Frank Schulte-Ladbeck

My daughter is concerned. She has worked hard updating her doll house, but she thinks that the cost may be too much for her. She is interviewing Realtors now to see what sign will be sitting in front of her precious home. Since her vocabulary is limited, she forcefully says down when asking them to sit. Her first question could be philosophical (where are you?), but it has more to do with her desire to play hide and seek. This has not deterred her though from wanting that perfect branded sign in front of her home.

Marketing is a fascinating way to lie. We study human reactions to certain events, and then we look at how we can manipulate their reactions to suit the outcome we wish. You see a label made with real juice, so you think that must be better (healthier) than the product that does not have such a claim. If you read the ingredients list, you discover that the juice only contains 10% real fruit juice. You are then on the hunt for that juice that has a higher percentage of real fruit as an ingredient.

We have become good at discerning such statements, so now marketers are looking to create brand loyalty (hence the importance of the sign in front of my daughter's doll house). It turns out that building a brand among children is an effective way to obtain a customer for life. Whether we realize it or not, we have been monetized by firms. They look at our value to the company over the course of a lifetime. For example, you are worth about $4500 to a movie theater chain, because that is the average amount of money that a person will spend at a concession stand over their life time. To build brand loyalty, marketers are targeting cheerleaders. High School Cheerleaders are at the top of a popularity chain, which will dictate what is “in” and “out”. If the cheerleader becomes loyal to one brand, she will bring many others to that product.

However, we cannot always wait for the loyalty to be built into a child's consciousness, so we revert to playing on fears. During the course of this week, three people have told me that a certain product will increase the value of my home (if I am selling it). Today my wife and I were buying some custom shutters for a room in our home. We were looking for quality, so we were willing to pay more. As we are leaving after having made our purchase, the salesman states that these shutters will cause our home to sell for a greater price. I started grinning. Later my wife asked why. Do you think that one set of shutters will cause a home's price to go up? It is a selling point. This hits upon a question that I posed in my last post. I was wondering if a tankless water heater really would add value. Maybe I am attuned to this sales tactic, since I know that such items do not cause a home to sell for more.

With home sales going down for the past two months, sellers are becoming worried. They could be repairing their home, just as some clients that I am assisting. To pray on this concern, sales people are attempting to strike a nerve to help convince them that spending more is good for them.

To that end, could I recommend a home inspection? It is a great way to increase the value of your home in these dire times. Well, it will help you sell the home more easily if you have issues from an inspection report addressed, but I am sorry, it will not raise your asking price.

I have a confession to make. I have been coveting a tankless water heater from Bosch. Yes, coveting is frowned upon, but it is a beautiful thing. In fact, this style of water heater is becoming more popular with many homeowners as a way to save on energy costs. Looking at my gas bill with its rising prices, this may be a quick way to save on an expense.

This past weekend I had the chance to speak to a plumber who specializes in installing these units. He felt that they could add real value to the price of a home, particularly in today's market. He did have some reservations about how people have installed tankless water heaters, and he shared them with me. Since I have not inspected a home with such a unit yet, I was appreciative. It was interesting to hear the three main problems that he has been encountering.

1. Sizing the unit for the home. Many homes have smaller units that may be sufficient for the owners, but they cannot handle all of the heating needs for the home's water. To test this, run the dishwasher while checking the heating at the different fixtures for hot water. You should let them run for awhile.

2. A gas pipe for a tank heater will not be big enough for a tankless unit. Tankless may use less gas overall, but they need more gas for a limited time; this means the pipe should be larger then 3/4”. The line size is determined by the manufacturer.

3. The vent for the exhaust gases should be a type 3. Apparently there have been many other vents used.

I saw an article in a national magazine that suggested you should install a small tank water heater to make up for the fact that these tankless units are not sized properly. I thought that this would just waste some of the energy that you are saving.

As we move forward with converting our homes to be a more efficient system, these products will become more common. I am not sure if it will help increase a home's value (I would like to hear what a Realtor thinks on that subject). I admitted my preference, but I had a look at the units being offered by Noritz, and they appeared to be well made. I know of a few other manufacturers, but I think that Bosch an Noritz are making the best versions at this time.

For any inspectors reading this post, have you seen such units in your inspections yet? Are there other concerns that we should know? I think this will be more commonly seen in the coming years.

For consumers, find a reputable firm in your area to install these units, because you cannot just hook it up to the existing equipment in place of your current heater. You should remember that eventually you will not be in that home, so installing the proper unit is important for the sale.

Since I am a big fan of films, my ears perk up when listening to stories about my favorite actors. Bette Davis has been on people's minds of late, since this is the anniversary of her birth. Here was a constant worker, who could not sit still. She promoted herself endlessly. One story about her was what she did after finishing the film “What ever happened to Baby Jane?” , and I think it is apt for real estate professionals.

Ms. Davis had a few months before beginning work on her next film, so she advertised her services in a trade paper. Her she was at the top of her career, and she placed an ad in the situations wanted, describing herself as a mother, her age, her experience, and her desire for work. I thought it was amazing that she kept looking for work, no matter her circumstances. She may have been having some fun, but I liked the tenacity.

I thought that since imitation is the best tribute, here is my offering:

Home Inspector Looking to Help You

This father of two, a boy 12 and daughter 1 with one on the way, loves his wife and kids. He goes the extra mile when examining your potential home, because he knows what it means to be concerned about a family.

Please take the time to read his posts on various sites, so you can see how he wishes to be of assistance to you!

Http://www.fschulte-ladbeck.com

Http://aninspectorlog.wordpress.com

Http://houstontexasrealestate.com

Http:www.investornationblog.com

Or just browse through his articles here in the Rain! Check him out, because he is looking for ways to help you beyond the inspection. Just check to the right for his contact information.

Alright I am not the best at writing ad copy, when my daughter is sitting on my lap.

Have a great week,

Frank Schulte-Ladbeck

This is my version of a public service announcement. Over the last six months, my business has seen an increase of buyers going after foreclosures. In most cases, these homes have been winterized, so no damage can occur when vacant. From my own experience, I have noticed that when an inspector has taken care of this step, everything is handled properly, but the last couple of winterized homes that I inspected had some fun surprises.

Electrocution anyone? Knowing that I was coming to inspect the home, the power had been restored. I find several appliances and fixtures had been removed. (They were going to be replaced). However, the bare wires were left hanging down for anyone to touch. I always worry about kids looking at homes with their parents, and I can just imagine them playing with those wires. I have also seen the parents playing around with those wires, trying to determine what they are for. In this case, the power had been restored early, because my client mentioned when he had come the other day, the lights were on.

Gas attack? The home that I inspected this past weekend had the gas turned off at the main. The valves inside the house had been left in the open position. I received a call from my client that they will be turning the gas back on today. I am glad that I shut those valves off, before I left.

Here comes the flood? Three of the homes that I have inspected recently had problems with the plumbing, so that turning on the water to the home could cause damage. An outside hose bib had its supply pipe broken off inside the wall. I was told not to worry about checking the plumbing, because the water was not on, but I am nosy, so I look at everything any way. The hose bib had been put back into position, so unless you looked at it, you would not realize that the pipe was busted. A toilet had a loose tank, so it had a steady leak, damaging the new tile. A faucet for a shower needed a new seal, so when the water came on, it was spraying out into the bathroom.

Most of us in the real estate industry will know better, but I wanted you to have this reminder. Repairs should be made before a home is winterized. If the utilities are coming back on in one of your homes, you may want to stop by to see if there are any concerns. Many of these foreclosed homes are being sought after by clients who wish to save some money, so they may not want an inspection. Of course I would suggest an inspection, because it is good for my business, but I know it will not happen every time. If your buyer is foregoing an inspector's service, you may want to suggest that you take him over to the home on the day that the utilities are restored, just to be safe. On one of these homes, it was the contractor who had winterized it, and on the other two, I am not sure, so I could I recommend that you ask that repairs be made before the winterization is done.

After the inspection yesterday, I go to pick up my daughter from her aunts. My wife and son are going out to a party, so we decide to play out front. I have just planted, so I want to water them. My daughter decides that this is a great time to have a shower. She takes the hose from me to water plants herself. A mischievous grin plays on her face as she walks over to where I am sitting , and she spritzes me with water. Now neighbors are laughing as I jump from spot to spot attempting to avoid the water, while my daughter chases after me giggling. She shouts down Papa down, patting the grass to indicate that it would be easier to get me wet if I am sitting. Two thoughts occur to me: boy are we wasting water, and we are going to need a bath before we go out to dinner. Actually a third thought happens in my brain, and I try to make my way to spots in the lawn that are dry.

Lately, I have been pulling out my meter to measure how dry or moist the soil is. Since I hand water my yard, I like to only water the spots that need to be watered. Sprinkler systems can have such a sensor set up on them, which I think is a good expense. These sensors will prevent an area from being watered by the sprinklers if the ground has enough water. I find that most people set their sprinkler systems, and they forget to turn them off during the rain. A nice waste of water.

Leaks in a homes plumbing can be quite wasteful. Try this experiment. Stop your sink or tub from draining if it has a leak in the evening. When you wake up in the morning, look at how full the basin is. A week ago, during an inspection of a foreclosure, I noticed that the water pressure was very low, so I go to turn the valve open more. As I re-enter the home, I hear the sound of running water. In the hallway bathroom's tub, water is pouring out of the handle and faucet. They were in the off position. In cases of these handles for faucets, you will find o-rings or seals that need to be replaced. Generally all you need is a phillips head screw driver and a wrench.

At yesterday's inspection, I found that the tank from the commode was not seated properly on the base, so it had a steady little leak down the back of the unit. Taking these tanks off is not to difficult. The seal may have been damaged, or the tank may need to be placed on better. I have also found leaks at the water feed connection for the tank. This is an easy job for a homeowner, but people forget to seat the connection well, so it will leak.

I received the notice from my water company last week that my water rate is going up. The good news is that this is the lowest rate increase in five years. Still, water is becoming a more precious commodity around the globe, so the price will go up. There are other ways to save on water. Have you reused your pasta water for boiling vegetables? And then using that water for your plants? That is a common practice in Italy. How do you save on water?