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Learn About Termites!
They live in Texas and You need to Know How they can Damage Your Home. Some of our buyers are required by their lender to have a Termite Inspection and some are not. We feel that anyone purchasing property in Texas should have a WDI (Wood Destroying Insect) Inspection. We inspect for visable evidence of all Wood Destroying Insects. All of the Inspectors with Realty Inspection Services are Dual Licensed. What does this mean to you? It means when you book an inspection with Realty Inspection Services you can make one call for Home and Termite Inspections. We do the Home and WDI Inspection ourselves and we do not upcharge you and hire another company to come in to perform the WDI Inspection.
Realty Inspection Services Will Perform Your Termite Inspection and Give You a FREE 90 Warranty.
Just our way of helping simplify your move. You are making a major purchase and we want to make sure you have all of the knowledge about the house that you can obtain prior to signing the bottom line. You can Find out More by going to http://www.antinstitute.com/
Chris and Katie,
Thank you for such a wonderful job! It is always important to me that my clients get the best of care, I have found that they are taken care of as individuals in such a professional manner. As for Paul you can’t say enough he is punctual, mannerly and stays within the legal guidelines (which we all prefer). I will and have specified him to do my inspections, when a client asks for my preference You are more that welcome to use my feedback as you desire!
Thank you Realty Inspections, (Chris, Katie and Paul and of course Debbie)
Tammy Cener
We do not inspect alarm systems because security system inspections require a different license than the license carried by Texas Home Inspectors. We have a company that we recognize as professionals in Home Security Systems, and we make them available to all of our clients.
I wasn’t able to attend this inspection, but my client was Very satisfied and gave high marks to Chris. I’m usually or at least show up for inspections and since this was my first inspection with you, I was a little nervous. Not because of finding anything wrong, but Not finding something. The report was very detailed, with much attention to all matters. My buyer stated not only did you go over the report, but made sure he saw the items you were speaking about. And that you weren’t trying to rush and said you would spend as much time with them as needed!
Bottom Line: You get a 10 !!!
Thanks and will look forward to other business together!
By Grace on Dec 3, 2008 in Buyer Tips
Ah, at last. The home inspection on your new home is completed and you have just received the engineer’s report. You settle down together, glass of wine in hand, and get ready to read about all of the wonderful things your Licensed Professional Engineer Home Inspector has to say about your dream Highland Park home.
But wait. What’s this? Cracks in the foundation? Bowed basement walls? The hot water heater is on its last leg? This couldn’t be OUR house, could it? The truth is that even the seemingly perfect houses have a few cobwebs in their closets. This is not the time to despair, however, because there are options available to you.
Create a List and Negotiate Repairs
After you have thoroughly read the engineer’s report, your Realtor will likely ask you to write down the issues that you want to see addressed by the sellers. The sellers will then have an opportunity to read over your list and respond with their own list of things they will and will not cover.
It’s at this point that the negotiations begin. The seller may choose to take care of some of the issues themselves, or they may adjust the sale price or the contract terms to account for repair costs. This may also be the moment you decide to walk away from the home, should the damage be too costly or involved or should the sellers be inflexible.
Protecting Your Investment
Regardless of what is, or isn’t, found during your home inspection, the engineer’s report will provide you with a clear picture of your home and will prevent any unwelcomed surprises after you have closed and settled in.
Bottom line: a thorough home inspection can save you thousands of dollars and years of heartache and stress!
You Asked Your Professional Home Inspector Questions
And We Are Getting the Answers For You!
Q: Why do Inspectors charge more for a houses built on Pier and Beam?
A: It is like inspecting another entire floor. Exposed plumbing, drain lines, wiring, and sub-flooring all need to be inspected in this confined crawl space. Over the years we have found extensive drain line leaks, and sub-floors (especially under bathroom areas) that were in need of repair. Usually crawl space repairs are more costly than repairs that are easier to access.
Q: Why are GFCI (Ground Fault Circut Interupters) outlets necessary in the garage?
A: First of all I want to let you know what a GFCI does. The GFCI senses when something or someone beside itself becomes the ground. In other words the electricity is not traveling through the outlet but somewhere else. If you plug an extension cord into a garage outlet and the cord is damaged and you didnt notice the damage you could become the outlet for the electricity to travel through to get to the ground. Needless to say this would be a life threatening situation. The GFCI would sense this and trip and this would shut the power off and save your life.
Q: Why do Inspectors not quote repair costs?
A: That is an easy questions to answer. Due to our regulations we are unable to make the repairs so we are unable to quote what someone else would charge to make the repair. There are times that we come across repairs that are the same that we have had to make in our own homes and we can quote what we were charged.
Q: Why do inspectors do such limited inspections on lot drainage?
A: Proper lot drainage is determined with a surveyors’ level and also this requires a specialty license that home inspectors do not have. This also applies to alarm systems, heating and air conditioning systems. Home inspectors do a visual exam of a lot drainage and unless it is severe they are unable to recognize a problem.
Q: Why do Home Inspection prices vary so much from one company to another?
A: Please Do Not Hire “Cheap Charlie”. Either he is trying to gain experience through your clients, or he dosn’t spend enough time to do a thorough inspection. Experienced Home Inspectors have to charge more for their time as they have the experience, and several years of continued education, proper insurance coverage, current technology, and the trained inspectors eye. Just as the old saying goes you get what you pay for.
Q: What is the big deal about Federal Pacific Panel Boxes?
A: Wow this could take hours to explain. Just wish you all could see the home in Trophy Club that just burned to the ground due to this type of panel box. The fire marshall said the fire started at the panel box and guess what it was a Federal Pacific Panel. The jest of it is: The national electric counsil identified this type of panel box as a safety hazard in the late 1980’s after multiple fires nationwide. The breakers can fail to trip when overloaded thus causing the wires to overheat and catch fire!!!
Q: Why are there new regulations for Home Inspectors and how does that affect me and my buyers?
A: Home Inspectors are known as an intrigal part of all Real Estate Transactions and as we all know the more a profession become recognized the more regulations are imposed on that industry. You as the realtor, your client as the buyer or seller and us as the service provider all need to be protected. These new regulations simply help the Home Inspection process to become more uniformed, and more detailed. After reviewing some of the new regulations they seem to be geared towards safety issues and making our Home Inspections more thorough, we will have more on this later….
We sure appreciate all of your wonderful questions. Please make your comments. As we get more questions we will add to this as we want to make sure we have the most informed Realtors in the Metroplex.
Keep your Questions Coming Chris@InspectorQuestions.com
Thank you so much for your time and your questions. We appreciate your trust in us.
Chris and Katie Goggans
