How did you find the home inspector for your home? Google, your realtor or maybe referred by a friend? I want to share with you a way you may not have thought about until now. We received a call from a woman who was looking to have a home she wanted to purchase inspected. She called the office and booked the inspection. When I arrived at the home, the introduction was made and I proceeded to go through the expectations of the home inspection with her. Well, after the home inspection was completed, I began to summarize the findings and that is when the buyer began to explain to me how she came to call on our company. She said that she fasted and prayed for 3 days so that the Lord would direct her to the right inspection company. She said "I did not want to take any chances. I don't have a lot of money and I had to do this right so I was going to let the Lord choose". Needless to say when I heard how she got our name, that was refreshing. We took some time afterwards to reflect on the goodness of God. We always say that this is likely the largest purchase you will ever make. Call around and make your own choice based on qualifications, experience and if you're still unsure, go to The Source as this woman did!
0 Comments
In the 28 years of performing home inspections, the story does not change much. Purchasers focus on the ambiance of living on the water. A place to relax not too far from home and yes it all sounds appealing, but what about the crawl space.? The part of the home inspection that matters the most. That waterfront living that you come to enjoy on those stressful days often times will migrate into the crawl space and cause structural issues to the home. The majority of cottages will have some level of wood damage in the crawl space and of course it is due to the location. When it comes to a home inspection though, the crawl space is where the rubber meets the road. Not all home inspectors go into the crawl space! Many buyers will overlook issues with electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling etc. to have that vacation home.We don't notice a difference with our new HRV system!Plugged air intake vents are very common and the builder may not have educated you on the equipment in your home. The reason for the HRV or the heat recovery ventilation system is to remove the stale air in your now air-tight home and bring in fresh air to help improve the air quality in your home. In addition, the system can also be helpful in removing excess moisture content in the air. A home inspection is very educational. This is why it is always encouraged that all home-buyers attend the inspection.A home inspection should be a part of every purchase.When a home inspection takes place, one of the instruments in the inspector's bag of tools is the thermal imaging camera. What you are seeing is the older style heating system where electrical elements were embedded into the plaster ceiling revealing the radiant heating system. A previous home-owner decided to upgrade to a forced air gas furnace with a central air conditioning system. However, they did not eliminate the radiant heat from the ceiling. You cannot see if the heat is on based on the digital picture below. However, when we conducted a home inspection, the thermal imaging camera revealed the radiant heating system had been in operation year round, yes all through the summer! No one in the household had noticed that the wall-mounted thermostat was turned on. Do you think maybe the previous home-owner was selling their home because they just could not deal with the heat to the upper level of the home. Hmm. But now because of the home inspection, the prospective buyer was informed about the issue. infrared image digital picture of the same image
When called to perform a home inspection, sometimes one of the red flags is that air fresheners are present throughout the home. We know everybody likes a nice smelling home and the sellers want to present a nice impression to prospective buyers. Indoor air quality is important to the health and well-being of the occupants of the home. As a rule of thumb, the air in the crawl space is the air you are breathing in the home. The air moves upward from the lowest part of the home and this is what you breath. Although the living area of the home may look nice, the smell and/or odour can be a red flag as to what is hidden in the crawl space. In this case, raw sewage was discovered during the home inspection. The seller did not disclose this to the buyer. This was due to a damaged sanitary pipe that opened and spilled raw sewage into the crawl space. Although the pipe was repaired, the seller did not spend the money to remediate the crawl space from the sewage. Call Home inspection Consultants (WE PROVIDE PEACE OF MIND).
Sometimes we receive calls that are just unusual to say the least. However, it is needful to follow up on all calls.
Home Inspection Consultants - Home Inspection Consultants how can we help you? Caller - Hi yes, we just had our home inspected by your company. Home Inspection Consultants - So you're the home-owner? Caller - Yes. When I got home, I realized that my fridge door no longer closes properly. Home Inspection Consultants - Well ma'am, I don't know why that would be, but can you describe the issue. Caller - Well my fridge door used to close tight but now it won't and I am afraid my food in the fridge is going to spoil. Home Inspection Consultants - Yes ma'am, well I will contact the home inspector and have him go and look at it today when he is between his inspections. Caller - Oh thank you as this is quite an issue for me. Home Inspection Consultants - Not a problem, someone will be there soon. Conclusion - The ketchup bottle in the fridge door was positioned in a way that it was not allowing the door to close properly. The home-owner was very apologetic and the inspector was put at ease and everyone was happy. We like happy endings. :) Often, we receive phone calls from homeowners trying to find solutions to their problems.
Inspector - Home Inspection Consultants, how can we help you? Caller - Yes I was wondering if you could help me. I have little black spots on the walls and ceilings to various areas of my home. Inspector - How old is your home? Caller - Approximately 10 years old. Inspector - How many people live in the home? Caller - We have 7 people living in the home. Inspector - The little black spots are likely mold spores as a result of too much moisture in your home. Do you have excess condensation at your windows? Caller - Why yes I do! This dialogue went on for a little while and the bottom line was that on average, each person gives off 1 litre of water per day and in their case, 7 litres of water would be in the air on a daily basis. The moisture content was ideal for mold growth and diminished air quality. Newer homes are air-tight and the moisture needs to be removed by mechanical systems built into the home i.e. kitchen and bath exhaust fans and even an HRV system. Lifestyles in the home can also create air quality issues. Call Home Inspection Consultants as we "Provide Peace of Mind". More and more, we are receiving calls with the same comment "I bought a home and just moved in and now I need to know what I bought. Can you come and inspect my home?" This is not the way it used to be or should be for that matter. Previously, a buyer would make an offer to purchase with conditions, like financing, house to sell and of course a home inspection. The buyers are the ones that lose out and end up with problems left behind from the previous owners. Home Inspection Consultants has been providing "Peace of Mind" for years. This crawl space had many issues, like water throughout, wet insulation and mold in various areas. The cost to remediate was just short of $25,000. Just think about it....a $350.00 home inspection could have made the buyer well informed before the purchase. But now in this market, we are back to caveat emptor (buyer beware). Insist on a home inspection and you won't have to deal with the costly headaches. AuthorHome Inspection Consultants, has been providing professional full home inspections for 28 years. WE provide "Peace of Mind". We have received many calls over the years and here is one example:
Caller: I have what looks like mold growing where the ceiling and outside walls meet in my home. Inspector: Have you made any recent changes within the home? Caller: Not really, oh I did look into my attic one day and found it to be somewhat breezy with air flowing in different directions. Inspector: So what did you do? Caller: I went into the attic and blocked all the air coming into the attic from the soffit. Inspector: Well sir, the problem was created when you stopped the air movement from the soffit into the attic, causing moisture to form and the trapped moisture has likely caused the mold to form. Caller: Ooops! The objective is that we must try to achieve the same temperature in the attic that is present at the exterior of the home. The greater the contrast in temperature, the more likely it is that moisture can form in the attic causing mold. |
AuthorI've come across a lot of interesting tidbits of information during my 29 year career as a home inspector. I've been told that I'm pretty meticulous and a good 'teacher', so hopefully you'll find some interesting information here.. Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|