DAVE'S BLOG

Are you Ready? 

We all wonder.  And that wonder can lead to arguments.  Lead to disagreements.  Lead to questions.

We all wonder about the value of our homes.  The American Dream.  The economic impact on one of our nest eggs, our safety net and our investment. . .  OK enough wondering!

Let’s move forward.  You are selling or refinancing.  You have to have your home appraised.  Now it is time to get ready for the appraiser.  What do you do?

Paige Tepping of RISMEDIA gives us a list.  And we all love lists!

•  The appraiser will need approximately 30 minutes to one hour to complete the inspection phase of the appraisal process, which includes: exterior photos of the front and rear of the home and a photo of the street in front of the property; measurements of the exterior of the home, garage and any outbuildings; a walk-through inspection of all rooms and levels of the interior of the home including the basement.

•  Get organized. Put together a checklist that will help you get ready for your appraisal and get the results you’re looking for.

•  Be flexible when scheduling the appointment.

•  Have a copy of your home’s blueprint to help verify measurements and lot size.

•  Provide a list of improvements made to the property since the purchase. Improvements that should be noted include adding a pool, patio, updating your kitchen or bathroom and any room additions, etc.

•  Allow your appraiser access to the entire property, including access to any crawl space or attic areas.

•  Keep in mind that a clean home makes a good impression. Be sure to trim the lawn, clean the pool and garage, repair cracked windows or torn screens, check for leaky faucets and secure gutters and down spouts before your appraisal.

•  Point out any amenities that may not be obvious to the appraiser: sprinkler systems, patios, pools, security systems, built in vacuum, etc.

•  Provide a copy of last year’s tax assessment information.

•  Know what year the house was built and when improvements were made.

•  The first thing appraisers look for is comparables, so be prepared and have a list of recent sales of similar properties in the immediate neighborhood.

Remember the Scouts modo “Be Prepared”.  You are allowed to participate in your homes appraisal.  Information is king and that is what the appraiser is looking for.  Just make sure you have the back up!

Now take your  list and click you heels together 3 times and repeat . . . There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home!!

Advantage Inspection Raleigh

. . .  performs the Nation’s Best Home Inspection and provides the Nation’s Only “No Denied Claims Warranty” available in the industry. For the last 18 years, Advantage Inspection has been the deciding factor for the people we serve:  Buyers, Sellers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors.  Advantage Inspection Raleigh serves Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle area.
 

Dave Park 

Advantage Home Inspection Raleigh
“more than just an inspection company!”
www.adrdu.com

Today what can you get for $500?  A set of 4 tires, a 42″ flat screen TV, maid service for 2 months or a home inspection.  Yes a home inspection for those who are in the market may be the best money you will ever spend, writes Roger Taylor, Business Columnist for the Chronicle Herald.

In an interview with Henry Blumenthal, a vice-president and chief underwriter for TD Insurance, Mr. Blumenthal said, “Everyone knows spring is prime time for the real estate sector. But before you buy, every potential purchaser should take a few basic steps to protect themselves from making a poor investment decision.”

While most would-be homebuyers have enough sense to hire a home inspector to identify construction flaws before the deal is completed, Blumenthal says, there are still a surprising number of people who try to avoid spending an average of $500 on a professional inspection.

Based on what comes back from the inspection, take a few minutes to call your insurance company and find out if there are any issues or potential issues (found in) that inspection because you never know.

If the house has been damaged by water, for example, and if you’re not sure it has been fixed, you may want to opt for special insurance coverage, he says.

Mr. Taylor writes that just because the inspector has identified areas of concern, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be enough to scuttle the deal. The inspection usually tips off the homebuyer to potential issues, and that could lead to a price adjustment. In rare cases, the inspection could identify issues that may result in the homeowner not being able to get insurance because the property has a dramatic flaw.

Well you may be a High Def kind of guy, a weekend warrior or  a tire kicker, but for “Peace of Mind” on one of the biggest investments of your lifetime the $500 you spend on a home inspection might just be the best money you will ever spend!

Advantage Home Inspection. . .  performs the Nation’s Best Home Inspection and provides the Nation’s Only “No Denied Claims Warranty” available in the industry. For the last 18 years, Advantage Inspection has been the deciding factor for the people we serve:  Buyers, Sellers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors.  Advantage Inspection Raleigh serves Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle area.
 

Dave Park 

Advantage Home Inspection Raleigh
“more than just an inspection company!”
www.adrdu.com

If you  missed taking advantage of the first-time buyer tax credit but are still planning the purchase of their first home, you continue to have a wealth of opportunities in today’s home marketplace. Here are a few smart steps that can save first-time buyers thousands of dollars:

1. Double-Double  (Look twice at your credit)
Your credit must be a clean as possible, since you probably will need to get a mortgage to buy a house.  Go ahead now acquire copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you discover on each report.

2. Short Timers this is not your time!
If you can’t commit to remaining in your new home for at least a 3 to 4 years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. The transaction costs of buying and selling a home may be financed into the home, but  you may end up losing money (the bottom line) if you sell any sooner – even in a rising market.

3. Survey Says “points and rate” – hire a professional mortgage company
When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points- a portion of the interest that you pay at closing- in exchange for a lower interest rate.  Your mortgage professional should help you out here.   If you stay in the house for a long time- say three to five years or more- it’s usually a better deal to take the points. The lower interest rate will save you more in the long run.  Make sure this is all spelled out on a spread sheet.

4. There is not a home “Lemon Law” – Hire a home inspector
A home inspector can let you know if you’re about to buy a “dud” of a house or warn you about potential problems.  At best, you can move into the house confident and with a peace of mind that the home is in great condition.  If the report indicates the worst,  the inspector’s report can let you terminate the deal.  Typically, the home inspection report is used to negotiate the home price to account for necessary repairs that the seller is usually unaware of.

5. Get professional real estate help – Research your agent.
Inside the world wide web, the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings.  Look all you want, but when it’s time to by hire an exclusive buyer agent.  They will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the buy to closing process.

6.  Make it a Win-Win. 
Take this one to heart your purchase should be a win-win for you and the seller.  You do not need the stress that comes from running with the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s.  You do not need to live with the sellers problems.  Yes it may look like a great deal, but it may come with some emotional baggage.  Going to the closing table with a win-win seller makes for a great closing.

7. Double Jeopardy – A contract is a contract!
Buying a home is one of the largest purchases most people will make in their lifetime.  Avoid buyer’s remorse by being completely comfortable before signing on the dotted line.  Take your time.  Be patient as the right home will be there for you.  And when you see it, make the move.

8.  A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned – Buy a Home Warranty  
A home warranty is designed to bring you “Peace of Mind.”  A home warranty is risk management providing coverage on the primary structure, major systems and appliances.  There are a number of firms that offer coverage.  Compare, research and buy.  Make sure you read the fine print and understand the process.  A home warranty can save your budget for pennies a day.

Advantage Inspection Raleigh

. . .  performs the Nation’s Best Home Inspection and provides the Nation’s Only “No Denied Claims Warranty” available in the industry. For the last 18 years, Advantage Inspection has been the deciding factor for the people we serve:  Buyers, Sellers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors.  Advantage Inspection Raleigh serves Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle area.
 

Dave Park 

Advantage Home Inspection Raleigh
“more than just an inspection company!”
www.adrdu.com

Many people read “do-it-yourself” books and think they now know everything about construction, home improvement, and even home inspections. But that’s not really the case. With his firm Advantage Inspection based in Raleigh, Dave Park serves the entire Triangle area of North Carolina, and talks here about why it’s important to hire a professional home inspector to carry out your next home inspection, instead of trying to do it yourself…

Every year the number of home inspections rises. Every year the price of home inspections rises. Every year the “do it yourself” subculture rises. The “do it yourself” subculture is here and is here to stay.  Home improvement stores have commercials that tell you to save money and just do it yourself. And an assortment of television shows pride themselves on showing the average person how to fix it or renovate it or replace it. And at bookstores, shelves are devoted to the weekend warrior.

At first blush, it might appear that these tools of education and instruction are bad for the home inspection business. business. But, do not worry as you need to consider what all this has all provided for the profession:

1. They have raised consumer consciousness about the need to have a home inspection.
2. Sure, people like to be educated, but the DIY culture has made people realize that deep down, they want to hire a professional.
3. It takes a professional with years of experience to inspect a home in two to three  hours. How long would it take an amateur guided by a book?
4. People are more aware now of liability: Who wants it and who has it?
5. Tools. Home inspectors have them, and they know how to use them. Those DIYers do not.
6. Objectivity. Home inspectors have it. Homeowners can’t have it: That’s why they leave it up to us.
7. Nobody to blame but yourself. Saving $400 just cost the do-it-yourselfer $4,000 on something that was missed.

The irony of the do it yourself media, both video and written, is that it carries a disclaimer that warns clients not to get in over their heads. So please just “do it yourself” –  and call in a professional home inspector.

This interview was conducted by Wendy Sloane, writer with Yodle.

Advantage Inspection Raleigh

. . .  performs the Nation’s Best Home Inspection and provides the Nation’s Only “No Denied Claims Warranty” available in the industry. For the last 18 years, Advantage Inspection has been the deciding factor for the people we serve:  Buyers, Sellers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors.  Advantage Inspection Raleigh serves Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle area.
 

Dave Park 

Advantage Home Inspection Raleigh
“more than just an inspection company!”
www.adrdu.com

Thomas Paine

Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution. Common Sense, signed “Written by an Englishman”, became an immediate success.

Paine wrote and reasoned in a style that common people understood; forgoing the philosophy and Latin references used by Enlightenment era writers, Paine structured Common Sense like a sermon and relied on Biblical references to make his case to the people.   Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as, “the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era”

One of the major concerns in the world today is depletion of energy. As concerned citizens all of us must make a concerted effort to be conscious citizens and save electricity. Electricity has become integral to life but imagine having to live without power.

Conservation of electricity benefits you personally as you will pay lower bills.

Consider these “Paine-fully” Simple Common Sense Tips:

1.            Doing an energy audit. This will tell you how and when you use energy and where the wastage lies. You will be able to make an “energy savings plan” by pinpointing exactly how you can cut back on energy consumption. Some ideas may be as simple as don’t leave the coffee machine on at all times.

2.            Think about resetting the thermostat ten degrees lower during the night. If you can do this for say approximately eight hours a day you will save 10% on electricity without sacrificing comfort. Insulate the home in winter by drawing shut the drapes.

3.            Check all insulation in the house. If you increase attic insulation to around 12 inches the electricity consumption will reduce by 20 percent.

4.            Plant more trees around the house these will cool the house in summer and insulate the house in winter. Studies show that a green cover benefits in many ways.

5.            Have all electricity wires and outlets checked for leakage. Check all fuses and appliances.

6.            Fluorescent light bulbs are energy efficient. They use 75% less energy than ordinary light bulbs. These have a longer life and contribute to great savings.

7.            Use energy efficient appliances. These use less energy and believe it or not a high efficiency refrigerator uses less electricity than a light bulb.

8.            When you are away even for a few hours or days you should turn off and unplug   all electrical appliances and turn settings on the thermostat, water heater, and refrigerator to   the lowest setting.

9.            Ensure that you use a water-saving shower head. Water heating costs for a family can be lowered by at least US$ 250 a year.

10.          Weatherize your home. This helps reduce heating bills by 20% and cooling by at least 10 percent. Even when building a home or decorating it use weather friendly materials—those that are not good conductors of heat and cold. Install windows and glass panes in the roof in such away that you use sunlight to light up the rooms during day light hours. Make an effort to switch off lights and fans when leaving a room. Ensure that the filters in air conditioners and heaters are always cleaned and free of clog and dust.

Common Sense

If you live an energy efficient lifestyle you will see the numbers on the energy bill actually reducing. The power to cut energy costs is well within your control. It is as simple as only washing full loads and that to in cold water. Use the hot wash option only for very dirty clothes.  Cook food only just before you are ready to eat that way you can save reheating costs as well as refrigerating costs of storing the food. Turn the thermostat of the refrigerator to minimum in cold or cool weather. Switch off freezers if they are not in use. Small contributions can all add up to significant amounts of power saved. And, power saved means money in the bank.

Advantage Inspection Raleigh

. . .  performs the Nation’s Best Home Inspection and provides the Nation’s Only “No Denied Claims Warranty” available in the industry. For the last 18 years, Advantage Inspection has been the deciding factor for the people we serve:  Buyers, Sellers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors.  Advantage Inspection Raleigh serves Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle area.
 

Dave Park 

Advantage Home Inspection Raleigh
“more than just an inspection company!”
www.adrdu.com

A professional home inspection begins with a comprehensive visual examination of a property.  As a buyer, a thorough home inspection is your first step toward protecting your investment in your new home.

When you hire a home inspector, you can expect that he or she will carefully examine the property before preparing a written report that describes the construction of the home and the working condition of all its systems. Many inspectors will also include digital photographs of defects, especially in hard-to-reach areas such as the crawlspace, roof and attic.

The following home inspection checklist outlines all areas a thorough inspection should include.

General Information
Persons present during the inspection, approximate age of the structure, construction type and style, weather and soil conditions at the time of inspection, residence type, number of stories and approximate house orientation (direction the house faces).

Description of the Lot, Grounds and Landscaping
Grade relative to drainage, yard drains, walks, driveway, landscaping, patio/slabs, outside lighting, dangerous trees or limbs, fences and gates, outside faucets and retaining walls.

Condition of the Foundation and Basement/Crawlspace/Slab
For basements: Accessible areas, moisture penetration, piers, foundation walls, floor joists, sills, girders, subfloor, slabs and insulation.

For crawlspaces: Accessible areas, moisture penetration, sump pump, vapor barrier, piers, foundation walls, floor joists, sills, girders, subfloor, ventilation and insulation.

For slabs: General condition of viewable components, cracks and signs of settling.

Condition of the Home’s Exterior
Siding, shutters, trim rot, paint and caulking, fascia, soffits, eaves, porch, porch rails, stoop, stoop rails, deck, deck rails, doors, sliding doors, garage, garage door openers and windows.

Current State of and Estimated Life Expectancy of Roof
Material type, roof style, flashing and roof penetrations, skylights, gutters, downspouts, splash blocks, rafters and other upper framing elements, ceiling joists, roof decking, water penetration, whole house fan, ventilation, insulation and attic access.

State of Chimney and Fireplace
General condition, gas logs, damper, chimney condition, flue liner, signs of settling and loose masonry.

Condition of Electrical System
Service entrance, service wires (size and types), grounding equipment, main panel, sub panels, over current protection, ground fault protection, 110 volt and 220 volt circuits, receptacles, light fixtures, switches and safety concerns.

Condition of Heating System
Unit manufacturer, model number, serial number, location, air temperature rise, general condition, heating unit description, energy source, system type and total capacity relative to area served and approximate age.

Condition of Cooling System
Unit manufacturer, model number, serial number, location, air temperature drop, general condition, cooling unit description, energy source, total capacity relative to area served and approximate age.

Condition of Plumbing System
Water supply, well pump, water shut offs, water pressure, water pipes, water pipe support, water pipe insulation, water heater, waste water disposal, waste and vent pipes, waste pipe support, plumbing fixtures, laundry connections, dryer exhaust and bathrooms.

Assessment of All Interior Spaces
Rooms, floors, walls, smoke alarms, ceilings, stairs and doors.

Current State of and Estimated Life Expectancy of Permanently Installed Appliances
Unit manufacturers, dishwasher, disposal, oven and energy source, range and energy source, refrigerator, trash compactor and microwave.

Final Thoughts on Your New Home Inspection
Remember that an inspection is simply an examination of the current condition of a home. It is not an appraisal or a municipal code inspection. An inspector, therefore, will not “pass” or “fail” a building, but will simply describe its condition and indicate which items need repairs or replacements.

You, as a buyer, will find the information contained in the home inspection to be an invaluable resource as you make an offer on the home, negotiate that offer, close the deal, and assume ownership of the home.

This check list was brought to you by Lowes and Sponsored by Advantage Inspection!

 Advantage Inspection Raleigh

. . .  performs the Nation’s Best Home Inspection and provides the Nation’s Only “No Denied Claims Warranty” available in the industry. For the last 18 years, Advantage Inspection has been the deciding factor for the people we serve:  Buyers, Sellers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors.  Advantage Inspection Raleigh serves Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle area.
 

Dave Park 

Advantage Home Inspection Raleigh
“more than just an inspection company!”
www.adrdu.com