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Home Inspections

Home Inspections

Waive the inspection; waive your money goodbye.

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When an inspection costs as little as $300-$500, wouldn’t you rather spend that than thousands (or tens of thousands)?

That’s the question. The answer should be: invest in an inspection. “You need unbiased documentation of the home’s condition,” says Eric Swiatek, owner of Green Leaf Inspections. Special inspections like radon, HVAC or septic may add to the cost. In the end, the cost of the inspection is certainly worth the investment.

“It’s about what’s wearing out, what’s in the attic, and what’s on the roof that matters,” states Swiatek. Inspectors discover problems, expensive or not, that you need to know. When finalizing your house purchase, an inspection is a way to back out if the house isn’t up to snuff. It’s also a negotiation tool for what needs repair. It creates options for the buyer: offer a lower price for the home, have the seller pay for the repairs, or negotiate who pays for what.

Bidding Wars

Don’t let yourself get caught up in bidding wars because others are willing to waive the inspection. Remember, realtors aim to close the deal. Be your own advocate. This is a huge investment – often the largest investment you’ll ever make – so take it seriously. It could cost far more than the purchase price if you waive the inspection.

Leaks and Safety

Home inspectors look at structural problems, e.g. foundations. They also inspect roofs for age, maintenance, and areas of concern. A new roof may cost $10-15,000. Again, you may negotiate this repair.

Another area is safety of the home. The electrical system and radon levels are key to safety to reduce the risk of fire hazards and to alleviate health issues which radon is known to cause.

Maintenance

Homes age, and as they do, elements wear down and break. An inspector will notify you of pending maintenance issues and how long an item may last or cost to replace. Furnaces, hot water tanks, etc. These are important issues for your household budget and should be considered when purchasing a home.

Most Important – Peace of Mind

How do you place a value on peace of mind? Knowing all you need to know when placing a bid provides relief of the unknowns. Making an informed decision is priceless. So, arrange for the inspection today.

Home Inspection – A Key Role in a Home Sale.

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Agents, do you want happy buyers and sellers? If so, the first step is a home inspection. An inspection is an avenue for all parties involved to achieve peace of mind. “How?” you may ask.

A primary role of an agent is to negotiate on behalf of his or her client. To negotiate properly, agents must understand the condition of the home. Many terms of the final agreement will be based on what’s discovered during an inspection. Moreover, agents need to be present during an inspection to be fully aware of what’s at stake in a house. Without an inspection — particularly without being present — you can’t be fully aware or represent your client’s best interests. You need to be engaged in the inspection process.

Leave Facts to the Inspector

Lawsuits arise from an agent either commenting on the condition or not disclosing something about the condition of the house. Even one comment on the condition of the home may lead buyers wondering why you didn’t notify them of something else. And buyers have sued for non-disclosure. The safest way to protect yourself and your client is to promote an inspection and let the inspector do the talking.

A home inspector is an unbiased third party who is bound by certification to disclose any items in need of repair or replacement. Inspections can uncover costly repairs, safety issues or a well-built home. By observing only and letting the inspector explain to the seller or buyer what is discovered, you have removed yourself from any implication or discomfort.

Removing Fear

Agents sometimes fear what may arise during an inspection. Post-inspection an educated buyer or seller becomes well prepared to make decisions, and this benefits the agent. Should the seller perform a pre-sale inspection, the report is a great tool for the buyer’s ease of mind. Buyers ordering a home inspection can alleviate unknowns and make an informed decision whether to place an offer. The report is also a great tool for negotiating items needing repair. The answer to unknowns is knowledge, and communication is key. Agents then have a greater chance for a smooth transition from sale to closing.

Eric Swiatek, ASHI, from Green Leaf Home Inspections, spends time to educate your buyers about the condition of the home, explains what type of maintenance is expected, provides knowledge of the systems, and answers any questions. Most inspections can be scheduled within a few days. Eric respects that everyone’s time is valuable and schedules the inspection for the most efficiency.

His knowledge and experience give buyers and sellers confidence in their purchase decision — confidence that will help agents get more referrals. A great experience for the buyer or seller benefits the agent, too.

Peace of Mind

Encourage buyers to obtain an inspection for their protection. Encourage sellers to provide a pre-inspection to ease the minds of buyers and agents. It’s a win all around.

The Top 5 Questions You Should Ask When Interviewing a Home Inspector

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In the largely unregulated home inspection industry, not all inspectors are created equally. You’ve worked to find the right home, and now the next most important step is to find an inspector you can trust. This is a vital step in the home buying process, a step you should not take lightly. Here are some key questions to ask as you interview potential inspectors:

 

1)      What does your general inspection include? This may seem self-explanatory, but every inspector has their own approach, and not all approaches are created equal. Will the roof be inspected? How will the home’s electrical system be evaluated? When will I receive my report? A good inspector will take the time to answer ALL of your questions and should explain exactly what you will receive for your fee.

2)      Can I tag along during the inspection? I encourage my clients to follow along during my inspections. This not only gives us the opportunity to discuss items which will be in included in the written report, but it also allows us to discuss general home maintenance practices. Most importantly, it allows you to ask questions and learn to about the home.

3)      How much do you charge? To most potential clients, this is probably the first question that comes to mind, and for good reason. Just like any service, there can be a wide range of fees. What should be stressed is finding the inspector whose fee matches the quality of the services provided. Hiring the right inspector will provide you with more than enough value by identifying costly repair items and helping you to avoid making a poor investment.

 4)      What are your qualifications and experience? Although state licensing is on the horizon, the home inspection industry is still largely unregulated. You should select an inspector who is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and has also passed the National Home Inspector Exam.

5)      How long will the inspection take? Although your time is important, be wary of an inspection who tells you the inspection will take less than 2 hours. Unfortunately, some inspectors care more about the number of inspections they can complete per day than doing their best inspection. While this may be great for their bottom line, it’s a disservice to their client. I personally never do more than 2 inspections per day so I can be assured of providing a thorough inspection for each client.

If you’d like to schedule an inspection, contact Green Leaf Inspector, Eric Swiatek at (330) 687-4284 or book through our form.

Green Leaf Inspector, Eric Swiatek

The Right Home Inspector for your Clients

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A good Home Inspector understands that their work is a direct reflection on the agent which has referred them to the client. So what makes any inspector the “right” inspector? While a lot can go into answering this question, the answer truly is simply. The “right” home inspector is the inspector who always does his best inspection, no matter what the circumstance. It’s not lost on us that the right inspector for your client is also the right inspection for you. Real estate agents and home inspectors who understand and trust one another to serve the client are capable of helping a lot of people.

Then there is the inspection itself.  A lot goes into a “good” inspection, but first you must understand what a home inspection entails and realize that a one day, mostly visual inspection, will always have its limitations. The inspector will be evaluating the entire home that day: the lot, the complete exterior, roofing system, the foundation and other visual components, the electrical panel, plumbing, and will go into the attic space. A good inspector will spend up to 4 hours at the home, sometimes more for larger homes, but you must understand that he can only report what he say that day. Essentially, a home inspection is a snapshot of the home for that four hour period. If it wasn’t raining the day of the inspection it may be impossible to see certain issues a heavy rain would reveal. And although the inspection fee should by no means be considered a small amount of money, a full structural inspection by a Physical Engineer would costs several thousand dollars and require some finishes to be removed (drywall, decorative paneling in basements etc.) to expose framing members and the like.

A good inspector is someone who can apply reason to a situation, and isn’t just worried about their own liability. Sure, there will be cases when the inspector recommends further evaluation from a specialist, but the key is WHEN the inspector makes that recommendation. There are often times further evaluation is needed, but there are other times when a hairline crack in block that has existed for there for the last 25 years is not cause for alarm.

Every home will have its own unique issues, and navigating a home and clearly delivering information to both the agent and client is a skill any good inspector must have. An inspector who is good at his job most be both analytical and a good communicator. Which leads to the inspection report itself. Ultimately, this is the tangible record of the job the inspector performed for the client. It is always a key piece to allow many deals to reach final closing, yet it seems many inspectors are just clicking on automated software programs to essentially write their reports for them. A poorly worded inspection report can lead to unnecessary confusion. Failing to add clarifying digital photos is another area many inspectors fall short.

The agent-inspector relationship is a common topic heard around many trade meetings, from both sides of the aisle as they say. But ultimately, if both parties are coming from a place where the client matters most, there are so many opportunities to build strong, lasting and mutually beneficial relationships. At the day of each day, what must matter most, is the long-term satisfaction of the client. This is one thing the agent and inspector should always have in common.

To learn more about author and Green Leaf Inspector, Eric Swiatek, please read our About Us page. If you’d like to contact Eric about networking opportunities please call or text (330) 687-4284 or visit our contact page.

 

Knob & Tube Wiring & Home Inspections

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Working as a Chagrin Falls Home Inspector, knob-and-tube (K&T) wiring is something I see in many homes built up until the 1950s. If you’ve been working in Ohio Real Estate long enough, no doubt you’ve come across this outdated electrical conductor system. The internet has no shortage of information on K&T , and chances are you already are well-versed in the subject. With that in mind, I will only briefly discuss what K&T is, and instead focus more on how to practically address the issue once it’s been discovered during a home inspection.

Common installation of knob-and-tube wiring found in the basement of a Chagrin Falls home.

As the name suggests, a K&T system uses ceramic knobs to fasten electrical conductors to framing members while using ceramic tubes to allow these wires to safely pass through studs and joists. While modern conductor sheathing contains the hot (black), neutral (white) and ground (green) wires, K&T is an ungrounded system with the hot and neutral  wires sheathed separately. To read more about K&T wiring visit Carson and Dunlop’s page here.

So, what should be done when K&T is discovered during a home inspection? The first thing is to not be alarmed. While it’s certainly not ideal, a good home inspector knows that the presence of K&T is not a necessarily a deal killer. It is, however, something that needs to be evaluated and addressed properly. Condition of the wires themselves is extremely important. If there are signs of physical damage or exposed wires, full evaluation by a licensed electrician should not only be recommend – it is highly advisable. While there are very real risks involved with K&T, if the system is in good repair and exposed to air (not buried in insulation as seen in many attics) there is technically no disadvantage to a K&T system. While removing and replacing K&T with modern conductors is always the preferred course of action, there are other ways to approach the discovery of K&T that is in good repair.

The best piece of advice you can give a client considering making an offer on a home that has K&T is to immediately contact their home insurance company to inform them of the discovery. Many insurance companies are not willing to offer insurance on a home that contains K&T. Nothing would be worse than getting to the closing table only to find out the client has been denied insurance. If your client decides to purchase a home with K&T wiring, annual inspections are recommended.

Advising your client is key, and of course, partnering with the right home inspector is a very important. At Green Leaf, we take a client-first approach and will always take the time to explain complex issues – like the discovery of K&T wiring. As a home inspector it’s important to understand that you not only have to be analytical and thorough, but that you’re also working in the service industry. As we continue to grow our business, networking with local Realtors is a primary focus. If you’d like more information about Green Leaf, please call Eric Swiatek, Inspector and Managing Member at (330) 687-4284 or use our contact form.

 

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Whether you’re buying or selling, a home inspection adds tremendous value to your transaction. By partnering with Green Leaf you will received professional service that gives you the peace of mind needed to make an informed decision.