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Prepare your home for the fall: Schedule a free inspection with Foundation Recovery Systems KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis
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The purpose of the Connecticut legislative research analysis, prepared this past September, was to identify any bills proposed in Connecticut that are similar to the pending law in Massachusetts that would ensure the buyers right to an inspection. The research report foundone such bill, which did not make it out of committee.
It does not appear that any states [currently] require a home inspection as a condition of a residential home sale, the Connecticut report stated.
Nick Gromicko is the founder of theInternational Association of Certified Home Inspectors, or InterNACHI, which has some 25,000 members in the U.S. and Canada. It also operates a home inspector training program that is accredited by theU.S. Department of Education.
Gromicko said the practice of dropping the home inspection contingency in order to juice the offer for a home works well to get the house, but then thats a potential grenade that can blow up [if major problems with a home exist].
And it blew up so much that states like Massachusetts are seeking to pass right-to-inspect laws, which is going to make it hard to get that inspection contingency out of the contract, he said.
Mark Goodman is a senior home inspector and territory manager forBPG Inspections, which is owned by title insurerFidelity National Financial Inc.He is also the 2024 president of theAmerican Society of Home Inspectors(ASHI), which has some 5,000 members and is one of two national home inspector organizations deemed trustworthy by theNational Association of Realtors(NAR) with the other being InterNACHI.
A member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) or the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) are trustworthy individuals to perform the [home] inspection, aNAR report states. Theyll generally charge about $300 to $500, with the figure varying on the region of the country and the size of the home.
Goodman offered some insights into the the home inspection business and individual inspectors via the following datapoints.
Inspectors rely heavily on real estate agents for job referrals, although they cultivate other referral sources as well, including real estate attorneys, past customers, and online reviews and marketing.
Most inspectors come from the building trades, but there are many exceptions to that rule. We have a member who is a former NASA engineer, and weve got CPAs, and theres a member that formerly ran a scuba diving resort, Goodman said. Theres a big percentage of full-time inspectors, but there are a lot of inspectors that are like Realtors and theyre part-time home inspectors.
A total of 36 states currently regulate home inspectors and/or their firms in some way. And then you have non-licensed states, like Missouri, for example, where I am, where its really important to use an ASHI-certified inspector [or an InterNACHI-certified inspector] because we set a standard of practice, Goodman added.
Gromicko estimates that there are some 27,000 home inspectors in the U.S., adding that its a second career for many.
If youve been in the trades, thats considered hard work welding, plumbing or whatever and then when they become an inspector, its almost like being semi-retired because its so much easier physically, he explained.
Most home inspection firms are smallmom-and-pop operations, according to Goodman and Gromicko. But there are some larger operators as well, such asBPG Inspections,U.S. Inspect, theWIN Home Inspection franchise and private equity-backedLaunchPad Home Group.
Inspectors really look at every system in the house, but theres some specialized ancillary areas [where additional training is needed], Goodman said. Theres mold, theres infrared, termites, radon, and theres lots of chimney inspections so theres a bunch of ancillary services that involve additional fees [for the client].
The home inspector is one of the few unbiased advocates for the consumer thats solely looking after the consumer, and that home inspection is really important in protecting somebodys investment.
Geoffrey Binney, managing partner atGauntt, Koen, Binney & Kidd LLP in The Woodlands, Texas, is a formerFBIagent turned attorney who has been defending home inspectors for the past 15 years.
The most prevalent types of lawsuits lodged against home inspectors, he said, involve claims over foundation, roof or plumbing issues that were missed, as well as claims involving termites or mold even though the latter two are not part of a standard home inspection.
If its just a home inspection, theyre not responsible for mold or termites, Binney said. I cant tell you the number of times Ive taken depositions of plaintiffs and asked, What did you think he [the inspector] was going to do?
And the response is something like, I thought he was going to tell me everything that was wrong with the house.
Binney stressed that home inspectors are generalists who know enough about a range of areas to get licensed or certified, but theyre not experts in all of those, unless they happen to have experience from a prior job.
Theyre only supposed to look and report on things that are present and visible, he added. If it isnt there that day, then they cant report on it.
If its under the carpet, behind a wall, or if its in a crawlspace that you cant get to; if its covered by laundry I mean, some of these houses that are for sale are just cluttered and that significantly hinders the inspection. Oftentimes, the homebuyer should be angry with the seller for not disclosing something, like if theres evidence of a roof leak that was painted over, but they might sue the home inspector and say, You should have caught this on the site.
Instead, Binney said, the buyer should blame the seller who painted over the problem. He added that he has handled cases where my guy just screwed up, with the inspector missing an issue that was clearly present and visible.
In these cases, he said, inspectors will often fall on their sword and admit their error because theyre good, honest people. And Ill tell the insurance carrier, Youve got to pay this one. Binney said.
In addition to purchasing professional liability insurance, another protection that inspectors need to employ is smart contract language. Binney explained that a limitation-of-liability clause in a contract is enforceable in most jurisdictions nationwide. He recommends setting the limit for exposure to the amount of the inspection fee adding that its not fair for an inspector to charge $500 for an inspection and then be liable for $250,000 in damages.
That just doesnt make economic sense, so were going to agree that if you sue me, the most you can get is the amount of the inspection fee, Binney said. One of the biggest problems Ive had is convincing [inspectors] to do written agreements, because many mom-and-pop inspectors still do business with a handshake.
Gromicko stressed that the threats of lawsuits and reputational damage also serve as checks against another concern that exists in the market with respect to home inspections that is, the perceived conflict of interest between real estate agents seeking to close a sale and the home inspectors they refer to their clients.
Some worry that when a real estate agent provides a referral for an inspector that he or she will be a patty-cake inspector whos going to just make the house look glowingly beautiful, Gromicko said. But the real estate agent [and home inspector] dont want lawsuits, and they dont want bad word of mouth, because they have to work in the community.
In fact, Gromicko said, some prospective buyers may actually want the inspector to find problems with a home not to kill the deal but to use the inspection report as a negotiating tool. He added that inspectors must learn to deal with the politics and pressures of the job, and they should become good communicators in both spoken and written word.
A lot of new inspectors go in, and they do the first two or three inspections, and theyre like, Eff this! Gromicko added. Im not going to be in this position of pressure, where I have the seller on one side and the agent and buyer on the other, with the kids running around sticking their fingers in things, and I have to get on this roof, and I have to generate a report, and they want it today.
Excelling as a home inspector requires a skill set that is rare and for a relatively modest income that typically short of six digits, even for the most successful of inspectors.
A guy who fixes plumbing is not normally a guy who can stand on a podium and talk, and then theres the challenge of needing to distill it all into writing, Gromicko explained. The ones that survive [and prosper] normally have that unique blend of skill sets.
In addition to the unique skill set required to excel as a home inspector, theres the equally daunting challenge of surviving as an inspection business in the current climate of tight inventory and higher rates that are working to suppress home sales. Thats in addition to the ongoing trend of waiving the inspection to sweeten an offer.
The last couple of years, because of the condition of the housing market home Inspections are down, on average, in a lot of areas in the country, but not every place, because there are some really booming markets, Goodman said. And so, many are having a rough time because of the costs of running a business, and theres only so much in your overhead that you can really cut out, so you have to either raise your prices or do more inspections.
If that doesnt work out, then maybe it could cause a little bit of a shift to move more of the small proprietorships toward multi-inspector firms [industry consolidation]. Thats just the nature of the beast the cyclic nature of the home-inspection profession.
Goodman agrees that the legislation now pending in Massachusetts, which calls for mandating the right to an inspection for nearly all sales, would arguably help to bolster the home inspection industry in that state. He also stressed, however, that the legislation creates an important safeguard for consumers.
The New England ASHI chapter is pushing the bill in Massachusetts that mandates [a right to] an inspection, he said. If that bill is successful, I think youll see a wave of similar legislation across the country.
That legislation is not so much about the home inspector and the home inspection, but rather its more of a consumer protection.
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Pending legislation would end home inspection waivers in Massachusetts - HousingWire
ST. PETE, Fla. When first-time homeowner Chris Whalen got the notice he was being dropped from Citizens Insurance through depopulation and facing yet another rate increase, he decided to be his own advocate to find lower rates.
When Whalen bought his 2/1 bungalow in 2019, his property insurance rate was under $3,000, but now $6,400 through Citizens, and after depopulation, he was facing a renewal with a new company at $7900.
"I lost a lot of sleep, so I kept doing my own research," Whalen said.
Through friends and family, he was referred to Florida Strategic Insurance to shop around for new policies. They suggested Whalen get a home inspection.
He had one in 2021, but didn't realize it was no longer valid.
"I was pretty expected to tell the new insurance agent that I already had an inspection done, and that's when they told me I have to get it redone," he said.
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So he went with Turning Point Home Inspections and passed.
"This is my new quote of $3,600," he said happily.
His new quote is more than 50% less than his renewal quote at $7,900.
"It's almost too good to be true," he said.
Cliff Turner with Turning Point Home Inspectionssaid he's seen rates come down after inspections.
"Especially if you get a clean inspection," Turner said. "And usually what we find in the field, if there is a deficiency, it's very minor."
There are different kinds of inspections, but he suggests homeowners do a combo with a 4-point inspection and a wind mitigation inspection.
A 4-point inspection looks at electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and your roof. Wind Mitigation, Turner said, looks at how your roof will hold up. These are the ones that bring the discounts.
"That wind mitigation would give them additional discounts, and people don't realize that," Turner said.
He added people, like Whalen, also don't realize these inspections expire. 4-point inspections are only valid for one year. Wind Mitigation is valid for 5 years.
"I think that's something that people should know," Whalen said. "Ask them if having an inspection redone at $150 dollars is going to save you a couple of grand in that renewal. Because if it worked for me, I really think it's going to work for a lot of people."
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Can a home inspection bring down your insurance rates? - ABC Action News Tampa Bay
Democratic state lawmakers are pushing legislation to increase state oversight of nursing homes while Republican legislators are advancing a bill that could reduce such oversight.
Both initiatives are being advanced now due to a spate of deaths and serious injuries tied to regulatory violations in Iowa nursing homes. Republican lawmakers say the situation calls for a more collaborative approach to enforcement, while Democrats argue the state isnt being tough enough on violators.
On Tuesday, the House Subcommittee on Health and Human Services reviewed a GOP-backed bill, House Study Bill 691, that would revise the state law that requires the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to make a preliminary review of a nursing home complaint and, unless DIAL concludes the complaint is intended to harass a facility, make an on-site inspection.
The bill would add new exceptions to the requirement for on-site inspections, allowing DIAL to forgo an on-site visit if the agency concludes the complaint involves an issue that was already the subject of a complaint or a self-report from the facility itself within the previous 90 days. So, for example, if a facility self-reported an incident tied to insufficient staffing or a failure to monitor residents, it might not face another on-site inspection if a resident complained of the same issue two months later.
Another element of the bill would allow DIAL to forgo an on-site complaint inspection if the agency believes the matter can be investigated by phone or through an exchange of documents.
HSB 691 would also require DIAL to provide semiannual joint training sessions in which both state inspectors and industry officials would review the most frequently cited violations in Iowa during the previous year. As part of that process, the state agency would identify for the industry any regional patterns of violations.
In addition, DIAL would be required to establish a new process whereby every citation issued to a care facility for substandard quality of care or for residents being placed in immediate jeopardy would first be reviewed with representatives of the nursing home so they could provide additional context and evidence before top officials at DIAL decide whether to issue the citations.
GOP backers of the bill say the changes would help foster a more collaborative relationship between the care facilities and the state agency thats tasked with enforcing federal laws and regulations that are intended to ensure quality care.
At Tuesdays subcommittee meeting, the three-member panels lone Democrat, Rep. Timi Brown-Powers, voiced support for the bill.
You want to make sure our nursing homes feel like were supporting this, she said. Right now, Iowa nursing homes are making headlines and not in a great way, and so anything that we can do (needs) to make that a more positive transition.
After the meeting, Brown-Peters said she has concerns with the bill, including the provision that could result in fewer on-site inspections. But at the end of the day, Im not sure this bill is going to do anything, she said. Im still concerned were not going to have people out there investigating.
John Hale, a consultant and advocate for Iowa seniors, said Tuesday he is particularly alarmed by the broad language in the bill that would allow DIAL to dismiss resident complaints if they thought they were unreasonable or if they were seen to be harassing. Ive worked with dozens of residents or their family members over the years who are seen as irritants by facility management. The reality is that sometimes you have to be annoying to get any attention or action. DIAL should not be able to simply dismiss the complainants because they continue to complain about issues that are seen as unresolved.
Hale also said hes concerned by the provision that would allow DIAL to forgo an on-site inspection if the same issue was the subject of a prior complaint or self-report. It seems to me that repeat complaints should be seen as a great concern rather than a nuisance, he said.
Another bill, Senate File 2063, that has the backing of some Republican lawmakers would require DIAL to launch, at taxpayer expense, a pilot training program in which the state would pay a portion of privately employed nursing home administrators salaries while those individuals undergo training.
That bill has drawn objections from the former head of the state inspections agency, Dean Lerner.
This presents a conflict on its face, Lerner said. It should be obvious to everyone that DIAL, the nursing home regulator, should have nothing to do with the establishment of, or payment for, a program for trainees who would themselves be under the regulatory oversight of DIAL.
Also on Tuesday, Senate Democrats announced they were backing several newly filed pieces of legislation to address what they called the resident safety crisis in Iowas nursing homes.
Sen. Claire Celsi, a West Des Moines Democrat, said the news media has reported dozens of tragic situations and the Legislature can no longer ignore this The system that we have is clearly broken and its time to fix it.
Celsi said the legislation she and her Democratic colleagues are proposing is necessary partly because Republican lawmakers have refused to hold any Government Oversight Committee hearings on Iowas nursing homes and their oversight.
Among the proposals:
In a written statement responding to the Senate Democrats assertions, Iowa Health Care Association President and CEO Brent Willett said Iowas nursing home industry is committed to work alongside policymakers to ensure Iowas long-term health care facilities are equipped to provide access to high-quality care across our state.
He said federal data shows that Iowa nursing home providers outperform the nation in terms of the federal governments five-star quality ratings for overall performance.
Delivering quality care is a continuous process, and there is always more we can do, which is why IHCA continues to advocate for common-sense policies designed to attract, train, equip and retain more permanent direct care workers in Iowa communities to meet the growing demand for long-term care services and supports.
The stories weve been hearing about understaffing, abuse, neglect and an overall lack of accountability in Iowa nursing homes are devastating and unacceptable, Celsi said. Our states current approach to long-term care is fundamentally broken and failing to protect Iowans. Today, were offering a comprehensive approach that will protect seniors and give Iowa families confidence in their long-term care decisions.
Iowans deserve safe, high-quality care that allows them to live their best lives and age with dignity in our long-term care facilities, but also at home and in their communities, said Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City. Senate Democrats are introducing this comprehensive package of legislation to provide seniors with the safeguards, options, and accountability, no matter what kind of care they choose.
Continued here:
Republicans and Democrats offer competing solutions to nursing home 'crisis' - Iowa Capital Dispatch
How to Prep for a Home Inspection
The home selling process involves many steps, from finding a real estate agent to negotiating your selling price with potential buyers. When it comes to having your home inspected, you have a few options.
Pre-sale home inspections can be a great start to determine the condition and value of your home. This can be helpful for a seller and agent as the condition of the home can be put into the listing and any immediate issues can be fixed.
Once a home is listed for sale, the seller can still get an inspection done to prepare for any surprise costs or issues the house may have. Some cities and states require sellers to provide potential buyers with a detailed home inspection, but more commonly than not, buyers will opt for their own as well.
Whatever route you choose, it is important to prepare your house - and yourself - for a home inspection. And that starts with a clean house. If your house is a mess, that can be an immediate indication to the inspector that the home hasnt been properly maintained.
As youre cleaning, be sure to make room for workspace around the furnace, water heater, air conditioner and electrical boxes. In order to properly check these areas, about four to five feet of space is required. Remember to clear away snow, leaves and brush from exterior inspection points as well.
Provide your inspector with access to all points of the house, including the attic, basement and garage. Move any large items or boxes a few feet away from the walls and if you happen to find any rodent droppings or cobwebs, remove and clean the area.
Leave all of your utilities connected, even if the house is vacant. The inspector will have to check the lighting, turn on the stove, run the dishwasher and test out the furnace, among other tasks. If the utilities are off, the inspector will not be able to complete the inspection, reschedule and possibly delay the selling process.
Lastly, when it comes time for your inspection appointment, be on time, have all documents ready and stay out of the way. Make plans for your children and pets to be out of the house for at least two to three hours. In the case that a prospective buyer accompanies the inspector, it can get awkward to ask questions with the seller present, so it may be best to plan to be away as well. Before you leave, make sure to provide any and all repair invoices and receipts in regards to remodels or updates.
For more information, contact Mike Kogler today!
Call or textMike at (302) 236-7648
Michael Kogler,REALTOR MIKE KOGLER TEAM: #1 Sales TeamLong & Foster Real Estate | Luxury Portfolio International 37156 Rehoboth Ave., Ext. Rehoboth Beach, DE. 19971 Cell:(302) 236-7648 Email:michaelkogler@outlook.com Web:www.MikeKogler.com Henlopen Sales & Rentals:www.HenlopenRB.com
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By Kathy Henne
Contributing columnist
Whether you are buying or selling a home, you will probably encounter the inspection. This neednt strike fear into the hearts of sellers, and it shouldnt encourage buyers to look for minor issues.
Disclosure and awareness are very important, and a recent survey of the National Association of Home Inspectors sheds some light on the most prevalent problems that they encounter. Of course, sellers may want to have their homes inspected right after listing their homes. If the seller has not had the home inspected, then the buyer will need to have it taken care of as soon as they have an accepted contract.
One of the most common problems the inspectors find is improper drainage around the house. Unsuitable grading can lead to water penetration and even problems with the foundation. Another problem involves big surprise roofing. This can include worn or missing shingles and improper flashing around the chimney.
The survey results also point to a couple of interior problems. In older homes, particular attention should be paid to the electrical system, which might have inadequate overload protection or insufficient power. Buyers are requesting the seller upgrade old fuse type electrical boxes to upgraded circuit breakers because many insurance companies are refusing to insure homes that have the old fuse type electrical boxes. Problems with the heating and air conditioning systems were also at the top of the home inspectors list.
Keep in mind that most homes will not have major problems, but a home inspection is always a good idea. Ask your agent for some reputable home inspectors.
Contact the Kathy Henne Team Re/MAX by calling 937-778-3961
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Welcome to our second installment of How To Use a Home Inspection Report!
Last week, we focused on the five major systems of the house. This week, were moving on to some of the details and the more in-depth areas to look at how you can use a home inspection report to gain knowledge about the house as youre purchasing it, and later as a checklist for future projects and home maintenance.
This homeowner probably should have checked the contractors work at the time Or maybe they were just misremembering? Either way, they havent spent too much time in the attic because there is definitely not any foam insulation up there, or any kind of insulation, for that matter. That would certainly explain the home being drafty.
They did have it in the listing so, its a good thing somebody checked it out. The buyer might want to put insulation on their to-do list or negotiate that into the contract if possible since foam insulation was listed with the property.
This water heater was installed improperly, without ventilation, resulting in a dangerous situation where backdrafting can occur, which means the exhaust fumes can re-enter the house.
The buyer would be well within their rights to request this be fixed before signing off on the contract. In an As Is situation where the seller isnt agreeing to fix anything, the buyer would want to be sure to repair this right away.
When there is an obvious water leak, a home inspector will try to identify the source of the leak and any damage they can find without taking anything apart. They will then recommend the appropriate professionals you may need to consult.
We cannot positively identify mold: youll see unidentified grey substance, on the report. Were not allowed to say mold and have it turn out to be something else. This was an obvious water leak on a re-inspection where the seller was supposed to have fixed the leak, but we returned and found that the spot was still wet and continuing to leak. A mold remediation expert was called and found mold in the walls and attic.
When this is the case, its up to the agents and insurance to negotiate. Hopefully, the sellers home insurance will cover the repair. If not, you have to either negotiate with the seller to cover the repair out of pocket or decide if you want the home enough to cover the cost of repair.
Brand new homes have problems too, and its important to have a home inspection before you move in, so the builder can fix any issues that come up. In this case, we found a dangerous gas leak at the water heater. But we find any number of issues, from switches that dont work, to missing mortar on the bricks, to reversed hot and cold in the plumbing all of which should be covered by the builder.
Now that youre thinking about how you can use a home inspection report, I hope youll dig out your last one and give it a look. I bet there are some items on there that you havent taken care of yet! Whats that? You didnt keep it? You can always have a home maintenance inspection and get an up-to-date idea of the status of all the systems of your home.
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How To Use a Home Inspection Report: Part 2 - CandysDirt.com
Its been a big year for us at Upon Closer Inspection, and we couldnt have done it without our loyal readers. We celebrated our 200th column a milestone, to be sure but even in a real estate-devoted crowd, home inspection-inspired material is pretty nichey, so we remain humbled to continue contributing our musings.
This December, as I look back over a years worth of material, it strikes me that we mostly achieve the goal of educational-with-a-side-of-humor (though sometimes people do such ridiculous things to their homes, we can go straight to humor). But since were looking back, I thought Id point out some times when Upon Closer Inspection was actually pretty helpful.
Yes, (toot-toot) this here is a round-up of the times we handed out some tips at a particularly timely or useful moment. Were doing some good around here, it turns out! Keep reading to the end for an update on the South Dallas gas explosion.
And boy howdy, did we have lots of good advice for not only protecting your home before the freeze, but what to do after the freeze! Timely, seasonal tips!
This was a TWO-PART SERIES! This primer on your home electrical system from the utility pole to the panel box gave all the basics of your electrical system, what all the parts are called, what they do, and whose responsibility they are. Great info for any homeowner or home buyer to have. (Not, however, so you can DIY electrical, because we never, ever recommend that.)
Upon Closer Inspection provided special coverage of my personal journey through insurance adjusters, roofers, and attorneys after the spring storms destroyed my roof and two cars in Collin County. On the spot, personal reporting, with heart!
Home Inspectors carry caulk like gunslingers during the summer nary a cool breeze gets past these guys without they seal up a door or a window. And we were there all summer to bemoan the heat and tell you what to do about it.
Then it got serious real quick when a familys house blew up in South Dallas, and were still wondering why. We talked about gas safety, and what to look for, and thats when the jokes stopped because for all our kidding around, the reason for this column, the reason for home inspectors, is so people can have as much information as possible about their homes. Because knowledge is power. Hopefully against tragedies like this one.
As of December 18, 2023, family spokesperson Jeffrey Martin reports that the Escobar family is doing as well as can be expected. They have rented a home so that they can be together for Christmas, while the family home is being repaired, but this is a hardship because their home insurance is not paying for the expense. The investigation into the explosion is still ongoing. The family has retained lawyers to look into the cause as Atmos has claimed that their equipment was not at fault. Francisco, the family friend who was burned in the explosion is out of the hospital but remains badly injured.
Repair 6717 Woford Drive GoFundMe
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Upon Closer Inspection,This Column Is SO GOOD - CandysDirt.com