I often hear that since there is a state required builder's warranty for new construction in Louisiana, that it is not necessary to have a home inspection done when purchasing one of these properties.
WRONG! No home is perfect, even a newly built one, and it is still important to have a thorough home inspection done.
I recently had the chance to work with a terrific military couple re
Some would think that home inspection is not that important in a home buying process. But take note that would be one of the best things that you should do for your investment. Having home inspection can alert you with any problem that a home may have, so at least you would know in advance any problem that you might see and encounter in the future. With this, it can help you move away from investing and spending money that can give you many problems in the long run. If you wish to buy a home in Miami real estate, there are reasons why you should need a home inspection for your buying process, read on in order to know the reasons why... Working with a home inspector can help you out in knowing if the home that you are eyeing at is in good condition or not. Since the home inspector will che
So you’ve just found the perfect home for your family, and the sellers have agreed to accept your offer for purchase. Now they’re waiting on you to arrange a home inspection, but you have no idea who to contact and why. What now?!?
Well, if you’ve never bought a home before, the idea of [...]
Before buying a investment property I get out my inspection checklist. The list helps me automate the inspection process and make sure that I get everything inspected both quickly and without missing anything. Making the inspection process a system really speeds up the inspection and takes a lot of the guess work out of [...]
(As printed in the Allen News 1/31)It's always a good idea to inspect a house you intend to buy whether it's pre-owned or new construction. The TREC approved contracts provide for an option period that allows for due diligence including home inspections. Your Realtor can advise you as to how to negotiate the process with your builder. Even with residential service contracts and builder's warranties, it can still be frustrating to get blind-sided with necessary and possibly costly repairs once you've closed.Even the untrained eye can spot many symptoms of larger problems but a professional can provide a detailed report and further explanation of familiar issues such as:Water stains on ceilings and blistered or peeling paint on any surfaces, which may indicate a moisture problem or leaky roo
Congratulations! Now that you have made an offer You are on a fast track to owning your first home! But your work is not complete. In order to protect yourself, and your investment, you need to order a complete home inspection, prior to closing on the home.Why is a home inspection important? A Home inspection is crucial because you should make sure that the home you intend to buy is in good condition. Several years ago, the actor Tom Hanks did a movie called "The Money Pit". The story centers around a couple who buy a beautiful home, one that they consider to be the home of their dreams. It is highly unlikely that they had a home inspection done, as problem after expensive problem begins to surface. For every dime they spend to resolve one issue, another expensive issue would appear, hence the movie's title "The Money Pit"Although the story is fictional, the movie could serve as a precautionary tale of what NOT to do when buying a home. The circumsta
A Guest Post by Jim Nolan of Home Inspections by Nolan based in Orlando. He is the Florida chapter president of the National Association of Home Inspectors and one of the most skilled, knowledgeable, and respected home inspectors in SW Orlando. Thanks again Jim for your valuable input.
email: jimnolan@cfl.rr.com
phone: (407) 876-3724
I get those calls all the time. That just goes to show what happens when the general public is left up to themselves to learn about how to buy a house rather than to accept professional guidance from a Realtor. People don’t know how to buy a house - but it’s not their fault - just a lack of experience.
Think about it. How many houses does an average person buy in a lifetime? Three, maybe four? And how often? Once a decade? How would you like to go to a dentist that fills one tooth a decade? How would you like to go to a heart surgeon that does one operation a decade? You wouldn’t. So why can’t you ask a Realtor to assist you
House Call Home Inspection, the largest home inspection company in the state of Louisiana is pleased to announce that House Call Home Inspection is now being offered nation wide. House Call’s industry leading marketing and reporting system has been responsible for House Call achieving over a 20% market share once introduced into a community.
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I was watching cartoons the other day, (YES, with my kids...) and this video came on. I was hoping I could find it. I know it is a little long (about 10 min.), but it illustrates something we all need to be aware of. Get a home inspection! No, we can't make you as real estate agents. (However, if you don't you will sign a form that says it was your decision and we are not liable.) Your mortgage company probably will. Either way... You will see here what can happen to a home if it is not properly taken care of. You will also see what can be happening behind the scenes without you even knowing it until it is to late. I hope you will watch, take note, and take our advice.
This week, Lydia Taylor with Meybohm REALTORS from Augusta, GA is our guest author and she brings some recommendations about whether or not you should get a home inspection on a home that you are purchasing. I think this one is very important and I’m not sure I can think of any home that you should not get inspected except for a tear down and that is a topic for another post! If you have an interest in Augusta, GA real estate, make sure you contact Lydia at (706) 739-1020.
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A message for ClientsWhen we do a home inspection we want you to be a part of it. But the truth is that it could take 2-4 hours for an inspection and it just slows down the inspector if you are looking over his shoulder. Here is the best way to handle this. Just show up about 1 hour before we anticipate being done and we can review the paper work. Then the inspector will walk you through the home and show you first hand anything he has found. This is just an efficient use of everyone's time. Anyone have a better idea?
Last week I posted about our FAILED home inspection which Oronzo had to deal with himself, since I was in Florida on business (thanks for all the supportive comments, by the way). Well, we passed the follow-up home inspection!This past Saturday Oronzo went to Home Depot and got the hardware required to make the required changes.Tues morning our agency licensing agent came to our house and confirmed that the changes had been made. She initialed those areas on the checklist left by the state inspector and took the paperwork with her to submit to the state.Tuesday evening, Oronzo undid everything that he had done to pass the inspection because we refuse to violate fire code and put our family at risk by blocking our exits in 2 bedrooms in case we are trapped because of a fire! Thankfully, our home won't be inspected again for another 3 years.So, now that we've passed the follow-up inspection we're in the waiting stage.We've done everything we could do to complete the process of gettin
Watch and then ask.. What does this have to do with real estate or a home inspection?Now, the answer to the question. What does this have to do with real estate? When I saw it the first thing I thought (well maybe not the first, but definitely one of the next five thoughts) was, "This is why you MUST get a home inspection!" So many times you can walk through a house and a very pretty picture has been painted, but underneath the paint on the canvas (behind the sofa)can be some real problems. We always recommend a home inspection to all of our buyers. We recently found a home whose heating system didn't work. It's the middle of summer, would you have thought about that?A home inspection company just recently came to us and told us about having a home inspection before you sell. What a great idea! Have the home inspected and then fix what you want or fix it all. You can have a copy of the inspection at your home along with a list of what has been corrected. This lets all potential buyer
Yesterday we had a Licensing Agent (to be called Jessica) come from the agency that we're working with to get certified for foster-to-adopt through the state. She was at our house to do a preliminary walk-through of our house to see if any improvements needed to be made before our actual homestudy home inspection was scheduled.I'm happy to say that we had almost everything in order! We carefully reviewed the list that I've attached to this post (click on the image to enlarge) before she arrived, so that helped.There were a couple of suggestions that she had and I'd like to share them with you, in case you ever go through this yourself.1) The plastic Safety 1st cabinets and drawers locks we had will not pass inspection with the state. She recommended that we get magnetic Tot Loks instead because those will pass inspection. I must confess, I've never even heard of these. Jessica said we can find them at Home Depot. I'll bet they're sold at Babies R Us too.2) We're not allowed to
Costly errors and misunderstandings are preventable . . .
The outcome of a home inspection is often not what a homebuyer expects. Recognized Standards of Practice provide guidelines for inspectors, but consumers and agents often make assumptions leading to disappointment.
FACT: Error #1. Not understanding the role of the home inspector, and the purpose of the [...]
While many real estate professionals have experienced a slowing in business, there is one group that has seen an upturn .... the home inspector. While we had the torrid pace of home sales during the 2000 - 2005 real estate boom, the home inspector was relatively left out in the cold. If you presented a contract with a home inspection in many markets, the seller would chuckle as he or she dropped your contract in the trash. Even buyers' agents would urged their clients not to attach home inspections to their contracts. Most of a home inspectors business was based on "information-only" purposes inspections. Fast forward a couple of years and now the home inspector is back. The new market has made the home inspection customary and they are becoming an excellent negotiating tool for buyers. Nowadays, buyers are using the home inspection to gain leverage. It is used to either reduce the seller's price after the contract is ratified or to get more seller concessions. For about $40
As an experienced Realtor, one of the things I strongly recommend any buyer do within days of a seller accepting their offer is to hire a reputable home inspection company to inspect the property. Even new homes can have construction defects so do not let the fact that it's a new house give you any assurance that nothing could be wrong with it. Any number of items could need repair or replacement. Typically, the home inspection period is 3-14 days (depending on the market) from the date the sales contract is fully executed. Try to schedule the home inspection so that you or your representative can be present at the time. Don't be afraid to ask questions of the home inspector, either during or after the inspection. If you are unsure of which company to choose to perform the home inspection, you can check out the links on my sidebar to the two home inspection organizations that many inspection companies ar
