Are you doing Mold wrong?

Donald Clendaniel

No one likes to hear the house they are looking at has mold, even worse is to hear the house you live in has mold. Mold has been a hot topic in recent years and some estimate as many as one out of every two homes have mold growth somewhere. Most home inspectors will spot mold if it’s there during an inspection and refer to a professional for further evaluation. In New York State that means a licensed mold assessor. Nothing happens until an assessment report is obtained. This means another inspection and another fee. Some home inspectors are also licensed as mold assessors and may offer to write the additional report for fees of $300 -$400 to be paid at the time of the inspection. How well does that go over? Finding mold could double the cost of the inspection, and everything comes to a halt if the buyer can’t or won’t pay for the additional report. And who can blame them, they haven’t even seen the inspection report yet, what if there are other things that need attention? Many times, finding mold means more money, more time, more trips to the house, and more problems to discuss. There must be a better way.

A better way to handle mold at a home inspection…

When we at Carey Home Inspection discover mold during a home inspection we include the initial mold assessment with the home inspection report, at no additional cost. This eliminates the need for another inspection before a remediator can be called. It also means no additional fee at the time of the inspection. What’s best is instead of talking about a major problem, we are all talking about a planned solution. In some cases, remediators have even been calls at the inspection and the mold was removed within a few days resulting in no delay in closing. After the remediator is finished we return to reinspect for clearance, often required for the remediators warranty, we charge a reduced fee of only $250 at that time. Meaning we don’t get paid until all the work is done and the problem is solved. If the buyer chooses not to move forward, there is never a charge for the initial assessment. Why do we do it? Because we are here to help our clients understand the home they are buying, and move through the process. To us, it just seems like the right thing to do. With as many as one out of every two homes possibly having mold, consider calling us first to inspect everything.

Carey Home inspection, Licensed: Home Inspection, Mold Assessment, Termite Inspection, Certified: Radon, Well, and Water Test also.  

Let Carey Home Inspection take the fear out of the process... ...with an honest, and fun look at the home, where defects are explained with a solution that makes sense. If mold is found we will even start the process by providing the initial mold assessment at no cost. We seek to help your client know the house they are buying. Purchasing a home can be stressful, but the trick to making it a treat is to be honest, professional, and caring. Our team is licensed for home, termite, and mold inspections and certified in more than a dozen other services. You can expect a comprehensive inspection in under two hours that your client will appreciate. Starting at $299, scheduling by phone or online, seven days a week.

Licensed in Home, Pest, and Mold Inspections Certified in over a dozen specific home inspection areas Two Inspectors on staff 5 Star Customer Reviews on Google and Yelp Scheduling 7 days a week Reports by 9 AM the next morning No extra fee for weekends or evenings Electronic Radon testing for fast reliable results All major credit cards accepted

May 7, 2017

Preparing Your House for a Home Inspection

Don Clendaniel, Carey Home Inspection

So you have accepted an offer and now the buyer has scheduled a home inspection. What should you do to prepare your house? No, this is not an article on passing a home inspection or avoiding defects. If you have defects they will be found and now is probably not the time to address them. This is about how to get your home ready for the inspector to review. Why would you want to do that? Because you are the one coming home afterwards. A few minutes getting ready can make a huge difference in what you come home to, and whether another trip will be needed. Most home inspectors are respectful, and make every effort to leave no trace that they were there. A little attention to how you leave the house will help, and here are a few areas to focus on.

In the kitchen: Remove items from the sink, the inspector will be running water in the kitchen. Most inspectors wont move things so items left in the sink are likely to get wet if left there. Also, check under the sink, we always look for the water shut offs and if blocked may start feeling around for them. While your putting those disses away, clean off the top of the stove. If the inspector test the appliances, which most do, you don’t want empty pans heating up. Also, ovens are tested to insure they don’t tip when the door is open, Murphy Law says the one that tips will be the one with pots on the burners. Lastly, unplug some items from the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters so they can be tested.

In the bathroom: Items left in the tub or shower will get wet in an inspection, also take a second to turn the shower head in a little. Inspectors check for “functional flow” which requires running the shower. Too often shower heads spay water on the floor if the curtain or door is open. Before leaving the bathroom unplug that electric tooth brush or razor. Most inspectors won’t unplug items to test the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters and simple list it as untested if items are already plugged in.

Attic access: If your home has pull down stairs that great, most don’t. If your attic access is in a bedroom closet take a minute to move items out of the way. If the inspector can’t get to the attic they will likely ask to return after the area has been cleared. Access to the attic is a big deal so most inspectors won’t hesitate to request someone come move the owners personal items and come back the next day.

In the bedrooms and general interior: Pull up the blinds. Inspectors need to test a representative number of window, and some test them all. If your shades are down and curtains closed the inspector will open them. In most cases this is not a concern, however if you have delicate curtains or older shades, even the most careful inspector may not return them the way you prefer. Like the kitchen and bathroom, try to have some outlets accessible, inspectors attempt to test at least one in each room.

These may not sound like much, and most of this will go unnoticed if done, however if not done it can make for not only an inconvenient inspection, it could mean coming home to a house that looks like someone was poking around. While we are actually doing just that, we try not to let it show.

Inspecting Homes for Flippers

Every home purchase should include a thorough home inspection. This is true in most cases, but what about those times when you don’t have confidence you’re going to purchase the home, or can’t get in for a full home inspection. Over the past month I have worked with a few property flippers. 

Thanks to HDTV, and the current real estate inventory low, buying, fixing, and selling homes that have become run down or extended on the market has become increasing popular. Houses sold on auction don’t always have the opportunity to be inspected after contract, and even when they do, many items are shut down and can’t be tested. When the kitchen sink is in the middle of the living room floor and all the light fixtures are gone paying for a full home inspection may not feel like a good use of investment funds. 

Experienced house flippers go through a house with a checklist of basic renovation cost, they typically are looking at footprint, bedroom numbers, and estimating repair and remodel cost. If they are able to put in an offer a home inspection should be a contingency requirement, however, if the house is on auction, paying for a full inspection could be more than needed. Every good flipper needs a home inspector on their team. With just a flashlight, ladder, and four foot level a lot can be learned. For a nominal fee, about a third the cost of a home inspection, many inspectors like myself, will go out with flippers and evaluate a home’s structure. They evaluate the foundation to determine the house has not moved. A peek in the attic to make sure there are no surprises, review of the wiring, and an educated guess on the system like hot water and heat can be made even if they are shut down. 

This way the buyer can focus on what it will take to make the house appealing to the market again and let the inspector worry about the stability of the structure. After less than an hour in the home a conversation takes place and the flipper is armed with the information they need to make a decision. When this is done everyone wins, and if a bid is lost the buyer is not stuck with a useless report about rooms they had planned to gut anyway.

The Right Home Inspection Report Can Make a Huge Difference

Home inspections are a reality check. You fell in love with a home, the price looks right, but what’s this house going to cost you once you move in? Is the roof leaking, are there safety concerns that need to be addressed, what is the condition of the hot water heater, and will you be taking a cold shower the morning after unpacking? These and many other questions are what a home inspector is hired to determine. Unlike some states, New York requires home inspectors to be licensed and outlines clear training requirement for licensure. As a result the majority of home inspectors are competent in the inspection process, differing mainly on their customer service experience. The other area of difference is in the reporting system they use. Over the past month I was hired as a consultant to review and evaluate a number of systems available to home inspectors. Some were straight forward, others had several fancy features to set them apart. However, at the end of the day, they were all designed to do one thing, prepare a written report for the buyer. Your home inspection report should be thorough but also understandable.

What makes a good report, and what should you be looking for to ensure a timely closing process?

1. A clear concise summary

The first thing most real estate agents are looking for is a clear and concise summary. Preferably at the beginning, and outlining any major concerns that could end the deal if not addressed. Theses would be items of a particular dollar amount or safety level. The failure to have a prioritized summary means real estate agents, lawyers, mortgage brokers and such are required to review every line, looking for a major defect like a failing roof along side of a maintenance tip to clean the gutters. This not only wastes time, it minimizes the importance of the inspection, to find anything that changes the value of the home. Along with a clear summary is the use of understandable icons.

2. Understandable icons

A number of reporting systems on the market today don’t utilize icons. The use of codes or checks in columns require the reader to constantly refer back to the key or top of the report, something frustrating if you are reading a 30 page report on-line. Icons indicating a safety issue or repair item help the reader differentiate those items from the recommended maintenance items or comments throughout the report. Icons help the reader look for grouped items in a section, such as what are all the maintenance issues with the property, or what are the safety concerns in the garage. A good icon system will prioritize all the comments in a section, grouping them by icon.

3. Clear comments on every defect

Why is this an issue, and what should I do about it? Along with icons, any defects noted should include why it’s a defect, and what the next step is. Too frequently reports create more questions than answers. A good home inspection report will not only identify an issue, but will help the reader understand why they should address it or what may happen if the issue is not addressed. Finally, how it should be addressed or next steps should be included. Most home inspectors won’t recommend a specific course of action, however, if a professional is needed, a good report will share what kind of contractor, electrician, plumber, or other professional should be called.

4. Pictures

Finally, your report should include pictures. With today’s technology, there is no excuse to not have images in a home inspection report. After the inspector leaves, images are a great way to look at the problem again. Many home buyers won’t be able to reenter the house before closing to crawl through the attic or remove the electric panel cover again. Pictures are a time stamped document of the condition at the time of the inspection which helps everyone from the buyer, to the agent, to a hired contractor understand what was seen and what needs to be addressed. A home inspection is a visual inspection, the final document, the report, should also be a visual product.

Many reports today will include other items as home inspectors and reporting software all seek to individualize their service, such as seasonal maintenance ideas, product recalls, life expectancy of components and such. All of these are nice, but should be considered extras to the real purpose of the inspection.

When you hire a home inspector you are buying a service; the only physical item you walk away with is a report. Many home inspectors will provide samples of their work on their website or to real estate agents. Before hiring a home inspector, ask to see a sample of the report, look to see if they have one on-line and review it to make sure it has the items you are looking for. Most home inspectors will perform a professional inspection, but if you want to use that information over the next weeks, months, or first year you own your home, a good report makes all the difference.

A final thought; look for an inspector that uses an on-line reporting system. This way everyone who needs to see the report can do so easily.