by snow. That has caused all sorts of hazards on the roads and roof collapses and several deaths - one when the snow on a roof slide off and buried an elderly lady on her sidewalk.
But what you may not know is that we also had a brief warming trend, … (5 comments)

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