You’ve probably seen these cool metal stars on old brick houses and thought they were just a quaint decoration. The truth is that they are often much more than that. Bulging or bowing in brick walls is common throughout the Philadelphia region, especially on 3 story rowhomes. Star bolts are one
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02/08/2011
You may have noticed - it's winter. Here in the Philadelphia area that means that we have a layer of perma-snow covering everything. I can't remember what it looked like without it. It impacts EVERYthing. Fewer parking spaces, horrible street conditions even a week after the snow which alter bu
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01/31/2011
I admit it – I like Valentine’s Day. OK, so I love any chance to spend time alone with my wife and get all kissy-huggy, but it’s especially fun when we have an excuse to go somewhere new, try something different. Last year, we took a get-away all the way to….Philadelphia. Yeah, about 30 mile
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01/25/2011
First – this is NOT a political rant, or discussion of politics. Last week, radio talk show host Glenn Beck said something so ridiculous, yet potentially harmful, that I can’t let it pass unchallenged. First, the back story: Beck’s radio show was dropped from the line-up of the local AM (1
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01/25/2011
I have a few pet peeves about what I think should be basic communication skills. The same simple things I teach my 10 year old girl when she's making a phone call next door to see if her friends can play, also apply to professional phone calls. Things like: Say hello, and introduce yourself: "H
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01/24/2011
Recently, I had a conversation with a Realtor that I have just started working more frequently with. I'm always excited about the chance to work regularly with Realtors, since it allows me to get to know them a bit better and make sure that my services and reports are helpful to them in serving
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01/23/2011
I don't normally reblog other people's work, but this is such a wonderful FREE service and both my wife and I are big supporters of the fight against breast cancer, that I wanted to make sure my universe knew of this. If you know any women currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the wor
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01/21/2011
A West Coast inspector who I respect a lot recently posted about when clients can expect to receive their inspection reports, and it got me to thinking about the common questions clients usually have for me. Aside from prices (which I post online and will address in a future blog), the most pop
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01/13/2011
About half of my clients are buying Philadelphia rowhomes or twins. For reasons that only Philly natives can understand, that makes me feel great. I grew up in those rowhomes. The first home I bought was a Philly rowhome. My daughter's first home was a Port Richmond rowhome. And I have reno
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01/10/2011
Every now and then, during an inspection, something will catch my eye and remind me that houses are more than just brick and mortar, faucets and fixtures. They are an accumulation of memories, a physical manifestation of hopes and dreams - a representation of the lives of the people who owned i
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01/07/2011