STOP giving your money away to the insurance companies. Do you want some extra cash? Are you running short of $$. Have a Win Mitigation Inspection done on your home. Call HOMEINSPECTORUSA we can save you some $$. 30 minutes of your time can save you hundreds if not thousands of $$ on your home owners insurance premium and you can take that to the bank!

WIND MITIGATION INSPECTIONS

The three main factors for wind mitigation discounts include:

The number of wind resistive construction features present on your condo or home - The more wind resistive features you have, the higher the total discount will be for your property. The discounts can be as high as 30% or more of the wind portion of the insurance premium.

During a wind mitigation inspection, a certified inspector report on the key features that decrease the amount of damage your home may receive during a hurricane or strong windstorm.

· concrete block construction

· gable end bracing, a hip roof

Want to lower your Home Owners Insurance Premium? Get a Wind/Mitigation Inspection. Only for $85.00/inspection /report. It will lower your premium rates 20% to 40% if your roof has all the attributes. Call me? Why waste your money when you need it the most? We normally charge $100.00 to $150.00 for the inspection & report.

STOP giving your money away to the insurance companies. Do you want some extra cash? Are you running short of $$. Have a Win Mitigation Inspection done on your home. Call HOMEINSPECTORUSA we can save you some $$. 30 minutes of your time can save you hundreds if not thousands of $$ on your home owners insurance premium and you can take that to the bank!

WIND MITIGATION INSPECTIONS

The three main factors for wind mitigation discounts include:

The number of wind resistive construction features present on your condo or home - The more wind resistive features you have, the higher the total discount will be for your property. The discounts can be as high as 30% or more of the wind portion of the insurance premium.

Do you need a Certified Master Inspector to take care of your Home Inspection needs? Here you have it. We are the ONLY CMI in our area. HOME INSPECTOR USA John M. Acaron, BSME, CMI has erned this high prestige in the Home Inspection Industry. Please vist his company website for more detail information relative to his credential and services to his clients. We at HOME INSPECTOR USA perform an inspection one time, the right way and provide to our clients a comprehensive inspection report depicting all issues found as well as recomendation in how to address the issue. We at HOME INSPECTOR USA write our own reports, we do not use a computer canned report writer check list with cartoons and check marks. For more information visit: HOME INSPECTOR USA. See below press release.

Ants are among the most prevalent pests in households, restaurants, hospitals, offices, warehouses, and virtually all buildings where food and water can be found. While mostly harmless to humans, ants (especially carpenter ants) can cause considerable building damage.

Inspectors can expand their knowledge base by being able to identify some of the telltale signs of ant infestation.

Distinguishing Ants from Termites

Winged ants are often mistaken for winged termites, which also leave their nests to mate. These insects can be distinguished from one another by three main characteristics:

• The ant’s body is constricted, giving it the appearance of having a thin waist, while the termite’s body is not constricted.
• The ant’s hind wings are smaller than its front wings, while the termite’s front and hind wings are about the same size. Wings might not always be present, however, as both species eventually them.
• Winged female and worker ants have elbowed antennae, while the termite’s antennae are not elbowed.

Termites and ants both construct nests in moist wood, but ant nests are typically smoother and lack mud structures commonly found in termite nests. Also, termites actually subsist on wood, so the structural damage they leave it their wake is generally more severe than that caused by ants, which merely tunnel through wood.

Nests

Carpenter ants nest in both moist and dry wood, but they prefer moist wood. Accordingly, nests are more likely to be found in wood dampened by water leaks, such as wood around bathtubs and sinks, poorly sealed windows and door frames, roof leaks and poorly flashed chimneys. Nests are especially common in moist, hollow spaces, such as the wall void behind a dishwasher and in a hollow deck column. As there will often be no external signs of damage, probing the wood with a screwdriver helps reveal the excavated "galleries." Another technique for locating hidden nests is to tap along baseboards and other wood surfaces with the blunt end of a screwdriver while listening for the hollow sound of tunneled wood. If a nest is nearby, carpenter ants often will respond by making a rustling sound within the nest.

Inspection

The following clues are evidence that a building is host to an ant infestation:

• long trails of ants, perhaps numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Ants assemble in long trails along structural elements, such as wires and pipes, and frequently use them to enter and travel within a structure to their destination. Follow the trail to locate their nest or their entry point, such as an electrical outlet, or gap along a baseboard or around a water pipe;
• a few straggler ants. These are scouts in search of food and nesting sites. They, too, may be followed back to the nest to betray their family;
• holes or cracks in walls or foundations, especially where pipes enter the building, and around windows and doors. These can provide entry points for ants and other insects. Kitchens are other food storage and preparation areas are particular problem areas;
• frass deposits. Frass is the fine sawdust produced after galleries are carved out of the wood. If you suspect that a piece of woodwork hosts a gallery, you can tap on it with a screwdriver tip and see if any dust falls away;
• a distinctive rustling sound similar to the crinkling of cellophane. Ants are small, but nests are large enough to produce perceptible noise; and
• outside, inspect for nests in mulch and vegetation next to the foundation. Check under potted plants, patio blocks, stepping stones, in piles of rocks, lumber and firewood.

• Store food items that attract ants, such as sugar, syrup, honey, and pet food in closed containers. Wash them to remove residues from outer surfaces.
• Rinse out empty soft drink containers or remove them from the building.
• Thoroughly clean up grease and spills.
• Remove garbage from buildings daily and change liners frequently.
• Correct roof and plumbing leaks and other moisture problems that will attract ants.
• Eliminate wood-to-ground contact, such as where landscaping has pushed soil or mulch up against the wood siding of a home.
• Clip back tree limbs and vegetation touching the roof or siding of the house. Limbs and branches serve as bridges between tree limb nests and the structure.
• Seal cracks and openings in the foundation, especially where utility pipes and wires enter from the outside.
• Stack firewood away from the foundation, and elevate it off the ground. Never store firewood in the garage or other areas of the home, as firewood is a major ant nesting area.