What You Don't See Can Be Costly...

When real estate agents and their buyers look at a property, more often than not, they are looking at the aesthetics of the property not the functionality. Initially when the untrained eye looks at this photo, one sees a sees a cool looking stairwell, loft and a nice clean open space.

However to the trained eye of the home inspector, much more comes to view. For example:

1. Even though this is an older property, the balusters (spindles) on the guardrail and handrail exceed the current 4” spacing required for child safety. Agents and buyers need to be aware that small children can slip through those spaces and suffer a nasty fall. 2. Also, equally as important, is the placement of the smoke alarms on both levels of the property. Smoke alarms provide an early warning signal in the event of fire, which may allow you and your family sufficient time to reach safety.

Properly placed smoke alarms are vital for the safety of you and your family. In most states, properties that have been rehabbed need to be brought up to current standards of safety. These are some of the issues found with this property:

1. The alarms were not wired together – when one-alarm signals, all should signal.

2. The alarms were not installed in the bedrooms. Current safety standards require all smoke alarms to be placed in each bedroom and hallway of in each level of the property.

3. There was no function smoke alarm in the basement or the garage.

4. Alarms need to be placed either on the ceiling or within a foot of the ceiling on a vertical wall.

Did you know...

· Smoke alarms monitor the air 24 hours a day, every day. After 10 years, it's been on the job for over 87,000 hours. At this point in its life, it stands a 50/50 chance of failure. Do you want to trust your life to an aged device?. If you don’t know how old your alarm is, or if it is more than 10 years old, replace it.

· The battery back up in all alarms need to be replace every year.

· Smoke alarms need to be tested monthly.

· Vacuum the outside covers periodically to remove dust, dirt particles and insects.

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.