The following video will give you a brief summary of what this is, as well as why it is so important. We are here to help alleviate some of these extra worries so that you can concentrate on the more pressing matters of home buying. Please feel free to contact us to schedule your InterNACHI Certified Home Inspection.
Are you looking to buy a home? No doubt you have a lot on your mind with regards to finding a house that will fit you and your family’s needs. There’s making sure it’s in the right location, and that it’s the style you like at the price you want. This in itself is a daunting task, so thinking about things like whether the home has the correct amount of grading or slope, is likely not at the top of your list. It is actually a very important thing to know, however.
The following video will give you a brief summary of what this is, as well as why it is so important. We are here to help alleviate some of these extra worries so that you can concentrate on the more pressing matters of home buying. Please feel free to contact us to schedule your InterNACHI Certified Home Inspection.
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If you are considering an alternative form of insulation, a good option to consider is soy-based insulation. This could be a very good substitute, although probably not the cheaper option compared to other polyurethane spray foams, because of the lack of awareness and use compared to fiberglass and other types of spray foam insulations. Despite this one negative point, soy-based insulation can be very positive in many other ways. One of the main reasons why someone would go with soy-based insulation is the safety factor, it contains no formaldehyde or urea. Also, it will not emit harmful gases during its application. This is because it is applied with a water-based spray which doesn't any hydrofluorocarbons or other harmful gases. Besides these health benefits, soy-based insulation has great energy saving and sound dampening properties and it won't degrade or decompose. Another reason that may motivate you to consider this type of insulation is the fact that soy is a renewable resource and can support local farming as opposed to the use of fossil fuels. While looking at different types of insulation it is good to remember that any type of spray foam will be friendlier to the environment than fiberglass just because of the energy-saving advantages that it has over batt insulations. So while considering your home and its energy-saving facets, adding soy-based insulation to the equation may make sense. With the winter season fully upon us, we are probably putting our fireplaces or wood stoves to good use if we have them in the house. Although there is nothing like a warm cozy fire to come home to, what should we use to make that fire? Well, sometimes the tendency is to use whatever is necessary to get the fire going, or keep it going. Is there anything wrong with this? By not using the proper, safe and simple dried softwoods in our fires we could be putting our health and that of our families at risk. When what we burn in the fireplace or wood stove isn't appropriate, it could vent harmful fumes either inside or outside of our home. These fumes could cause immediate damage or long-term either to us or the environment outside of the home. Be careful not to burn pressure-treated wood which, according to the US government, is illegal. Some other types of wood to definitely stay away from while making fires are plywood, painted wood, or driftwood. Usually wood from pallets, and from construction sites that don't fall under the aforementioned categories, and fallen tree limbs are good sources to take the wood from. Other inappropriate fuel sources would be trash, dryer lint, and allergenic plants. These are things you may already know, but it would be good to double check before burning different types of wood. We can be all too eager to stoke the fire, but it is always good to be cautious. This is a time of year when eating to excess is a regular occurrence. With that comes a need for more exercise, and if you have exercise equipment in the home, it is even more convenient. But should you be concerned about that equipment becoming a hazard, especially to young children? There are, unfortunately, thousands of exercise equipment related injuries reported involving children each year. Approximately 8,700 of these injuries, are with children under the age of 5. It might surprise you to learn that many of these injuries are friction burns. It is not only children that are injured by this equipment, many adults suffer injuries as well. Safety tips: Make sure that any weights are safely stored. Barbells can be very hazardous, so its good to make sure they are kept securely when not in use. Treadmills should have a safety key, which should be clipped on to the person at all times when they are using it. In this way, the treadmill will turn off automatically if there is a problem. When not in use, keep the safety clip cord safely out of reach of children. Never leave it hanging down. When you are using the treadmill for the first time, make sure you know how to operate it before you start it up. Ensure that you have a gradual acceleration as well as deceleration. Perhaps we enjoy loud music or the television while we exercise. If this is the case, make sure that gym equipment is positioned so that you can clearly see who is entering the room. It could be dangerous if a child has wondered in without you knowing it. We all know, children love playing with things they shouldn't, so its a good idea to keep all gym equipment safely secured and in their locked positions when not in use. A good practice is to unplug the equipment as well, thus preventing the child from turning it on accidentally. Of course, if you can, lock the room and this will stop the child from even entering. Safety in the home is of utmost importance to us. If you are unsure if any areas of the home are unsafe, please contact us and we will be happy to advise you.
Sellers, are you prepared for the buyer's home inspection? Many of us would say yes, but are you really?
Many times on a home inspection, we find that the seller was not prepared at all. Important items like the electric panel were blocked, doors were locked to certain rooms, and certain areas were inaccessible. When this happens, it may seem like a small thing to a seller, but not so much to a buyer. If areas are blocked, they may wonder if the seller could be hiding something. If the home isn't as clean as it was during the showing, they may be more inclined to move on and not be as attracted to the house. It is really best to get ahead of these things,and keep the buyer and their home inspector happy. Here are a few tips:
There is a lot to think about when buying a home. There is the mortgage, insurance, a large pile of documents, appraisals, and more.
But one of the most important steps when buying a home is getting a home inspection. Unfortunately though, the home inspection is almost an afterthought for many people. Make sure that you make getting a home inspection one of the key parts of your transaction. Why get a home inspection? Watch the video below and see:
Are you buying an apartment building? Anywhere from a two-family to a multi-unit building, apartments can be one of the best real estate investments long term.
But like any real estate, it comes with risks. So have us perform a comprehensive inspection of your new apartments!
Are you selling your home? Selling your home, in a lot of ways, is just as stressful an endeavor as buying your home.
When selling a home, especially for the first time, many people tend to focus on things like comps, agent fees, and other items. And while they are very important, getting ahead of the home inspection is important too. Even the best planned home sale can be derailed by a home inspector finding issues that you knew nothing about - and now your "smooth sailing" has turned into some "rough waters" Getting a pre-listing home inspection helps you avoid all of this. Watch this short video and see why a pre-listing home inspection is a great tool to sell your home:
How much does a home inspection cost? We are often asked that question by many clients.
This is an especially common question when people are shopping around for a home inspector. There are a lot of factors that go into determining the cost of a home inspection though.This short video will help you see what those factors are: No one enjoys the thought of these little creatures living in our attics, however since bats can be found in most inhabited places all over the world, we have to expect that we will encounter them at some point. What are some of the ways we can identify if we have bats in our homes? Bat feces (guano) can look like rodent feces but the difference is that guano is often shiny and speckled in appearance (due to the bat's diet of insects), it can also be crushed into smaller pieces, which does not happen with rodent droppings. Look out for urine stains on windows which are milky white in appearance, also keep your eye out for stains around cracks, entry holes and crevices Listen out for squeaking and scratching noises in your walls and attics especially around the dusk and dawn hours. Check for unpleasant smells and stains generated from the bat's feces What are some of the dangers of a bat infestation? Bats pose a huge health risk to humans. They can carry rabies which can be fatal. Bat feces is also dangerous to humans as it can cause a respiratory disease called Histoplasma capsulatum. Please contact us for more details and instructions on where to locate entry points for bats, as they can squeeze through very small holes. |
AuthorLee Swinney, Certified Professional Home Inspector Archives
June 2021
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