Home Inspector Insights

We are all human and sometimes inspectors make mistakes.  Your inspector must have the financial ability to fix those mistakes with the right insurance.  Make sure your inspector has Errors and Omissions insurance. Does your inspector have a declaration page?  Ask him to fax it to you.  For an e...

It’s true.  Some so called “associations” in Home Inspections have certified my dogs.  Be wary of an inspector who claims other associations are better than CREIA (California Real Estate Inspectors Association) and ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors).   CREIA has a 50% failure rate becaus...

I am putting together a short series of blogs to help you distinguish the qualified from unqualified home inspectors.   It's hard to believe our industry is not more regulated as far as education.  Here are a couple of things to ask BEFORE you hire a home inspector.   1. How many years have you b...

There’s plenty of reasons to want to change a showerhead in your head. Perhaps you’re trying to fix a leak in the faucet; or, remodeling your bathroom; or, trying to conserve water via a low-flow showerhead.  Whatever the reason, changing a showerhead can be a basic do-it-yourself project. The t...

In my ongoing quest to find the positive in our economy, I came across an article by Brodrick Perkins.  It stated that a recent bankrate.com survey found 90% of homeowners don't regret their purchase.  What about the other 10 percent?  Perhaps they didn't do their homework?  This strikes me as in...

There is a woman I see every week at a perticular office I go to.  She "greets" me with apathy on her best days and rudeness on her worst.   She may be competent at her job, BUT...Is this the type of person you want as your clients' first impression of your business?  I doubt it. The next questio...

The fall and winter months are coming close.  Now is the time to take stock of your heating and cooling costs.  Air leaks can be a main culprit to unnecessary expense.     The U.S. department of Energy says up to 30% of home energy costs can be eliminated just by lessening the drafts in your home...

"you can't build a reputation with what you are going to do"-Henry Ford   I meet a lot of people each week.  This economy has brought to light two specific types.  Those show can't/won't and those who are already doing it.  Tough times bring change.  The people who are spending their time whining...

The last 3 years have been rough.  Mortgage lenders have continued to squeeze buyers with more hoops buyers need to jump through in their policies.    The Federal Reserve’s quarterly survey reports that about 1 in 10 lenders added more hoops between April and June.  It may sound like a lot but w...

Another week, another new low for conforming mortgage rates.  In fact, last week marked the 9th time in a row it’s happened. Mortgage rates are (again) at their lowest levels in history. The data comes from the Freddie Mac.  Their weekly survey is among the most widely-cited reports on mortgage ...