Rory Warren

Here I am in Dallas. Every year I come here in February to spend a week with over 100 of the most successful home inspection companies in the USA. It's a great opportunity for me to share ideas with the best of the best. To be included in this group is a honor that I take very seriously. Most of my associates in the home inspection industry think this is a silly waste of time and money. I love my competition.

I'm learning how to better use all of the social media out there. Someday I'll master it and unleash it's power. Someday soon.

I have some great new ideas for you, my clients. A new service that will make a home inspection a value to everyone involved; buyer, seller, listing agent and buyer's agent. With this new service everyone wins. And the best part of it all.... it's free. How about that. Everyone gains and no one pays.

If you want to hear more about what I've learned here give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to stop by your office and show you what is new and innovative in our industry. Until then, enjoy the snow!

I last talked about hiring the correct pros to get your deal done. Often in a FSBO purchase I am the only paid professional involved. I frequently see the result of buyers trying to do what they can't do. They usually regret it in the end. Now, I'll go into some more detail.

Buying a home is a complicated process and no one should try it alone. What does the average person know about negotiating a purchase (offers, counter offers etc.)? And what is the real value of the home? Do you expect a layperson to know? That might require an appraier to determine.

Where do you find a knowledgeable mortgage person? Your cousin's neighbor's step sister is probably not the best choice. Should you shop and compare? What is a good interest rate?

Here's the big one (of course I'm biased); inspections. Do you have an inspection clause in your offer? Do you even need an inspection? How do you translate an inspection report? What should be negotiated and what is accepted as normal wear and tear? What about radon? lead? asbestos? mold?

Let's not forget the legal questions a buyer encounters. Is the bank's attorney working for you? Do you need to hire someone else? Do you understand the fine print on that contract? What's this about title insurance? Why buy a second policy if the bank made me buy one already.

As a real estate professional you know the answers to these questions, but a buyer may not. And they shouldn't have to. All they need is a team of professionals working for them; their "advocates". The starting point for assembling a team? An agent. They have access to all of the assorted pros needed. They know where to find the answers if they don't know them. They do this every day.

When people ask me for advice about buying real estate I always give them the same answer. Go find a good agent. Then work with that agent to assemble your team of advocates. Don't try to do it alone. You will most likely fail.

Remember, you don't know what you don't know. Set yourself up to succeed. It just makes sense.

I keep threatening to do it. Now I think it's time to do something. How about an extra $100-$150 fee for inspecting a FSBO. It seems fair to me. Someone should pay me for the aggravation.

We tend to forget the work that a Realtor does until they are missing from the equation. Simple things maybe, but important. Like unlocking a door to get me in. This week I had to wait for 45 minutes to get in because the seller was busy and didn't show up. And how about the other little things that were missing from this encounter; who's going to arrange the smoke detector inspection (a requirement in Massachusetts)? Not me. Who's going to help the buyer find a mortgage, an appraiser, an attorney? That's what the agents do, at least in my world. Sure I can recommend some to help them. I have access to a great team of Real Estate Resources; but the one referral this buyer needs is a good Realtor.

Now how about the big things the agents do? Who will assist the buyer in their negotiations once the inspection report is delivered? They'll ask me for help but it's not my job. I can't advise them even if I want to. Sounds like a job for a Realtor. What do the buyers do if the radon levels are high? Their Realtor (if they had one) would know.

I'm sure you get my point. Everyone involved in a real estate transaction is important and needed. When you try to cut the corners to save a few dollars it usually backfires and it may end up costing you more in the long run, a lot more.

Bottom line? Hire a pro. In fact hire as many pros as is needed to get the job done correctly. It's the smart way to do it.

I shut off the water at the meter. I left the heat on in the kitchen. I insulated the pipes. Why did they freeze? Good question and here's why.... it's cold!

What some folks seem to forget is that insulation does not create heat. It will help to contain heat or slow it's transfer, but it can't make it any warmer. In the winter an unheated basement is cold. In this environment without heat, water will always freeze. It's just a matter of time.

I inspected a home the other day that had electric heat. The current owners were out of town so they decided to save a few bucks and turn the heat off except in the kitchen. They assumed that the water pipes were only present in the kitchen and the bath directly above it, so why heat the rest of the home? That didn't work out so well for them. When I arrived it was cold in the home and really cold in the basement (36 degrees). The electric heat in the kitchen was on low while the heat in every other room was off. There were no doors between the kitchen and the rest of the first floor, so the temperature was consistent throughout the home, consistently cold. The single electric baseboard unit in the kitchen was trying to heat the entire home; not a very efficient way to keep the place warm. I believe the owners could have saved some money by setting the heat in the entire house on low. Unfortunately, the pipes in the basement still froze. There was no source of heat down there.

If you must shut down your heat, you should have the home winterized. Even if it's short term. This can be done by any licensed and qualified plumbing contractor. There is a cost involved, but it's minimal compared to the cost of repairing frozen pipes.

Lessons learned the hard way are very rarely forgotten but boy, can they be expensive. I hope this helps someone avoid a costly mistake.

If you have any questions please feel free to call me.

Talk to you soon.