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Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection talks about some appraisers walking down a slippery slope.

This is the part 3 of 3 where I talk about what some appraisers are doing in the Western New York market and in my opinion are walking that slippery slope. To recap a bit - I recently have noticed some appraisers in Western New York that refuse to make a decision or are not competent to make an educated decision. For example - not knowing if a basement stairway is stable (covered in Part 1), not understanding a moisture penetration issue in the basement of a 148 year old home (covered in Part 3), and the most alarming issue recently is the lack of the necessary tools to complete the appraisal process. These examples are just a few issues that I have had to deal with over the past few months to assist my clients in keeping deals moving forward.

This last episode is flat out wrong - PERIOD!!! I've heard about this three times this week by three different Realtors. Apparently, some appraisers are now required to get a better view of the attic and if they don't have access or can't find a ladder in the home or can't see from standing on a chair - yes, standing on a chair that is the property of the seller they have decided to charge the buyer for a return inspection where they bring a ladder to complete this task.

Are you kidding me - they are hired to appraise the home, but don't bring the proper equipment needed to complete the job and now feel it is justifiable to charge an extra $100.00 to bring a ladder that they should have had in the car originally. This practice is unethical and this behavior is absolutely walking on a slippery slope and when those who are operating in this fashion fall - don't come crying that someone else is now doing appraisals and you are now out of work. I know that two of the buyers and Realtors are following up with the Attorney General and if this is occurring in your market, I encourage you to do so as well.

As we all know, there's 101 ways a deal can fall apart and having some appraisers operating like RATS can not be tolerated by the rest of us professionals in this industry.

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection, has been providing both residential and commercial property inspection services. Remember, All Pro Home Inspection is WNY's Home of the Original 200% Home Inspection Satisfaction Guarantee.... call John with any questions at 716-772-2548 or email at john@allprohomeinspection.com.

All Pro Home Inspection is dedicated to providing you "peace of mind" by educating you to understand the condition of your home. All Pro Home Inspection offers Niagara County home inspection services to not only Niagara County, but to all of Western New York's communities. We understand the stress that is involved in the Buying, Selling, and the Moving process...That is why when your All Pro Home Inspection is complete, you will have...

• A 200% Satisfaction Guarantee
• Customized Computerized Home Inspection Report for YOUR Home that is
• Printed Onsite which includes
• a General Summary of Repairs By Components and
• a Color Photo Journal of the Home
• PLUS a Copy is Emailed to You and Your Agent Immediately from the Inspection

And much more...

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection talks about some appraisers walking down a slippery slope.

This is the part 2 of 3 where I take a look at what some appraisers are doing in the Western New York market and in my opinion are walking that slippery slope. To recap a bit - I recently have noticed some appraisers in Western New York that refuse to make a decision or are not competent to make an educated decision. For example - not knowing if a basement stairway is stable (covered in Part 1), not understanding a moisture penetration issue in the basement of a 148 year old home, and the most alarming issue recently is the lack of the necessary tools to complete the appraisal process. These examples are just a few issues that I have had to deal with over the past few months to assist my clients in keeping deals moving forward.

Now, let's take a look at a moisture penetration issue that resulted in the termination of a contract because this appraiser called for a complete structural review of the foundation wall and a review of a water penetration by a waterproofing contractor. Let me set the scene - we have a 148 year old home with a rock/stone foundation with no drain tile or sump present. The property disclosure statement stated the basement would get some seasonal moisture. FYI - this is common situation to see in my market where older homes. We had 16 inches of snow on the ground and had a few days of warm temperatures with some rain. The appraisal was ordered during this warm up time period and when the appraiser entered the basement dampness was present on the rear foundation wall and floor area at the edge of the wall.

Backup a week - during the inspection it was reported that the exterior slope at the rear of home the home had negative drainage and needed to be corrected to promote positive water flow away from the foundation wall. Also, the gutter/downspouts at this area needed extensions to drain water away from the foundation. There was a reference in the report about stains (dry, at the time of inspection) on the wall and floor areas. In our inspection report for our older homes that we inspect it is common practice to use a statement about older homes not having drain tile and sump pumps present and that it is common to see some type of seasonal moisture penetration in the basement. Although any water penetration should be considered a potential problem or concern and that repair solutions should be considered. In this case adding extensions to the downspouts and improving the exterior grade would have be the first step to improve to help prevent water penetration.

OK, for you critics out there - yes, there was moisture in the basement, but you have to use commonsense and understand the type and age of home that is being inspected or appraised. After hearing from the buyer's agent about the termination of the contract I asked him to meet me at the home so I could get a look at the problem. The corner of the foundation was damp and if the appraiser would have taken the time to walk to the rear of the home he would have seen the main reason for the moisture penetration. Sadly, because the appraiser couldn't make an educated decision and was more worried about liability and requested further review and action, neither the seller or buyer wished to pay for these reviews and the put up with unneeded repairs the deal was DOA for no reason.

This was Part 2 of 3 regarding appraisers operating on a slippery slope. Stay tuned for tomorrow's final segment that will absolutely have you wondering what is going in the real estate industry.

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection, has been providing both residential and commercial property inspection services. Remember, All Pro Home Inspection is WNY's Home of the Original 200% Home Inspection Satisfaction Guarantee.... call John with any questions at 716-772-2548 or email at john@allprohomeinspection.com.

All Pro Home Inspection is dedicated to providing you "peace of mind" by educating you to understand the condition of your home. All Pro Home Inspection offers Niagara County home inspection services to not only Niagara County, but to all of Western New York's communities. We understand the stress that is involved in the Buying, Selling, and the Moving process...That is why when your All Pro Home Inspection is complete, you will have...

• A 200% Satisfaction Guarantee
• Customized Computerized Home Inspection Report for YOUR Home that is
• Printed Onsite which includes
• a General Summary of Repairs By Components and
• a Color Photo Journal of the Home
• PLUS a Copy is Emailed to You and Your Agent Immediately from the Inspection

And much more...

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection talks about some appraisers walking down a slippery slope.

Recently, I have noticed some appraisers in Western New York that refuse to make a decision or are not competent enough to make an educated decision. For example - not knowing if a basement stairway is stable, not understanding a moisture penetration issue in a basement of a 148 year old home, and the most alarming issue recently is the lack of the necessary tools to complete the appraisal process. These examples are just a few issues that I have had to deal with over the past few months to assist my clients in keeping deals moving forward.

Let's take a quick look at each issue -

The inability of this appraiser to determine the condition of the basement stairway resulted in a delay of closing and the waste of others time and money. He actually made the proper call in his original appraisal of the home, but in my opinion "blew it" when writing about the issue. It was reported during the home inspection of this home that the step treads were loose at the basement stairway and needed to be secured. It was actually a repair recommendation in the home inspection report, but the buyer decided this was not an issue that needed to be included in the home inspection contingency release. At the time of the inspection we talked about securing the step treads with multi-purpose screws and the buyer was very happy and willing to take care of this issue after closing. The appraisal process flagged this as a required repair condition and eventually the seller completed the repairs using multi-purpose screws and even added additional blocks under each step for additional support which was not needed, but just wanted to get to the closing table and move on.

On the re-inspection of this repair by the original appraiser the following statement was made "I am not qualified to make a determination of the repair, but there are still gaps present at the edge of the steps and it's my opinion that this is still a safety issue." And, yes he collected $75.00 for his re-inspection.

Let look at this again - he was not qualified to make a determination of the repairs, but felt compelled to state that in his opinion it was still a safety issue. Come on - it's either secured or its not and it certainly doesn't require an engineer to determine this, but here's my invoice for doing and saying nothing.

I received a call from my client - the buyer, the buyer's agent and even the listing agent who happens to refer my company and all enlightened we that the appraiser was having a difficult time (yes, I cleaned that last statement up for your reading - lol) and asked if I could review the repair and provide a letter for the bank if the repair was corrected properly. I scheduled a time to meet both agents at the home the next day and was able to provide a letter stating that the repairs completed have satisfied the repair issue and did so in all of 10 minutes of writing a letter with no fee to my client. The home closed the following day.

This was Part 1 of 3 regarding appraisers operating and walking down that slippery slope. Is it that they don't wish to assume liabilty, are not qualified to do "inspections", or are just looking to get that extra money for return visits to the home? I believe at the end of all 3 segments you'll agree with my slippery slope assessment. In Part 2, I'll cover an appraiser's inability of not understanding a moisture penetration issue in a basement of a 148 year old home.

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection, has been providing both residential and commercial property inspection services. Remember, All Pro Home Inspection is WNY's Home of the Original 200% Home Inspection Satisfaction Guarantee.... call John with any questions at 716-772-2548 or email at john@allprohomeinspection.com.

All Pro Home Inspection is dedicated to providing you "peace of mind" by educating you to understand the condition of your home. All Pro Home Inspection offers Niagara County home inspection services to not only Niagara County, but to all of Western New York's communities. We understand the stress that is involved in the Buying, Selling, and the Moving process...That is why when your All Pro Home Inspection is complete, you will have...

• A 200% Satisfaction Guarantee
• Customized Computerized Home Inspection Report for YOUR Home that is
• Printed On-site which includes
• a General Summary of Repairs By Components and
• a Color Photo Journal of the Home
• PLUS a Copy is Emailed to You and Your Agent Immediately from the Inspection

And much more...

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection talks about home maintenance - even in during the winter.

Winter is hard on homes and there's a long list of things that could go wrong such as frozen pipes, water intrusion, ice damming and other winter problems. All of these can be expensive to fix and difficult to fix under winter conditions. But with a little preventative maintenance, you can help save yourself some grief, and your wallet. You haven't done any maintenance and it's now the middle of winter - it's OK, there's still time and you may just prevent a problem from occurring in doing your home maintenance now. Here's a small list of ideas that should help as a guide:

• Roof - Climb on a sturdy ladder (only if you are capable, if not have this done by someone else) and visually review your roof covering for missing or damaged shingles. Any loose shingles can be nailed and resealed using some silicone. Caulking or a roof cement (mastic material) can be applied at any gaps or separations that may be present around the roof penetrations. If you spot trouble - have a professional come out to review and repair as needed.
• Chimney - A rain cap with a screen will help prevent birds and other small pests from entering the liner and obstruct the ventilation of the chimney. Remember, an obstructed chimney is a hazard. Review the bricks, mortar, and the crown. If there are deteriorated areas re-pointing or sealing these areas is needed. The chimney liner should be inspected and cleaned, especially if you are using the chimney for a fireplace or a woodstove. Creosote can lead to a chimney fire, if not cleaned regularly. Ensure the chimney sweep contractor is certified by Chimney Safety Institute of America.
• Gutters - Clean gutters are needed. Clogged gutter can cause water intrusion at any time of the year, but if the gutter are full of debris and water and the temps get below 32 degrees - ice! Ice is heavy and will block water from properly draining. It's hard to maintain the gutters of they are already frozen - you might have to wait until the temps get above freezing and the sun is out.
• Siding - Look for gaps and separations and seal these areas. If you have loose or missing siding - it needs to be repaired.
• Windows & Doors - Repair/replace any damaged or missing weather stripping. This will help prevent heat loss and will save energy (money). Seal any gaps that might be around the exterior of the windows and doors at the siding/trim areas.
• Exterior Water Valves - Unless they are frost-proof, drain and turn off the taps. Also, if you have frost-proof taps - make sure there is not a garden hose connected to it. There's a great chance of a frost-proof tap freezing with hoses connected.

Now take a walk around the house. Make sure the air vents are not blocked by leaves or snow. Clear any leaves or debris from the side of the house and basement window wells. This will eliminate an environment for pests/rodents. Once it's clear, check the foundation for cracks and leaks. If you have any concerns have a professional review it.

Buffalo, NY Home Inspector John Villella, owner of All Pro Home Inspection, has been providing both residential and commercial property inspection services. Remember, All Pro Home Inspection is WNY's Home of the Original 200% Home Inspection Satisfaction Guarantee.... call John with any questions at 716-772-2548 or email at john@allprohomeinspection.com.

All Pro Home Inspection is dedicated to providing you "peace of mind" by educating you to understand the condition of your home. All Pro Home Inspection offers Niagara County home inspection services to not only Niagara County, but to all of Western New York's communities. We understand the stress that is involved in the Buying, Selling, and the Moving process...That is why when your All Pro Home Inspection is complete, you will have...

• A 200% Satisfaction Guarantee
• Customized Computerized Home Inspection Report for YOUR Home that is
• Printed Onsite which includes
• a General Summary of Repairs By Components and
• a Color Photo Journal of the Home
• PLUS a Copy is Emailed to You and Your Agent Immediately from the Inspection

And much more...