You see it all the time, Name any symptom and someone will tell you how to fix it. I see it in our healthcare system and I am sure you do to. Take this drug to address this symptom. Then the add is followed by a list of side effects.
I was wondering , Are you helping people treat a symptom or correct the problem?
Are you advising your client of all the possible side effects?
Did you take the time to diagnosis what the real problem is?
As a Home inspector I see how contractors and home owners treat symptoms, sometimes spending much more than it would have cost to solve the problem. They will install siding on the interior to conceal the reoccurring cracks when correcting the grading and drainage was what was needed.
As a Real Estate Agent, are you doing the same? Are you advising your client towards a short sale or loan modification when the real issue is they don’t have any money or don’t know how to handle it?
Did you review their docs or refer them to someone that can, to let them know what the potential side effects of this action could be? Did you tell them they could be taxed on the reduction, sued for the price difference, or both? Are you helping them with a real estate transaction, or debt management/financial planning?
We are all sometimes so eager to help we fail to take time to really see what the problem is. There is no one size fits all answer, but take note, just like when they called you to help them, they will call someone else when the tax bill or settlement suit is filed and then that person will be checking to see if you actually diagnosed the issue.
Take so time and think about the potential side effects of your actions today.
I perform Home Inspections in Scottsdale as well as across the valley.
Scottsdale is one of the most interesting places to perform home inspections because you never know what you are going to get.
Is this a 1,200 square foot home built in the 70s?
Is it something a little larger?
Or is it a 10,000 square foot home that has a bridge that goes to the Master bedroom?
When looking for a home inspector in Scottsdale it is important to make sure the inspector understands they type of home you are looking at.
If you are buying a mansion and the inspector is used to looking at small homes, they may be overwhelmed. If you are buying a small home and the inspector is used to looking at mansions, then your home may not seem worth their time.
It is also important for the inspector to understand the severity of the issues involved. For example this photo is of some staining under a roof patio cover.
If this was a concrete tile roof repairs to the roof would cost about $600, with a clay tile roof repairs are closer to $1,600.
This home had more than one home inspection. The home inspector before me made a big issue out of this roof issue and I don’t blame them. The roof needed to be fixed.
However, this pool looks great at first glance.
This pool had calcium nodules in several locations, it had cracks in the finish, the pump and filter as well as the plumbing leaked and while the other home inspector simply recommended further evaluation, I determined during my home inspection that this pool needed over $38,000 in repairs.
That is a huge deal for most people. (well maybe not people that are spending $ million case on a home.
The bottom line is if you need a home inspection in Scottsdale, hire someone comfortable and qualified to inspect the property you are looking at so you can sit on the patio and enjoy this.
Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified Phoenix home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has years of construction experience and has performed residential home inspections and commercial property inspections for over 10 years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 5 years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College, for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He has served as District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate. If you need an Arizona Home Inspector, he is your guy.
1) The minimum credit score to these transactions is 640.
2) Two appraisals are required to support the property value when the increase is greater than 120% in less than 90 days.
3) Justify the increase in value by retaining in the loan file supporting documentation and a second appraisal, which verifies that the seller has completed sufficient legitimate renovation.
4) Property was marketed open and fairly through listing service (MLS).
5) A home inspection ordered in the borrowers name is required when the property value increase is greater than 120%.
6) Multiple flips of the subject property are not permitted.
7) Receipts for materials and/or contractor bids may be required to show acquisition costs.
Changes and overlays:
1) Property must be purchased from owner of record.
2) Sale or assignment of sales contract not allowed.
3) The second appraisal will impact seller concessions and
4) One of the four documents must be provided:
• Property Sales history report
• Copy of Recorded Deed from Seller
• Copy of Property Tax Bill
• Title commitment or binder
Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified Phoenix home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has years of construction experience and has performed residential home inspections and commercial property inspections for over 10 years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 5 years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College, for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He has served as District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate. If you need an Arizona Home Inspector, he is your guy.
I recently went to a home and garden show and was surprised at how many products were being sold as a cure all. Claims of reducing energy costs, never paint again and more were heard over and over. I asked a few of the people at the show about the drawbacks of their products and they all said the same thing, “There are none”.
Well I have news for you, buildings are more than a bunch of different components thrown together and everything you do has an effect on something else. If you are running the clothes dryer while the air conditioning is on you are paying to cool the air in the home, then the dryer takes the cool air and you pay to heat it and blow it outside, then the home is under negative pressure so it draws hot air from outside through vents, doors, & windows. Then you pay to filter and cool that air so the dryer can heat it and so on and so on.
I am going to talk about two of the products I saw at the home show although I could likely write a different post every day for a month if I choose to do so.
Radiant barriers are typically installed in the attic either on top of the insulation or under the rafters (top chord of the trusses) and reflect the radiant heat back up thereby preventing it from entering the interior of the home. It is a great idea and works as long as it is vented. There are roofing companies that are installing this barrier under the shingles and what they don’t tell you is this cooks the shingles from underneath and many of the shingle manufactures will void the warranty if the shingles are installed directly on a radiant barrier. So while the roofer may install it that way, a few years from now then the roofer is out of business, the manufacture won’t warranty the roof.
That could be a problem.
The second item is sold several ways, liquid vinyl paint, elastomeric paint, ceramic paint, etc.
All of these paint like products claim to waterproof the exterior of the home, some claim it is the last paint you will ever need to apply.
The truth is these products do create a moisture barrier on the exterior of the home, however every opening i.e. window, door, outlet, hose bib, light, vent etc. needs to be sealed on a regular basis or moisture will enter at the joint between the opening and the paint like product then since the moisture barrier is on the outside of the home the moisture gets trapped on the inside.
Moisture blister under elastomeric paint has formed a blister
Before you make any improvements to your home consult with someone that knows and understands basic building science. Not the person trying to sell you their product, someone that nothing to gain if you decide to bake the changes or not. It could be a home inspector, a general contractor or someone that specializes in building science or environmental issues.
If you want more information about Arizona home inspections, what to look for in an home inspector, common issues found during a home inspection or how to get your home ready for a home inspection click the links.
Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified Phoenix home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has years of construction experience and has performed residential and commercial property inspections for over 10 years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 5
years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College, for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He has served as District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate. If you need an Arizona Home Inspector, he is your guy.
Why inspect New/newer construction?
I’m frequently and told by others that the home is new so I don’t need to have an inspection or “The city already inspected it, so I don’t need another inspection.
Here are some facts you may not know.
Municipal inspections happen at different stages, before the foundation is placed, framing and plumbing as well as electrical are frequently done at the same time but it is not uncommon for the builder to make changes after these inspections. Then the inspector returns and sees the work completed if it hasn’t already been covered by drywall. Many times there are no utilities to the home when the building inspector gives their final OK, yet people assume that the home is fine.
I have yet to see a municipal building inspector with a ladder or even look at a residential roof. The common thought is if it leaks, the home owner will call the builder.
Most municipal inspectors spend less than 15 minutes inspecting the home. Most independent home inspectors spend over 2 hours looking at the home.
I am not bashing municipal inspectors. Most are overworked and under paid. The building departments are under funded and under staffed. I have yet to have a mayor explain to me why if the economy is based on housing starts, then why does the city parks department have twice the staff as the building department.
In my opinion, all homes/buildings of any age or stage of construction should be independently inspected by professional experienced home inspectors if the owner (or perspective owner) is looking for peace of mind and a better degree of assurance that they are not buying some unforeseen cost/health/safety/nuisance defects.
Based on my experience, even the best builder can overlook an element of a subcontractors’ construction. The real test is how do they address issues when they are found. Do they simply blow the issue off, perform band aid repairs or do they actually come out and address the issue and the resulting damage?
Home construction will have defects; it’s just a matter of how serious and catching them before they cause subsequent costly or health safety problems. An independent “professional” home inspection will minimize your risks of inheriting those defects.
If your home has defects or you think it might, contact a professional “Experienced” home inspector to help you identify the issues and guide you on how to address them.
Sometimes when I perform a home inspection the buyers (and/or sellers) freak out over every little issue. Lets face it Homes are built by imperfect beings and almost all of them have some type of problem.
It is always a good idea to let the client know what to expect from the home inspector and report. Finding a house with absolutely no defects is rare; therefore, we have put together this list of common defects found during our Arizona Home inspections as a tool to inform clients of common deficiencies that may be found during the inspection.
EXTERIOR OF THE HOME
Broken, cracked or misplaced roof tiles.
Plumbing vents installed improperly.
Roof valleys are full of debris.
Main isolation gate valve at plumbing service is inoperative.
Improper drainage or faulty grade around the foundation.
Plumbing cross connection at the sprinkler supply line.
Water stains, damage or rot under eaves.
Multiple wires connected to a single breaker in panel.
Vegetation or trees next to the foundation or wall.
Tree branches making contact with roof need to be trimmed.
Leaking hose bibs or no check valves at hose bibs.
GFCI outlets missing from or inoperative at required locations.
Garage door auto reverse not functioning properly
Openings in exterior wall, most common is at the refrigeration lines
INTERIOR
Broken lift tubes on windows.
Debris in window tracks blocking weep holes
No air gap or high loop at the dishwasher.
No anti-tip brackets at the stove/range
Door latches/locks need repair or doors needing adjustment.
GFCI outlets missing from or inoperative at required locations.
Corrosion at connections above water heater and/or at the valve.
Loose toilet tanks or bowls needing repair.
Toilet flush valves leaking, (runs constantly)
Inoperative lights
Dirty Air Filters
This list is provided by ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations, LLC to assist with the inspection process. Many other defects may be found, however, just because a few of these items are found at your property does not mean that the entire house is sub-standard construction.
For more information, or to book an inspection call ACSI at 480-283-3392 or check out http://ACSILLC.com
This list may be copied and/or printed as long as ACSI is provided credit for creating the list.
Customers sometimes report white particles that clog plumbing fixtures. They may be bits of calcium carbonate scale coming from your water heater. The scaling may be worsened because water heater thermostat is too high. If the particles are calcium carbonate, you probably need to flush your water heater. Many manufacturers recommend periodic flushing of water heaters to remove sediment that can build up. The sediment can cause discoloration of the water and can make the water heater less efficient. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s owners guide for your hot water heater.
So the question is “Should you drain and flush your water heater?”
My answer is maybe. If your water heater is less than a year old and you wish to drain it then fine.
If the unit is two years old or more you may wish to reconsider.
You see sometimes draining a unit that has not been drained for a long time will break up the deposits in the tank and these deposits can cause more problems.
To drain and flush the water heater, do the following:
To read the rest of this blog go to http://acsillc.com/blog1/do-i-need-to-flush-out-or-drain-my-water-heater/
or just click on the title at the top of this blog.
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