Pre-Listing Inspections
A Pre-Listing Inspection is a home inspection performed for a Seller by a home inspector prior to the Seller listing the home for sale. Question: Why would a Seller want to pay for a home inspection? Answer: to avoid having to re-negotiate their purchase price with a Buyer after a Buyer’s home inspection. If the […]
Cleaning Service For Landlords
Cleaning Service For Landlords and Property Managers Our recently opened sister company, Home Clean Home, provides end of tenancy or pre-tenancy interior cleaning for property managers and landlords in the Cleveland Ohio area. For more information, please go to our sister website
Double Neutrals
Two Neutral Wires Under One Terminal Lug So why is more than one neutral wire occupying the same terminal lug in a service panel a problem? Its because one of these wires may prevent the other wire from receiving adequate pressure from the set screw which can cause a loose electrical connection which has the […]
Double Taps
Double Taps Double Taps – probably the most common home inspector call out of all time. So what’s the big deal? A separate breaker/fuse/terminal should serve each circuit as one of the circuit wires may become loose and cause a short circuit. This may happen because the breaker/fuse/terminal set screw could apply more compression force […]
Abandoned Cisterns
Abandoned Cisterns Abandoned cisterns should be drained and filled with sand. They are a liability to the home’s owners – from a safety and potential collapsing standpoint.
Should You Get A Mold Test?
Should you get a mold test done during your home inspection? We visually look for mold during the general inspection but if you want to take it to the next level we can do a mold spore test. A mold spore test is conducted by air sampling the lowest level area of the home which […]
Online Home Inspection Pricing and Scheduling
Online Instant Pricing And Scheduling In the past we were focused on answering our phone 9 out of 10 times every time it rang in order to 1.) not miss an opportunity to schedule a home inspection with a new client and 2.) to be available to our clients and referal sources (mostly Realtors) with […]
Lead in Water Testing
As we all know, Lead is a toxin and small children or pregnant mother exposure to it can negatively impact the child’s health, nervous system, and potentially their cognitive development. It is a known fact that older sections of the Cleveland public water supply are still comprised of lead pipes. The City does add a […]
Who Comes First – You or Your Agent?
Below is a link to one of our recent inspections we did for a client. The Realtor wasn’t too happy with our inspection process or report. Here is what she said: “I hope to never have you inspect another home of mine again. You tore a perfectly good house apart. Bizarre that you took pictures […]
What fixes are mandatory after a home inspection?
There are no mandatory fixes required after a home inspection other than what is negotiated between the buyer and the seller. If the home is located where a Point of Sale inspection is required by the city of residence, then those repairs identified by the city housing inspector must be assumed by either the buyer […]
How long does a home inspection take?
Anywhere from 45 minutes to 8 hours or more. The on-site inspection time depends on many factors such as the size of the home, its age, its condition, its configuration, if there are out buildings present, if there are ancillary inspections included such as well testing, mold testing, sewer line scoping. If the home is […]
How much does a home inspection cost?
It typically depends on several variables. The first being the experience level of the home inspector. New to the industry inspectors are naturally going to charge less than experienced home inspectors who already have a steady stream of past client referrals and real estate agents referring them business. Next, busier inspectors are typically going to […]
Our Reports
We use a commercially available report writing system called Spectora which is an html or web based platform available to all Inspectors for a licensing fee. However, Spectora only provides a software structure for Inspectors to use – within that structure the Inspector must either purchase or create their own reporting template with common call […]
Loose Roof Shingles
Lead Pipes In Cleveland
Lead water supply pipes in the Cleveland Ohio area if present in a home are usually the main supply line from the street that comes into the home usually in the basement and connects to the water meter. You can tell if the line is lead if you scrape the surface of the pipe and […]
Hire an Inspector For a Non-Real Estate Purchase?
Under what conditions might it be in your best interest to hire a home inspector if you are not buying or listing a home on the market? Consider that not all but some percentage of contractors may want to sell you on a repair, replacement, or improvement you may not need since that is their […]
Termites And Poured Foundation Walls
Anyone who thinks termites can’t infiltrate brick sided homes, poured cement foundations, or block foundations – here is a surprise. We found these active termite mud tubes in the Old Brooklyn area of Cleveland Ohio – going right through the poured foundation wall several feet below grade. Moral of the story? Make sure your inspector […]
Income Property Inspections
We love doing income or rental property inspections for local, out of state, or out of country investors. Income properties in the cleveland area are typically single family, duplexes, tri-plexes, and 4-plexes or quads that come under the residential real estate category defined by ASHI and the State of Ohio (which pretty much adopted the […]
Should I follow my home inspector around during my home inspection?
In our opinion, that is a bad idea – for several reasons: 1.) it is distracting for the inspector – so they may miss something material that could cost the client money after closing or cause damage to the seller’s home by not returning inspected components and systems to their as found state. 2.) because […]
Investor Portfolio Inspections
Because we are a multi-inspector company, we are able to handle large property investment portfolios in a detailed, thorough, and efficient manner. Recently we completed full home and building inspections on a portfolio for an investor consisting of 17 multi family homes 100% tenant occupied ranging from single family to 5 family dwellings plus a […]