Jim Ellis's (shamus) Blog

While posting this on our web site www.ellishomeinspections.com and thinking about which of these items I report on during our home inspections, I couldn’t help but notice a common thread…Parents not watching our children like we should. Now we need the government to tell us about some rather evi...

 Below is most of our contract for our standard home inspections. It helps to keep us on our toes and do the best work possible for our clients. Does any one else guarantee their work like this? I think it's just one more reason why we are booked most of the time and our competition is not.   $2....

I recently performed a home inspection on a home that has been vacant for some time now. Shortly after turning on the hot water faucets the odor became offensive. Rotten eggs and other descriptions would fit this well. This particular home is supplied with municipal water. This smells like a fair...

After a fairly long dry spell, condo sales must be on the upswing. We have recently been a condo inspection blitz from Perdido Key, FL, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, AL. Most of the condo (home) inspections are the newer units. When I started home inspections 10 years ago most of the condo's were...

I recently did an inspection of a home built in the early 1950's which is old for this area. The home was settling so much you needed mountain climbing shoes to trek the steep sloped floors inside (exaggerating some) and there was a fire at some time in the attic, next to the chimney. The buyer w...

Here Are A Few Of The Important Benefits Of Having The Home Inspected BEFORE It Gets Put On The Market:   1. Helps buyers feel immediately more comfortable with the property. 2. Increases the home buyer's perceived value of the property. 3. Gives the sellers the opportunity to eliminate certain d...

We often get calls for inspections of condo’s that should have the exterior inspected. Some of today’s condo’s are really old retired town homes or apartments. We are told that the exterior belongs to the association and is not the responsibility of the owner. Hogwash, who supports and pays the c...

I know when the phone rings and someone on the other end of the line starts out asking home inspection questions and inquiring about radon they are not likely from this immediate area. Occasionally a home relocation company will ask us to perform a radon test in Alabama, and very rarely in Florid...

I hear this question frequently now. What I'm finding is that the home still ages even though it's vacant. Mold also becomes an issue here in the south if the utilities have been off, even for a short time. It's not uncommon during a home inspection to find more plumbing leaks, mold, faulty GFCI'...

I have looked at this and several other sites for some time now. I finally decided to land here..On my way to an inspection today I got side tracked by a tornado in downtown Pensacola. Lots of debris and  rescue vehicles. I couldn't get to my destination so we rescheduled for the first of next we...