About once a week one of my inspectors or I run into an electric panel somewhere in a garage or laundry area that is inaccessible due to personal storage. Often times, permanent shelving being placed over the panel face so that it cannot be removed or the door opened as on the case below. Some licensed states require us (inspectors) to open and inspect the panel for deficiencies.There is a huge safety concern here. First of all, panels need to have unrestricted access in the event of an emergency. Secondly, it will save your seller the expense of having a licensed electrician come out to evaluate the panel or the expense of a trip charge by having the inspector come out again to inspect this item.When you are doing your walk-through during your listing, take a moment to see if this cond... 12/11/2007

OK, let's be honest about our Middle School experiences. There probably isn't a time in life were being like everyone else is as important as Middle School - just fitting in is an accomplishment. So when the school dance came around, you probably did what just about everyone else did - stand against the wall on the side of the gymnasium.But the funny thing is that the very best dance partners were probably out on the dance floor while everyone else was standing on the wall waiting for Mister or Miss Right to ask us to dance. I'm not ashamed to admit that I spent too many dances as a "Wall Flower" and always came away with a would of, could of, should of feeling. I'm willing to bet that you may have, too! That certainly reminds me of the Real Estate Market today in Middle Tennessee - lot... 12/11/2007

I remember my first white Christmas while living in Michigan as a child. There was the smell of roasted pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and gingerbread cookies. My parents were drinking eggnog as we decorated our tree. Snow glistened on the moonlit landscape outside our window. I sometimes yearn for those magical, mystical years and reminisce especially when I listen to Bing Crosby crooning "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas". Shortly after those memorable years we moved to southern Georgia where I could only dream of a white Christmas. Now that I live in Tennessee, white Christmases are as rare as hen's teeth, but I still look forward towards preparing for this special time of the year. I admit preparing for the holidays is a bit stressful but everything always seems to out in spite of me. Af... 12/08/2007

Water Heaters – Facts and Common Violations As a licensed home inspector for the State of Tennessee and an ASHI certified home inspector, the most common water heater violations I see with water heaters center around the Temperature, Pressure, Relief (TPR) valve. Water heaters are pressure vessels capable of exploding or causing serious burns. While the pressure vessel itself conforms to ASTM standards, the installation of the TPR valve is typically left to local building codes or “generally accepted trade practices”.  The inherent issues with water heaters lie with the mechanical thermostats, which control the heat source. If the water heater's thermostat malfunctions, the pressurized water in the tank could continue to heat and superheat (beyond 212°F).  This will cause two problems: ... 12/06/2007

As a licensed home inspector for the State of Tennessee and an ASHI certified home inspector, I am continually in and out of properties almost daily; some new - some old. Generally, it is the older properties that I find really fascinating.I entered the master bath of an ‘80's style ranch and flipped the light switch on as I entered the room. The dark room instantly became aglow in a brilliant light that momentarily hurt my eyes. Then I noticed the intense heat. There must have been a minimum of 25 - 60 watt bulbs surrounding a 48x48 mirror. I understand that some women like to have a lot of light while putting on their make-up, but goodness, the heat coming from that area was enough to melt your mascara not to mention the sunburn that you could get in the meantime! Maybe this was the f... 12/06/2007

 If you have one, when was the last time that YOU entered, inspected, or had your crawl space professionally inspected?   As a licensed home inspector for the State of Tennessee and an ASHI certified home inspector, I have seen a lot of damage in the under world that could have been avoided by performing annual maintenance inspections. The old adage, "Out of Sight - Out of Mind" doesn't work for this area of your property. What you don't know can cost you - thousands of dollars.Water damage and water related issues are the number one issue that I find under houses. Loose toilets and leaks in waste lines at floor penetrations are issues that can go unnoticed for years. By the time you finally notice it; your property could have sustained thousands of dollars of damage! Water damage does ... 12/06/2007

Chimneys are basically very small structures. Just as your house needs a roof to keep water from entering, so does your chimney. Chimney crowns are simply chimney roofs. The crown should slope down from the flue liner at a minimum of 3 inches of fall per foot of run. Flat or improperly sloped crowns can allow water to enter the interior of the chimney. This water can cause efflorescence (white salt deposits on brick surface), brick spalling (the flaking of the brick surface), and the deterioration of the mortar between individual bricks. Not to mention damage to the damper, hearth, fire-screen and wood around the chimney on post-and-beam construction. All too often, brick masons simply use mortar mix to finish off the top of a chimney. Mortar is easily damaged because it is not designed... 12/06/2007

With so many new companies moving to the Nashville area, more and more people are finding Williamson County, especially the areas of Brentwood and Franklin, to be very appealing.  Unlike most large cities, the Nashville area has very few gated communities.  One of the best known gated communities is The Governors Club in Brentwood, Tennessee.  Located south of Nashville, just off the Concord Road Exit of I-65, The Governors Club offers so many amenities.  The Governors Club of Brentwood has a fabulous 18 hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.  The homes surround this beautifully landscaped course.  The clubhouse overlooks the eighteenth green, and dining is delightful.  Home pricing ranges from $700,000 to $7.8 million.  There are two swimmings pools and tennis courts, as well as a... 12/06/2007

This one shows the history of rates since 1790. Rates too high? Are you kidding me? Get some perspective...Provided by Jim McMahan, Mortgage Market Guide*******************Kevin Michelson, CMPS, MBA is one of the few mortgage originators in the state of Tennessee to hold the prestigious designation of Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist (CMPS). He is a Home Loan Consultant for Countrywide Home Loans in Brentwood, TN - Countrywide's #1 branch for purchase originations. Additionally, Kevin earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Nova Southeastern University bringing advanced concepts to his clients' mortgage plans and his referral partners marketing plans. He believes that if he puts others first, he'll never finish last. Kevin and his family are proud to call Williams... 12/05/2007

I recently had a buyer choose to not buy a home because "rates were too high." Certainly an excuse but here's some evidence to fire back at someone if you get the same point of resistence.Provided by Jim McMahan, Mortgage Market Guide*******************Kevin Michelson, CMPS, MBA is one of the few mortgage originators in the state of Tennessee to hold the prestigious designation of Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist (CMPS). He is a Home Loan Consultant for Countrywide Home Loans in Brentwood, TN - Countrywide's #1 branch for purchase originations. Additionally, Kevin earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Nova Southeastern University bringing advanced concepts to his clients' mortgage plans and his referral partners marketing plans. He believes that if he puts other... 12/05/2007

Lenders use various indices to adjust interest rates as economic conditions change over time. Lenders add a certain number of percentage points, called a margin, to the index to establish the interest rate borrowers must pay.LIBORLondon Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR)LIBOR is the rate of interest that member banks of the British Bankers' Association charge when they lend money to one another in the wholesale money markets in London, somewhat similar to our Fed Funds Rate. In fact, the LIBOR tends to closely track the US Fed Funds Rate. LIBOR is a standard financial index that is used globally and in US capital markets, and the Wall Street Journal publishes the index on a daily basis. In general, changes in the LIBOR have tended to be smaller than changes in the Prime Rate. There are sev... 12/05/2007

As our parents grow older and their life expectancy rises to previously unseen levels, we are faced with a growing dilemma: how to finance the higher costs associated with assisted living facilities, in-home care and medical expenses without going broke.We all want to care for our loved ones, but we also want to ensure a stable financial future for ourselves and our own families. With this in mind, as a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist, I am committed, qualified and equipped to help you implement these three proven steps to help you financially care for your elderly parents:Develop an Elder Care Funding Plan of Action: The best way to approach elder care financing is by re-examining your spending habits and the way your monthly cash flow works. This doesn't necessarily mean that y... 12/05/2007

Are you a speculator or investor? Great fortunes can be made and lost in real estate. As a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist, I am committed, qualified and equipped to help you implement the seven keys to profitable real estate investment: Determine Level of Liquidity - liquidity is the ability to quickly convert an investment into cash, without losing any of the principal that you've invested. For example, a savings account is highly liquid. In contrast, real estate is considered to have low liquidity because of the time it takes to sell the property and the unpredictability of the market value at the time you are ready to sell. The greatest real estate fortunes have been lost by those who overextended themselves and didn't have enough liquidity to weather to ups and downs in the ... 12/05/2007

Buying a home is a major achievement in most everyone's life. Pride of ownership, tax breaks, equity and the ability to increase your wealth and net worth are just a few of the many benefits you'll enjoy with your new home. Your home purchase may also be one of the largest you will ever make.During the emotional excitement of buying a home, you may encounter terms with which you are unfamiliar. For some, it can be a bit embarrassing to ask what they consider too many questions. Others may make a note of their questions but simply forget to revisit them. To ensure that you have complete confidence during your home loan process, invest a moment to read this report and become familiar with the concepts and terms you'll encounter. Knowledge is power and the more you know, the more successfu... 12/05/2007

As a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist, I am committed, qualified and equipped to help you improve your credit rating. Your credit scores usually determine the price you pay for your money (your mortgages, your auto loans and leases, your credit cards, business loans, etc.).Perhaps the most significant part of your credit report is your credit score. Credit scores range from 350 to 850, with 850 being the best possible credit score that you could receive, and 350 being the worst possible credit score. There are five factors that determine your credit score: Your Payment History - 35% impact on your credit score. Paying debt on time and in full has a positive impact. Late payments, judgments, charge-offs, collection accounts and bankruptcies have a negative impact. One of the most i... 12/05/2007

College costs continue to rise, but a college degree remains an excellent investment. With the proper planning, most families can find a way to afford higher education.You should not try to implement a quick fix to financing a college education. This only results in straddling you or your children with the burden of unnecessary debt. The average senior graduates college with over $19,000 in debt. In fact, nearly 8% of graduating seniors carried student loans of $40,000 or more. This situation often spills over into unwise spending habits and results in throwing you or your children into a downward spiral of debt mis-consumption. In fact, a recent study discovered that Americans lose over $287,000 throughout their lifetime through debt misconsumption.This means simply that there are bett... 12/05/2007

One commonly overlooked form of "predatory lending" is when banks and mortgage companies repeatedly encourage people to take out larger mortgages and home equity loans for "debt consolidation" or to spend more by basically consuming your home equity. This often results in spreading car loans and credit card balances over 30 years with no real plan to help you become debt free. Unlike many traditional bankers and brokers, Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist professionals help you conserve your home equity, not consume it. This involves helping you implement financial strategies that will get your debt down to manageable levels and help you stay on track to become debt free.There is no quick fix to debt reduction; this requires careful planning and implementation. CMPS professionals he... 12/05/2007

Here are some tips and strategies that save you money when you are in the market to refinance your home loan. Don't get caught in the trap of consuming your home equity by getting deeper into debt to go on vacation, purchase unnecessary items and spread out your car loans and credit card balances over 30 years. CMPS professionals help you implement viable refinancing strategies to conserve your home equity, build greater wealth and achieve your goals in life.Understand that you may need to pay higher fees or interest rates if you are getting cash out of your home equity vs. simply paying off the current balance. Also, you may lose the interest tax deduction on cash-out funds in excess of $100,000. CMPS professionals help you structure your refinancing transaction to give you the best ov... 12/05/2007

There are many pitfalls you can avoid when you are in the market to buy a new home. Here are just a few tips and strategies to help you prepare for success: Know your credit score. You may be able to get a better mortgage rate and more favorable loan terms by restructuring some of your balances on credit cards, car loans, etc. Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist professionals help you correct errors on your credit report and determine which balances to restructure or pay off in order to improve your credit score. Know how much you can spend and determine how much you can afford. CMPS professionals can help you: Finance your home based on your monthly payment comfort level Determine how much cash to use as your down payment and where to get these funds Understand your before and after... 12/05/2007

The Federal Reserve Lowers Interest Rates by 0.25%... What Does This Mean For YOU? In order to answer this question, it is helpful to understand the four major interest rates that are affected by the Fed:Discount Rate (currently 5%) - the interest rate that banks pay when they borrow money directly from the Fed. The rate has been largely symbolic in the past because hardly any banks take the Fed up on their offer these days! You see, banks prefer to get short term financing by:Issuing "commercial paper" – these are short term IOUs of typically one to ninety days that are sold on the open market to Wall Street investors. Interest rates on these short term loans are often better than the discount rate offered by the FedBorrowing money from other financial institutions using the Fed Funds ... 12/05/2007