5 Essential Tips for a Successful Winter Home Inspection

 Winter in the northeast brings its unique set of challenges for the real estate market. As a trusted home inspector, I understand how the colder months can add complexity to the buying and selling process. That’s why I’ve put together five essential tips to help you and your clients ensure a smoother and more effective winter home inspection. These actionable insights can make a significant difference during the home inspection.

 

1. Keep Driveways and Walkways Clear

Snow and ice can create significant obstacles for inspectors, buyers, and agents. Before the inspection, ensure all driveways, walkways, and access points to the home are thoroughly cleared of snow and ice. Not only does this provide safe access, but it also allows the inspector to fully assess these exterior elements, such as concrete or asphalt conditions, drainage issues, and potential trip hazards. Encourage your clients to salt or sand icy areas to reduce risks.

2. Ensure Accessibility to Key Systems

In the colder months, certain areas of the home—like the attic, crawl spaces, or mechanical rooms—might be harder to access due to stored items, snow drifts, or ice buildup. Encourage homeowners to clear these areas in advance. For example, attic hatches should be free of obstructions, and basement utility rooms should allow enough space for a thorough inspection of heating systems, water heaters, and sump pumps. Easy accessibility ensures no aspect of the home is overlooked.

3. Maintain Comfortable Indoor Temperatures

During a winter inspection, indoor temperature is key. Homes should be heated to a comfortable level so inspectors can accurately evaluate heating systems, insulation, and draft issues. A cold interior might raise red flags about heating performance or energy efficiency, even if the system is functioning correctly. Additionally, if the home is vacant, ensuring the heat is on helps prevent frozen pipes, which can lead to costly damage.

4. Address Snow-Covered Features

Snow can obscure critical exterior features like roofs, gutters, decks, and patios. While inspectors will do their best to evaluate these areas, heavy snow may limit visibility. If possible, homeowners should clear snow from these areas before the inspection. If that’s not feasible, providing recent photos or documentation of the roof, gutters, and other covered features can help fill in the gaps. This proactive approach ensures buyers have a complete understanding of the property’s condition.

5. Prepare Interior Entryways for Snow

Winter weather often means snow and slush tracked indoors on shoes and boots. Before the inspection, homeowners should prepare interior entryways by placing durable mats, boot trays, or towels near entrances. This helps protect flooring and provides a clean, safe area for inspectors and buyers to remove footwear. A well-prepared entryway not only maintains the home’s cleanliness but also creates a positive first impression.

Bonus Tip: Communicate Expectations

Clear communication between agents, buyers, sellers, and inspectors is vital for a successful winter home inspection. Discuss the unique challenges of winter inspections with your clients and set realistic expectations. Understanding that certain limitations—like snow-covered roofs—are unavoidable helps manage concerns and keeps the process on track.
 

By taking these steps, you can help facilitate a thorough, efficient inspection process that puts buyers and sellers at ease, even in the heart of winter. If you have any questions or need assistance preparing a property for inspection, feel free to reach out. I’m always here to help ensure your transactions move forward seamlessly.

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In a time of low inventory some need to find the diamond in the rough

 

When housing inventory is low, many may find it difficult to find their dream home. For some buyers, a house which needs a bit of work may be a better option. Rehabilitation loans, like the FHA 203K loan, allow home buyers to purchase a home and borrow funds to make needed repairs. There are requirements involved, and the home must appraise, after repairs, sufficient for the total borrowed. However, repairs can be more than just what’s required to fix issues, they can also include upgrades and improvements. This can be a cost effective solution for those who want to build that dream home but can’t wait for or afford new construction. FHA 203K loans often have lower payment requirements and require lower down payments than conventional loans making them more affordable. One of the early steps in using a FHA 203k loan is to set an appointment with a HUB approved 203K Consultant to review the home, the budget, and the needed repairs to insure the project is feasible. Your consultant will also prepare the paperwork for the FHA appraiser and loan officer to use in approving the loan. As repairs are being completed, your consultant will also set inspection intervals to confirm the work is completed and to approve payments to your contractor from your loan funds. Using a FHA 203k can mean some additional work and forms, but using the right consultant, loan officer, and contractor will make the process run smoothly and can help your buyer see their dream home hidden in a house others have ignored. Carey Home Inspection has completed several 203K projects across the region and are open to helping your next buyer begin the process.

Local Home Inspector points out top fire danger in the home

 In real estate, nothing is more essential than the safety and satisfaction of your client. As agents, pride is taken in helping buyers find their dream homes, but with aesthetics, location, and features top of mind, there's one more critical aspect never to be overlooked: safety. Electrical issues are among the most hazardous areas for possible safety concerns in residential property. Ensuring a property's electrical integrity is important, as over 30,000 electrical fires occur at residences throughout the U.S. each year.

 

This is where a Certified Master Inspector plays an important role. General inspections will do for superficial coverage in a property, but a Certified Master Inspector goes one step ahead to comprehensively assess things that are left ignored or unobserved. Here's how the professional electrical inspection done by a Certified Master Inspector makes the difference.

Panel Inspections:

One of the most crucial electrical inspection elements is the electrical panel, commonly referred to as the breaker or fuse box. The inspector will go to the extent of removing the dead face, which is the front cover of the panel, to carefully see what is inside. Why is this important? The inside of an electrical panel may hold hidden dangers, such as loose connections, signs of overheating, double-tapped breakers, and corrosion. Any one of these alone can result in devastating outcomes if left unchecked, including electrical fires or a system failure.

 

Checking Outlets, Switches, and Lighting

Beyond the electrical panel, a thorough inspection would also involve the checking of outlets, switches, and lighting fixtures for operating appropriately, appropriately grounded, and free from wiring defects. For example, any burn marks on outlets and switches are indicative of overheating. GFCI outlets installed in places like kitchens and bathrooms should be tested for correct operation against electric shock.

 

Older homes will, of course, require even more care. Homes built several decades ago may still have very outdated types of wiring, such as knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring. While once common, such systems pose major hazards today. The expertise of a Certified Master Inspector in identifying the type of wiring, recognizing possible hazards, and suggesting remedies is invaluable.

 

Why Every Buyer Deserves a High-Level Inspection

Your clients entrust you as a real estate professional to guide them in one of the biggest purchases they make. Partnering with a Certified Master Inspector strengthens that trust, reinforcing your commitment to safety and well-being. An electrical fire can result in catastrophic loss of property or more.

The Johari Window of Home Inspections

Home inspections are in many ways home awareness for buyers. A common tool used in team building, self-awareness exercises, and therapy is the Johari Window. This visual tool breaks the way in which we see ourselves and how others see us into four boxes. One box is what is seen by others and us. This is the person we are to ourselves and to other people. The next box is what others see but is hidden from us. These could be flaws or talents we are blind to, but others recognize in us. The third box is what we see in ourselves but hide from others. This is who we are in private and what we keep inside. The last box is what is unknown. Things we do not know about ourselves that are also unknown to others. People use this tool in many ways. One way is to discover more about themselves and, in effect, make the unknown box and the box only seen by others smaller. Some use this to decrease the hidden box and make a person more authentic.

A home inspection can take the same form as a Johari window. When a buyer makes an offer for a property, there are four similar boxes. There is what the buyer and seller both see, and an offer is often made in that window. There is another window that only the seller sees: those things that they have not revealed to the buyer. There is a third window that the buyer sees, but the seller is not aware of, the hidden incentives the buyer has not shared as to why they want the house. Finally, there are the things nobody knows about the house. Often, these are defects that have not been seen by the seller or buyer.

A home inspection is designed to change the size of these boxes. In a home inspection, we seek to move things from the box of unknowns to the box only seen by the buyer, helping the buyer to see things that no one knows about the house. At the same time, we work to move things from the box only known by the seller to the box of things known by the buyer and seller, making the sale price more authentic and bringing everything that was hidden to light. All the time, not moving anything from the box only as known by the buyer because home inspections are confidential.

Some people believe that after a home inspection, the buyer should know as much as the seller, but that is not correct. After the home inspection, the buyer should actually know more about the house than the seller, placing them in the strongest position and having the greatest advantage. Home inspections are designed to benefit and protect the buyer during the home buying process. Not having a qualified home inspection is agreeing to walk into the purchase at a disadvantage. Never skip the opportunity to be informed and protected. And remember the inspection is only as good as the inspector, always use a Certified Master Inspector when choosing an inspection company such as Carey Home Inspection. 

What won't change on August 17th

 

Nobody really knows for sure what the fallout will be after new rules for members of the National Association of Realtors take effect on August 17. Compensation numbers will be removed from the Multiple Listing Service, and buyers' agents will need signed agreements before providing the service. For some, it will be business as usual, while others will need to adopt new practices and procedures. Horror stories about mass buyer agents disappearing have been circulated on social media, while others have expressed a more optimistic view. The truth is that we may not see the full impact of the NAR settlement for months or even years, as the market is always moving, and it will take time to interpret the changes and the role that the settlement played, if any. One thing that will not change is that people will still buy and sell houses. Along with that, home inspections will continue to be part of that process. The inspection, as a third--party evaluation, will remain protection for both the buyers and the agents. With the potential for more dual-agent transactions, having a qualified home inspection is critical to insulate the buyer's representative throughout the process. Some have speculated that more buyers will need to pay for representation, meaning some may look for ways to save money by choosing not to have an inspection; however, the increased cost may result in stepping down their expectations of the home they choose. This only increases the need for a thorough inspection. An increased closing cost may also mean less money available for unforeseen repairs that an inspection would uncover before the purchase. The need for a qualified home inspection will continue, if not increase in importance, as we move forward through the changes ahead. Providing thorough and affordable inspections with clear reports delivered on the same day is something we have done consistently and will continue through any changes that occur. We look forward to servicing your buyers, sellers, and investors with the best inspection services in the area.

Secrets to a Cooler Home

June saw unusually high temperatures, even before summer was officially here. With July here and August just around the corner, air conditioners will be running nearly every day. Central air conditioning is a luxury for some, and others cannot live without it. Expecting to keep cool only to have your home or office never feel comfortable can be frustrating, to say the least. While professional service is sometimes needed, there are a few easy home maintenance tips that can keep your air conditioning system running longer and more efficiently.

Most air conditioning systems found in homes are gas compression split systems. This means there is an outside compressor and an inside heat exchanger inside the ductwork. Air conditioners work by compressing a coolant gas and then rapidly decompressing it. When you squeeze something, it heats up; this happens outside, which is why the air blowing off the condenser is hot. If you have ever sprayed a can of compressed air, like those cans of air to clean computer keyboards, you probably noticed the air is cold, and the can gets cold fast. This is what happens inside the part of the air conditioner in the ductwork. This is what cools the air when you run the air conditioner. 

If the air coming out of the ducts is cool but not as cold as it should be, or the house never seems to cool enough, there are some things you can do that may help. First, always test the air with a thermometer; don’t trust your hand. It’s often hard to distinguish between cool air and moving air that makes us feel cool; this is why fans work. 

On the outside of the home, start with the compressor. Make sure the compressor is level. Erosion can often lead to the compressor no longer being level. Also, trim back any branches or bushes that may be too close to the compressor. You should have a minimum of two feet on all sides of the compressor, and nothing above it for five feet. Check the fins on the compressor. These can become damaged from yard work, being bumped by the mower or toys, or even from animals or pets. If they need to be straightened, this can be done with a fin comb, available at most hardware stores. Finally, check the insulation on the refrigeration lines. The larger of the two should be completely insulated. If insulation is missing or damaged, replace it. The cost of the insulation is less than the cost of the energy lost.

Inside the home, check the furnace filter. A clogged or dirty filter will restrict airflow and result in it taking much longer to cool the house. Check the inside refrigeration line for insulation. Finally, make sure the condensation is draining correctly into a drain or a condensation pump. Excess water can affect the life of your system. 

If your system is not cooling at all, it’s time for professional assistance. A complete lack of cooling could be an issue with the controls for the system or a lack of coolant in the lines. A cooling professional should be able to diagnose the problem and provide the best solution. 

These few maintenance tips should help your system last longer and work efficiently this summer. 

If you are looking for a home inspection please contact us

Carey Home Inspection

Three quick things to help keep water out of almost any basement

 

In the northeast, many homes have basements, which can often lead to water entering the home. Discovering water on the basement floor is more than an inconvenience; it can damage stored items or essential systems like the heating system. Prolonged moisture can also cause mold in the basement or main floor. If the basement is a living area, such as in a split-level or raised ranch, water can cause costly damage and disrupt home life. Some basements are more susceptible to leaks, including those with high water tables, stone foundations, and dirt floors. Regardless of your basement type, there are simple steps to minimize water entry.

 

Ensure your gutters are functioning properly. Faulty gutters can be worse than no gutters at all. Gutters direct water away from the home by collecting rain water from the roof and channeling it to downspouts. Clogged or damaged gutters can overflow, dumping water near the foundation. Missing downspout extensions can also cause this issue. Directing rainwater away from the house is crucial for a dry basement.

 

Check the grading around your house. During rain, walk around the house and note any puddles within six feet of the foundation. Poor grading or even small holes can cause water to pool and seep into the foundation through cracks. Older homes may have water entering between the foundation wall and the footer. Fill low spots with compacted soil to redirect water away from the house. Avoid using mulch, gravel, or stone, as they allow water to seep through.

 

Test your sump pump. If your home has a sump pump, it indicates expected water under the house. Sump pumps collect water from the house drainage system in a sump pit. These can clog, and pumps can fail, so test them regularly, at least once a year before spring. Ensure the pump discharges water far from the house to prevent reentry into the system.

 

The goal is to keep water out of the basement, but if it gets in, remove it promptly. While not all basements will stay dry, these three steps can significantly reduce the risk of flooding.