Sometimes we do a property inspection with the buyer in-tow. I really do like to have an active, involved buyer looking over my shoulder during the review. What my last client-involved inspection experience taught me was that there are so many items that I mentally check-off when even looking at
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05/04/2018
Spring is here and so is the demand for recreational property inspections. In many cases the sellers have long moved on and the vacation use of their cabin or cottage has dimished over time to minimal visits, if any. Unfortunately the building condition suffers but the location and lot value main
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05/02/2018
Just a quick note. I would like to see more encompassing disclosure requirements for every property by sellers including: all municipal permits issued, police reports, insurance claims and utility bills for their period of ownership. In my opinion it is entirely unacceptable to have such lax requ
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04/26/2018
I recently completed a home inspection for a client who referred to the subject property as a 'granny house' as it reminded her of her own grandmother's home. I've see many of these properties before and they are usually reasonably priced, structurally sound, but dated. This house was no exceptio
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04/25/2018
Solar systems are installed for both off-grid (totally stand alone) and net-metering (interconnected to the utility) applications. Based on my home inspection experience, here’s a quick primer on what to look for in an installed system.For net-metering applications, be sure to locate: Locate the
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04/22/2018
In this seller's market, is there still a need for a home inspection? Market conditions are such that some realtors are advising clients to not consider using the inspection report to re-negociate their offer. Rather, buyers are told to use the report for information purposes only. Really? As bot
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04/18/2018
To my fellow active rainers.It does not matter what your religion or belief system is, we are all entitled to our preferred path. I choose to believe in Easter. Not the rabbits or eggs or chocolate. You know. The other stuff. But the wonderous thing about our times is that I am able to indulge in
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03/31/2018
It's Saturday morning. I'm having a cup of copy, listening to streaming radio and reading the paper. For this weekend, on my to-do list is to 'un-winterize' our RV. This brought back a flood of memories on how I went about inspecting our rig last year, prior to buying it. Here is my experience.
03/24/2018
A home inspector requires patience and good observation skills. It's important to not to just walk by an unexpected situation. In this post I discuss a stain around the floor drain in the mechanical room. This dried depost of debris is certainly a red flag. Something has happened and the inspecto
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03/19/2018
In my area of the country, the seasonal increase in buying demand for vacation properties has now begun. The care and operation of a recreational property is very different from that of an urban dwelling. In particular, the knowledge that the seller has about the property is invaluable. In this p
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03/18/2018