Browse >
Home / Archive by category 'Buyers and Agents Ask Questions'
This plumbing leak obviously has been active for many years under this Dallas Texas home. It is important to maintain your Home inside, outside and below. If you are unable Read more
Fort Worth Home Inspector, Chris Goggans, finds something missing! Read more
Hum either these Buyers dont need any privacy or they need a new builder! Read more
In simplified terms the function of an Arch Fault Circuit Interrupter is to detect the arching of electrical cords. This arching has caused multiple house fires. Read more
At its meeting on October 27, 2008, the Texas Real Estate Commission adopted revised Standards of Practice for Read more
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.
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
1. Switch your Electric provider to Ambit Electricity as it is Low Cost and offers many benefits not provided by the BIG DOGS that take your money! www.YouShould2.JoinAmbit.com
2. Air Dry Beach Towels. Using a towel for 2 minutes to pat swimming pool water off your 8-year-old’s body does not necessarily make it dirty. Think about whether a beach towel needs to be washed before you automatically dump it in the laundry, and if you do wash it, air dry the towel whenever possible. Beach towels are much thicker than regular towels and require a lot more energy to dry. Why not toss them over the porch railing to air out in the sun instead?
3. Take shorter showers. Studies show that the average teenager spends a whopping 45 minutes in the shower. 45 minutes! Encourage your kids to cut down on their American Idol practice time, and remind your husband that men who shave in the shower are wasting water, too, to the tune of several gallons. Bottom line: If you’re not actively sudsing or rinsing, turn the water off.
4. Unplug your TV. It’s probably not news to any of you at this point that all plugged-in electronics constantly suck energy even when they’re “turned off,” but recently, the triple threat of flat screen TVs, cable boxes, and DVR devices have officially overtaken refrigerators as the biggest energy drain in American homes. And while the fridge at least has an excuse for being plugged in all the time, the TV really does not. Plug all those devices into a power strip and turn the whole thing off when you’re not watching. If you can’t commit to a regular unplugging regimen, at the very least make sure the set is unplugged when you go on vacation for a week. (While you’re at it, unplug computer printers, coffee makers and extra phone chargers when you’re going to be gone for a few days. Don’t forget to do the same at the office—just because you’re not paying the bill doesn’t mean you should waste the power.)
5. Remember what I said about the refrigerator and the energy suck? The good news is, every year refrigerators are getting more energy efficient, and it’s almost hard NOT to buy one with an Energy Star rating these days. The downside is that many people, upon upgrading to a better refrigerator, just move the old one to the garage and keep using it. But consider this: “There’s a reason you replaced the old one—it was too small, it didn’t work well, it was inefficient—so why would you keep it around?” Keane says. Think long and hard about what exactly you so desperately need to keep in deep-freeze storage. Extra ice for parties? Buy an ice chest. That 40 pounds of moose meat you ordered online from your meat-of-the-month club? I have no advice for you, other than reevaluate what’s in your main freezer and check out Energy Star’s Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign web site for information on responsible old-fridge disposal.
6. Really turn off your home computer. 75% of the energy used by home computers is used when the owner thinks the computer is turned off. “Sleep” does not equal off: Learn it, love it, live it.
7. Weather-strip your doors. “It’s just as important in the summer as in the winter,” Keane says. If you want to keep your air conditioning inside the house, make sure that your home’s doors have the proper seals. (Bonus: weather stripping is incredibly cheap—we’re talking $1.50 a roll—and as easy to apply as a piece of tape.) And of course, make sure all your windows are closed when the air conditioner’s running. What are you trying to do, cool the whole neighborhood?
8. Get your water heater checked. Schedule an appointment with your plumber (or ask him to stick around the next time he comes to fix something else) and have him check the settings on your water heater. Although many water heaters are set at 140 degrees Fahrenheit, most homes only need 120 degrees for appliances to function properly. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that lowering your water temperature by ten degrees will save you 3 to 5% in energy costs (not to mention lower your risk of scalding).
The home buying process may seem daunting to someone who has never purchased a home before. But, through home buying educational seminars offered in your community, and with the assistance of an experienced loan officer, a first-time home buyer can obtain a better understanding of their financing options, leading to a more positive home buying experience.
“Whether you’ve been dreaming of owning a home for years or you’ve just decided it would be a smart financial move to make, your first home buying experience will be a memorable one,” says Jim Ferriter, executive vice president for GMAC Mortgage. “Ferriter offers the following tips for first-time home buyers:
1. Educate Yourself About the Mortgage Process – By taking the initiative and learning about the mortgage process, you can be more confident in the financial decisions you are making. It’s important to learn about different types of mortgages, how much you can afford, how your credit impacts your interest rate, and the benefits of home ownership. A mortgage tutorial is available at http://smartedgebygmac.com, which breaks down the home buying process into easy-to-understand steps.
2. Save Just a Little Bit More – It’s not only important to save money for the down payment and closing costs, but it’s important to factor in some of the other costs of home ownership such as decorating, repairs and maintenance. Many mortgage lenders recommend that first-time home buyers have at least three to six months of additional savings in their possession in anticipation of these additional expenses.
3. Check Your Credit – An individual’s credit score will have a significant impact on his or her mortgage loan approval and interest rate. A good first step in financing a home purchase is to check your credit history. You can request a free credit report from any of the three credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Trans Union or Experian. Carefully review your report and contact the credit reporting bureaus to correct any inaccuracies.
4. Shop Around for a Mortgage Lender – As you start thinking and preparing for the home buying process, start shopping for the mortgage lender from whom you would like to obtain a mortgage for your new home. Because this process is new, it’s easy to go with the first lender or loan officer you meet. Instead, take your time and shop around. Start by asking friends, co-workers and family members for recommendations. When you’ve identified two or three loan officers, ask for references. In addition to pricing (interest rate and closing costs), focus on customer service as well as other services and tools that a mortgage lender may be able to offer you.
5. Get Pre-approved – Before you start working with a real estate agent, consider contacting a mortgage lender to obtain a pre-approval credit decision. A loan officer will review your financial status, including your income, cash flow and credit score, to help you determine the maximum monthly housing payment for which you may be able to qualify, and, if qualified, “pre-approve” your mortgage before you’ve found a home. Armed with a credit pre-approval, you can start searching for homes with a much better idea of your price range, and in turn save time as you will know the right homes to focus on. Obtaining a pre-approval may offer more confidence and certainty to home sellers in your ability to purchase the home.
6. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions – Once you’ve found your new home, the mortgage lender will help you through the details of the loan process. From application to closing, your loan officer will work through the financing process with you, just as your real estate professional should do in the home buying process. Throughout the process, read all loan documents carefully, and involve an attorney, if necessary.
7. Inspect - Before you commit to purchasing a home, don’t forget to hire a licensed home inspector to conduct a thorough assessment of the property. An inspector can alert you to any major problems with the home, and/or help you understand potential short-term and long-term home maintenance issues.
