AR Zoom MeetUp
- Enjoy Tuesday at 2pm -
Wonderful Weekly Topics
October 6th AR Zoom MeetUp featured Jay Markanich discussing Home Inspections and his Home Inspection adventures in Northern Virginia. And they certainly were unusual happenings!
Debe Maxwell, CRS along with help from several other AR members, organizes weekly the Tuesday Zoom MeetUps started after an initial group meeting pulled together by Marie Story. (Will add Zoom MeetUp when received.)
Jay recounted that one time, as he entered the dark crawl space under a home in Washington, DC, he turned on his flashlight and immediately reacted with a loud scream. So did the other person in there! Unexpectedly, Jay was was nose-to-nose with a homeless person. He told us that as he recovered his composure, he told the man the house was sold, people were moving in and he better find another place to live!
Another time, after completing an Inspection on a home with a series of issues - mostly major - he received an angry phone call from a person who not only sounded drunk but proceeded to threaten him.
"You cost me the sale of my house," the man said.
"I'm coming to get you and get your family for doing this to me."
Jay called his contact, the Buyer's Agent, who contacted the Seller's Agent. He also called the police to be sure that nothing would come of the threats made against him and his family. The police took his call seriously. Fortunately, the caller did nothing to follow up on his threats.
Jay provides Clients with thermal infrared images that he takes during his inspections. Frequently used for detecting heat loss, thermal infrared also helps to determine leak locations. He explained that some leaks in new construction might go unnoticed until a ceiling below fell down!
When discussing the extra items he can find with the thermal infrared, Jay explained the legal term "creative concealment" which refers actions taken when Sellers deliberately try to hide details.
When asked if an agent can determine if there had been flooding, Jay suggested looking under the stairs to the basement. If the Seller was trying "creative concealment" techniques, probably that area would not have been repaired when the other walls were repaired.
Jay is certified as a home and commercial energy auditor and is certified in environmental assessments, such as radon and mold.
Other topics discussed were water heater safety regulations and tankless water heaters.
WHO IS NEXT?
October 13th Robert Siciliano, from the Boston, MA area who is a nationally recognized specialist in security issues. He has posted on AR about many issues such as using FB to sign in to other programs, Is ID Theft Protection a Lie?, Vishing, Phising and Smishing.
See you on Tuesday!!!!!
