Now that Spring is upon us, it is time to take a look around the house to see what is needed in the way of repairs, adjustments,or replacement to keep your home in the best shape possible. First start by walking around the interior/exterior of the house and yard and making a list of the problems you see and deciding if it is a DIY or time to bring in the heavy guns. It is a good idea to perform this walk around multiples times in different weather conditions and different times of day.
Here is a list of some things you can check:
Chimneys:
- Damage to mortar or Bricks from winter frost?
- Does the Chimney have a cap? Is it sealed to prevent water from flowing inside the chimney?
- If you are burning wood, does your chimney have a spark arrestor?
- Is there a screen to prevent birds from making a nest inside the chimney? Is it intact?
- once you have finished using the fireplaces for the season, book your chimney sweep and service all flues. You will be ready for the fall season, if something is wrong you will have plenty of time to fix it, and it is usually cheaper in the spring.
Roofs:
DO NOT GO ON THE ROOF UNLESS YOU ARE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE DOING SO. Never go onto a wet shake roof or a clay/concrete tile roof. Leave it to the pro's. Most roof surfaces can be viewed from the ground or the edges of the roof while standing on a ladder. If using a ladder against metal gutters - use stand-offs to protect the gutter and prevent the ladder from slipping on its surface.
- Look for loose, missing, damaged shakes/shingles/tiles
- Look for missing or damaged flashings
- Clean out the gutters and ensure they and the downspouts are in good condition and not leaking
- Remove any debris that has built up on the top side of penetrations like chimneys and skylights
- Clean out the debris build up in the valleys
- Look for damage or rot to wood eaves and fascias.
Exterior Walls:
- Look for ways water can get into wall structure (cracks, joints, knot holes, penetrations..) and seal with appropriate caulking.
Remember - caulking will not stick for long if just smeared on a surface. It needs a void to flow into and compress again for a lasting joint. Most contractors will recommend 1/4" to 3/8" gap to start. If the gap is bigger, then first install a backer rod, not only does is save caulking, but it also ensures the caulk when applied forms the right hour-glass shape for maximum grip and flexibility.
- What is the condition of the paint/stain? Blisters, Cracks, Peeling ? Can you see bare wood anywhere?
Foundation:
- Is there any cracks? Have they changed since last inspection? (If you have an unfinished basement, look on the inside of the walls as well. Look for points water may be seeping through)
- Is there a min of 6" of space between the outside dirt and the bottom of the siding (2-3" Min between concrete and siding base)
- Does the ground or sidewalks around the house slope away from the house (will water flow away or to the house). This is really important when there is a sub ground finished basement.
Porches & Decks:
- Any damaged wood including stairs and railings
- Any bare wood (will rot even if pressure treated)
- Are the stairs slippery when wet?
- Do the railings feel strong? Would you feel comfortable leaning against them with all your weight?
- Is the base of wood stairs sitting directly on concrete or dirt? There should be a membrane between the wood and concrete and they should never be resting on dirt.
- Are the stairs attached at the top with only nails? They should be attached with metal hangers.
- Is the deck mebrane torn, cracked, or loose
- Is there any spots between the deck and the house where water can enter the house structure.
Sidewalks and Driveways:
- Have any settled and now present a trip hazard
- Are they sloped away from the house
- Are the drains and sumps clear of debris
- Are they spalling because of last winters ise removal efforts
- Are they covered in moss and slippery
Plantings/trees:
- Are any touching the house and causing damage (vines growing on the side of a home will almost always cause damage to the wall structure)?
- Is there enough room between the plants and the house to allow good air movement and prevent moss and mildew growth on house surface?
- Do the plantings provide cover for a burglar?
Security:
- Do all the exterior lights work?
- Consider adding a motion sensor to turn them on automatically if movement is sensed
- Do all exterior doors have a deadbolt that is at least 1" long?
- Does the deadbolt insert through a metal strikeplate that is screwed into the wall's structure (2"x4") with at least 2 - 3" screws?
- Do any exterior doors have a keyed deadbolt on the Inside of the door meaning you need a key to get out? These are VERY dangerous and should be changed to a standard latch.
Heating & Cooling:
- Is your furnace filter clean?
- Are the fins in your exterior air conditioner or heat pump clean?
- Now is a good time to drain and rinse your Hot Water Tank (only if you have been doing so since new or tank is less than 5 years old. If the tank is older and never been flushed, there is a chance that rust has built up at the bottom and flushing the tank can remove some of teh scale and cause leaks. However - if it is this far gone, it will need treplacing soon anyway.)
General:
- consider upgrading all of your supply tubes to the sinks,toilets and appliance to a S.S. braided hose style (Made in America - Not CHINA) or better yet, install WATTS Flood Safe Hoses.
- Inspect Attic for water leaks, moisture buildup (mold), or the presence of pests
- Change all the washers/cartridges on any leaking faucets
- Look at all inside wall and ceiling surfaces for any new cracks or changes in old cracks that may indicate current movement of the structure
These are just some things to look for. If you want a comprehensive inspection of your home, why not call SENWI for one of our famous 'Tune-Up' inspections.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Home Inspector sued for $200K
The recent award against a home inspector in the amount of $200K send shock waves through the home inspection industry. Many in the industry disagree with the findings of the judge, and feel the inspector was unfairly prosecuted. I feel (based on the facts presented) that the judgment is totally warranted and hopefully represents a turning point for the responsibilities that home inspectors must accept.
For me the whole case rests on the following statements made by the judge:
"Mr. Toth took about 30 minutes to inspect the roof and the “rest of the exterior of the House”
"37] I find that Mr. Toth made no inspection of the vertical beams on the east side of the House. I find that an inspection of two of those beams would have been easily accessible through an unlocked door off the lower balcony. This door led into a room that was otherwise inaccessible from inside the House. I find that even a cursory examination of the two beams in this area would have revealed to Mr. Toth that they were rotten."
This to me, shows a complete lack of regard by Mr. Toth's of his client's liability. Too many in this industry are trying to make a fast buck. Too many inspectors schedule 2 or more inspections in a day. Too many inspectors hide behind their contracts to provide a mediocre level of service to their clients.
The facts are, that to do this job right, you MUST take the time to thoroughly inspect and investigate the dwelling of interest. This is not about how fast you can fill in the check marks on your pre-printed and limited inspection report. This is not about finding excuses on why you did not need to look at a certain portion of the dwelling.
An inspector should be doing everything possible to see ALL of the dwelling. If they need a ladder to see a beam that is up high up, then go get the ladder and do so (but wait, a very large number of inspectors do not even carry ladders with them - oops). If an inspector needs to crawl through some bush to access one side of a dwelling then they should do so.
A word to the inspector - STOP RUSHING and do your job!
It takes time to do this job right, the public needs to realize this and demand a thorough inspector. This means they will have to pay more for this service. You cannot expect a thorough inspector that takes the better part of a day (or even longer) to complete an inspection, to charge the same as one who does two inspections a day. This does not mean however, just because an inspector is charging a higher than average fee, that they are providing a quality service. As your inspector how long the inspection will take, how long the report will take, and what will be included in the report.
The public needs to ask “Why are we hiring an inspector?” If you really are not worried and are only meeting a requirement of the mortgage company then by all means, choose the cheapest & fastest inspector you can find. If you REALLY WANT TO KNOW what the condition of the dwelling is so that you can make an informed decision on if this purchase is right for you then demand quality. Choose someone by the type of the report they will provide and how long they will spend at site and in the preparation of the report. Choose someone who is looking out for YOUR best interests.
The most important requirement is that YOU need to choose YOUR inspector. Do not rely on your Realtor to choose for you. They are, in the vast majority of cases, looking for inspectors that do not take too long (3 hours or less), do not (in their mind) charge too much ($250 - $450), and often (again in their mind) an inspector that does not “blow deficiencies out of proportion”. Remember, our job as inspectors, is to identify deficiencies, large and small, that effect your safety or represent a financial liability down the road. It is your job as a buyer to decide if you can live with those deficiencies. We as inspectors SHOULD NOT BE passing or failing a home.
Almost any deficiency can be fixed, it only takes time and money. The question is, do you have the time or money to address, and does the selling price take these deficiencies into consideration?
For me the whole case rests on the following statements made by the judge:
"Mr. Toth took about 30 minutes to inspect the roof and the “rest of the exterior of the House”
"37] I find that Mr. Toth made no inspection of the vertical beams on the east side of the House. I find that an inspection of two of those beams would have been easily accessible through an unlocked door off the lower balcony. This door led into a room that was otherwise inaccessible from inside the House. I find that even a cursory examination of the two beams in this area would have revealed to Mr. Toth that they were rotten."
This to me, shows a complete lack of regard by Mr. Toth's of his client's liability. Too many in this industry are trying to make a fast buck. Too many inspectors schedule 2 or more inspections in a day. Too many inspectors hide behind their contracts to provide a mediocre level of service to their clients.
The facts are, that to do this job right, you MUST take the time to thoroughly inspect and investigate the dwelling of interest. This is not about how fast you can fill in the check marks on your pre-printed and limited inspection report. This is not about finding excuses on why you did not need to look at a certain portion of the dwelling.
An inspector should be doing everything possible to see ALL of the dwelling. If they need a ladder to see a beam that is up high up, then go get the ladder and do so (but wait, a very large number of inspectors do not even carry ladders with them - oops). If an inspector needs to crawl through some bush to access one side of a dwelling then they should do so.
A word to the inspector - STOP RUSHING and do your job!
It takes time to do this job right, the public needs to realize this and demand a thorough inspector. This means they will have to pay more for this service. You cannot expect a thorough inspector that takes the better part of a day (or even longer) to complete an inspection, to charge the same as one who does two inspections a day. This does not mean however, just because an inspector is charging a higher than average fee, that they are providing a quality service. As your inspector how long the inspection will take, how long the report will take, and what will be included in the report.
The public needs to ask “Why are we hiring an inspector?” If you really are not worried and are only meeting a requirement of the mortgage company then by all means, choose the cheapest & fastest inspector you can find. If you REALLY WANT TO KNOW what the condition of the dwelling is so that you can make an informed decision on if this purchase is right for you then demand quality. Choose someone by the type of the report they will provide and how long they will spend at site and in the preparation of the report. Choose someone who is looking out for YOUR best interests.
The most important requirement is that YOU need to choose YOUR inspector. Do not rely on your Realtor to choose for you. They are, in the vast majority of cases, looking for inspectors that do not take too long (3 hours or less), do not (in their mind) charge too much ($250 - $450), and often (again in their mind) an inspector that does not “blow deficiencies out of proportion”. Remember, our job as inspectors, is to identify deficiencies, large and small, that effect your safety or represent a financial liability down the road. It is your job as a buyer to decide if you can live with those deficiencies. We as inspectors SHOULD NOT BE passing or failing a home.
Almost any deficiency can be fixed, it only takes time and money. The question is, do you have the time or money to address, and does the selling price take these deficiencies into consideration?
Lower Mainland Real Estate Market
If you have been following the news lately or talking with your Realtor, you are probably under the impression that the Real Estate in the Lower Mainland is hot and feeling pressured to get into the market before it is 'too late'.
But is this an accurate assessment of the current market???
I have personally been tracking the number of sales (not the selling values, just the quantities of sales) of nine cities in the lower mainland since September of 2008 and plotting the number of sales for each city and posting to my website. These graphs clearly show that we are not out of the woods yet. The market generally peaked during the sumer of 2009 and has declined ever since to levels that are close to those of Dec 2008 when the market had crashed. It will remain to be seen if the market starts a general uptrend in February/March 2010 (markets typically have slow December & January periods)
Of specific interest is the ratio of active listings (yellow) to the number of sales for the previous months (blue) that is shown on the last page. This allows a very quick indication of whether the particular city represents a buyers market or a sellers market. Other than in West Vancouver where there generally are few condos listed at any one point in time, the other cities have constitantly shown this segment of the marketplace to be a buyer's market (lots of listings and few sales). The single family homes are a bit harder to say as there generally is not as much of a spread between the listings and sales (except in Surrey where the availability always exceeds the demand by many times).
The purpose of this blog entry is to ask that you become an educated consumer and do not let yourself be led by the hype of the media or the Real Estate industry. The latter, of course, have a vested interest in keeping people interested in buying. They need to survive and can only do so if they sell, who can blame them. But do not let this hype pressure you into buying beyond your means or before you are ready.
There presently is lots of fish in the sea and you have options. Make sure you are aware of this and take advantage of these options.
But is this an accurate assessment of the current market???
I have personally been tracking the number of sales (not the selling values, just the quantities of sales) of nine cities in the lower mainland since September of 2008 and plotting the number of sales for each city and posting to my website. These graphs clearly show that we are not out of the woods yet. The market generally peaked during the sumer of 2009 and has declined ever since to levels that are close to those of Dec 2008 when the market had crashed. It will remain to be seen if the market starts a general uptrend in February/March 2010 (markets typically have slow December & January periods)
Of specific interest is the ratio of active listings (yellow) to the number of sales for the previous months (blue) that is shown on the last page. This allows a very quick indication of whether the particular city represents a buyers market or a sellers market. Other than in West Vancouver where there generally are few condos listed at any one point in time, the other cities have constitantly shown this segment of the marketplace to be a buyer's market (lots of listings and few sales). The single family homes are a bit harder to say as there generally is not as much of a spread between the listings and sales (except in Surrey where the availability always exceeds the demand by many times).
The purpose of this blog entry is to ask that you become an educated consumer and do not let yourself be led by the hype of the media or the Real Estate industry. The latter, of course, have a vested interest in keeping people interested in buying. They need to survive and can only do so if they sell, who can blame them. But do not let this hype pressure you into buying beyond your means or before you are ready.
There presently is lots of fish in the sea and you have options. Make sure you are aware of this and take advantage of these options.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)