Dennis Kanakis- Brooklyn,Queens,Home Inspection

Investment Property: Mold Inspection

Introduction

An inspection to detect hazardous toxins within and/or around a dwelling is as easy as calling on a qualified home inspector to bring his or her experience to your environment, and evaluate the presence of toxins in and around your property. Home inspectors are trained to spot a structure's weaknesses, and allow property owners an opportunity to protect themselves, and their investment(s) from the advancement of progressive damage. Common substances like water, fire, soil, mold, gas, and other toxins and naturally occurring acts of nature and man can encroach upon building materials and weaken the environmental quality of the structure(s). When it comes to the detection of moldin the home or office, investment properties should be evaluated annually to prevent an unseen liability from growing out of control.

What to expect from Mold

Mold spores have a job to do. Decompose organic matter and reproduce. As mold is produced, they release new spores that become attached to any moist areas they may come in contact with. It is these moist areas that mold flourishes, in nature, and in our buildings and homes. What can be expected of mold is that is will grow. The bigger the mold infestation becomes, the bigger the effect of mold on the air quality and character of an occupied space. Mold has been known to disable some persons and has actually caused death in some cases. The fact that your tenants could be affected by mold should give every property owner a reason to get mold inspection from a qualifiedhome and structure inspector.

Agent Air

Mold can enter a building through any opening. It is because of an ability to infiltrate easily that even new buildings can become victim to this problem. As a property owner, you should be on the lookout for signs of mold where visible, and realize that any added moisture in the building can create an environment that is suitable for the growth of mold spores. Mold inspectionsare easy to have done by trained home inspectors, but you can also keep an eye out for certain signs you may have a mold problem in your building.

Rental Mistakes

Many rental properties go un-inspected due to landlords not making it a point to stay on top of environmental threats "on-site". What every good landlord should do is make an annual visit to the property an inspection of the property, and to recognize issues that need to be corrected. One such land owner, who has made it his routine to visit each space he rents during the fall, and make a routine inspection of anything he needs to fix. During one of these trips in 2007, he discovered that one of the apartments had not reported a leak under the sink, and the water had cause a lot of water damage to the wall structure down through the 1 floor apartment, all the way to the foundation. After realizing what had happened, a few calls had to be made to fix the problem.

Fixing it Fast is Key

A plumber came out the next day and fixed the leaky pipe. On the same day the pipe was getting fixed, he had a home inspector come so that the inspector could tell him what was going on inside the wall which had been receiving a daily dose of tap water for what must have been much of the year. The inspector did more than tell him about the possibility of water damage, but the inspector was able to discover that much of the outside wall had become home to a type of microbial mold that was harmful to his tenants. The possibility was, that the property would have become uninhabitable without a quick find of the problem, and easy mold remediation which could happen much faster, now that the problem had been discover. How this example ends, is that the property owner was able to correct his property's problem quickly, and for far less than had he not had a home inspector analyze his property after it was found out that water had infiltrated wall for an unknown period of time. Getting the mold outwas easy once it was discovered, and the land owner was able to generate some extra income by raising the rent a little once the original tenants had left (the ones who let the leak go unreported). The landlord had a refreshed kitchen, a new set of tenants, and a better rental space because of the air quality that was now available to the tenants. This is how to correct investment property problems the right way.

Conclusions

So how do you know your rental property is safe from mold infiltration? Well you don't if you haven't had your property inspected since you bought it. For smart investment property owners who are good landlords too, an annual inspection of any property should be something that is on the list. Like our landlord above, his choice of a fall schedule for inspection is good time of year because the humidity has lowered, and doing the inspection and repair work (if needed) is easier to accomplish. It's the perfect time of year to call on a home inspector to come and analyze your rental structures. Get an assessment on the issues that affect your tenants, and you can be sure to have better, longer lasting tenants now and in the future because your time on the quality of living is an investment in future returns of the rental property. When you are able to keep up with the maintenance and protection of your tenant's homes, they will return the good deeds with on-time rental payments, and accurate reporting of problems. Your rental property can be affected by nature, and it's your job to be sure you catch it early, and fix the problem fast.

Mold eradication can now be completed quickly and easily once a mold inspection has determined that you need to remove harmful microbial mold from a structure. Get yearly building inspections that include a mold and mildew inspection of living spaces in, and around rental properties that can be fixed quickly and easily once the problem has been discovered. Getting the right information from an experienced home inspector is easy once you make the call for a yearly mold inspection on rental properties you are responsible for.

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In order to feel comfortable hiring a home inspector in Brooklyn, it is important to understand what to expect from an inspector and what your rights are as a client. Many home inspectors, both legitimate and illegitimate, will prey upon clients who do not know what a proper inspection would consist of. By doing cheap and careless inspections, it is possible to carry out a great many "inspections" and turn a larger profit. You can guard yourself, your family and your investment by being acquainted with the home inspection process before the actual inspection is carried out.

A home inspection is not a walk-through and a verbal assurance that all is sound in the structure with, perhaps, a few comments about loose base boards or creaky hinges. A home inspection should include, but is not limited to, the heating system, the plumbing work, the electrical system, the hot water tank, the structural integrity, the roof, the doors and windows, the exterior landscape and the drainage systems. Moreover, a home inspector is not an engineer. He or she is there to make visual observations and record them for the inspection report.

The post-inspection report is the article you are buying when you hire a home inspector in Brooklyn. The report should be provided to you, the client, within five business days of the inspection. It should consist, essentially, of a list of observations about the home and its amenities as they rate to present and future living conditions in the residence. More specifically, the report should outline which systems and components of the residence were observed and what the condition of those systems and components appeared to be in at the time of the inspection. It should be noted, that a home inspection will not include ancillary services, such as air testing for mold spores or assessing radon gas concentrations.

Before you have a home inspection conducted, it would be prudent to clearly define and outline with the inspector what exactly will be included in the inspection so there are no surprises when the report is produced. Most professional home inspectors will protect themselves by going over with the client what their service will include. However, as we have seen, some individuals and firms will prey on clients who have little knowledge of the process and what to expect from a home inspection in Brooklyn.

The post-inspection report is confidential. The client must pre-approve of any disclosure of the report to any other party, interested or otherwise. If the home inspector you hire does not seem concerned about these sorts of details, he likely isn't all that ethical and you should probably look for a more professional inspector to hire.

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2008 All Rights Reserved

With roles of contractor, real estate agent, residential owner and real estate entrepreneur so often blurred in today's world of home businesses and owner operated real estate firms, when you are about to have a home inspection in Nassau County Long Island, you should be cautious about the disinterestedness of the person or firm you are about to hire. Often, inspectors and real estate professionals are familiar with one another and home owners and home buyers must protect themselves from being swindled.

It is malpractice for a home inspector to have any relation or partnership with the owners of the residence to be inspected. Moreover, the inspector should have no financial interest in the outcome of the inspection. This may seem like common sense, but many home buyers have been burned by a home inspector who was more interested in providing all parties with a clean inspection report simply to ensure the real estate transaction will indeed be completed.

Other than a financial interest in the property itself, a home inspection in Nassau County Long Island should not be carried out with a payment pending upon completion of any real estate transaction. The conflict of interest is clear: if the inspector believes he will not be paid if certain details of the residence are disclosed, then he is less likely to provide a completely impartial post-inspection report. If you are serious about buying or selling a house, it is worth the investment to pay to have an inspection carried out regardless of the transaction's completion. An impartial inspection is valuable in and of itself, as it will reveal any problems that need to be rectified before a fair sale can be made.

Most often, an unprofessional home inspector will offer to provide a commission to the seller of the house or real estate agents, for referring clients to their inspection business. This is a way for them to drum up business at the source. Real estate agents and home sellers will see a great deal of would be buyers. They are in an excellent position to directly market home inspection services to potential clients. When you plan to have a home inspection in Nassau County Long Island, this type of scam is the most difficult to avoid. Some real estate agents will recommend a home inspector simply because the agent finds the inspector to be reliable and there is no underhandedness involved. However, it might best serve your interests to interview several home inspectors before making a decision. Also, if you know anyone in the building industry, ask their opinion of the candidates you are considering and get their recommendation. It's best to disregard recommendations from industry people you do not know personally.

Olympian Civil Home and Building Inspections (866) 476-2056

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Copyright © 2008 Olympian Civil Home and Building Inspectors,

2008 All Rights Reserved