Hi y’all,
Today I want to talk about FIVE things you can do, as a potential buyer, to make the most of your home inspection. Obviously there are several other things that could be done, but these are just the five most important that pop off the ‘ole noggin’. When you hire TJ Thorne you’re your gonna get the best home inspection money can buy 🙂
- I LOVE PETS BUT…
Let me preface, this by showing you a couple of pictures of my two dogs. They have since past away, but I loved them as much as anyone in the world. Here are a couple of pics of Pulga and Beecho.
Now that you know how much I loved my dogs, I’ve gotta say how important it is for the sellers to remove their dogs. It’s so difficult for Home Inspectors to do a thorough job when every time they look under the sink the dogs are tying to give them kisses
- MAKE SURE UTILITIES ARE TURNED ON…
Make sure that the gas, water, electricity, etc. are turned on. All I want to do is give you a good home inspection and that’s tough to do when I can’t inspect anything. If the gas, electricity and water are off, that means I can’t inspect the plumbing, heating, Air conditioning, panel box, gas stoves & fireplaces, dishwasher, etc. Seriously, make sure all utilities are on. If they’re not, I’m not going to be able to do as good a job as I want to do.
- MAKE SURE INSPECTOR HAS ACCESS TO ALL AREAS
I just did an inspection today of a condo and the buyer wanted me check a detached garage located at the other end of the parking lot. When I opened the Supra Box there was only one key, which I assumed was for both the condo and detached garage. NOPE! Not only was I unable to get into the garage, but my termite inspector (that showed up the day before) was also unable to get in. Since we’re both committed to our customer, we will go back (at no charge) to make sure we’re able to make the most of your home inspection. Most people don’t know that a Cracked heat exchanger can kill. Here’s a photo of what a cracked heat exchanger can do..
- MAKE ACCESS TO HVAC, CRAWLSPACE, PANEL BOX AND ATTIC ACCESS.
A home inspection might take me 3 hours to complete but a lot of that inspection I’m checking the doors, windows, receptacles and cabinets. The good stuff( ie: THE EXPENSIVE STUFF) comes when I check the HVAC, panel box and Attic/crawlspace. If you want to make sure you’re buying a great house, make sure that Howdy Home Inspections has access to these three areas when we do our inspection. The crawlspace is a really important part of my inspection. This is where we find wood rot, mold, leaking bathtubs and toilets. Often times, crawlspace doors have locks on them. If I can’t get in, I can find any problems. I was performing a Construction Inspection a couple weeks ago and came across a pier. The one pier had seven different problems. Maybe your house has a similar pier. I need to get into the crawlspace to find out.
5. REPAIR OR REPLACED ANY MISSING ITEMS
So many inspections could go much smoother if all receptacles had covers, all door knobs and latch plates were functional and all doors opened and closed properly. Make sure to fix these little items before your inspection. It will look a lot better when your buyer gets their inspection report back.
That’s the distance ALL trees need to be from the base of the home. My concern is that anytning less than 10 feet will undermine the strength and stability of the slab/foundation and cause it to crack. Trees can destroy your foundation – and this cost money $$$$.
Be Happy and Be Kind
T.J. Thorne
