Buy or Sell a Home| Real Estate Pr

Common Defect One Fresh Paint: Home inspectors (unless working for Realtors) are not stupid. Fresh paint is frequently and usually applied to cover up another defect.

Common Electrical Hazards:

I have been to thousands of homes and can not tell you why or how some did not have a major electrical fire. Many have such poor wiring and lucky owners (no fire yet)

that I feel like asking the owner to go out and pick some lottery numbers for me. Do not play with electricity, you can cause a fire or electrocute you or others.

Common Defect Rotted Wood Under Plumbing Fixtures:

A water stain or two under a bathroom can cost $15,000 or so to fix. If there is a stain under bathroom assume it is active till proven otherwise and keep in mind additional latent damages must be expected to exist.

Common Defect Water Intrusion Below Grade:

Water in the basement is bad. It can create high moisture conditions conducive to mold and damage storage. Usually surface water is the problem. Installation of gutters, downspouts and improving drainage away from the home are ways to solve may problems. Installation of basement perimeter drains should be a last resort, not a quick fix.

Common Ceiling Stains: All stains are indications of an active leak unless corrective actions have been taken. As home inspectors we lack crystal balls. If stains exist the owner and or contractor must tell you in writing what was done to cure the problem and when or you are taking an open ended risk.

Common Roofing defects: A common problem found during home inspections is problems with the roofing. I swear people would rather sell a home than replace a roof. Roofing removal and replacement can cost $8,000o or so for an average home. The money is well spent because if the roofing is not changed before it fails expensive problems are just about guaranteed to occur.

Common Building Violations Additions and Alterations Without Permits:

Houses are seldom built perfect. Beware of those who tell you all the work in the home was performed by craftsman who pulled all the permits and dealt with all the difficult municipal inspectors. I am sure there are many great municipal inspectors out there. I find it hard to believe the only ones the owner tells us about are the strict ones. I also find it hard to believe they only used the best contractors. If there were that many great contractors out there I would still be a construction project manager.