Rob Ernst- Reno, NV 775-342-4767 Home Inspector & Energy Auditor

I regularly make trips down to Las Vegas and over the years one of my favorite things to go see is the fountains at the Bellagio. I've watched them from the room, the strip and the driveway. This time I watched them from a new location.

Olives Restaurant which over looks the famous Bellagio fountains from the side is my new favorite fountain watching spot. They have a small patio so space is limited but if your able to get out there you can have a wonderful meal with a great show. We were close enough to feel mist from the fountains. Remember to bring sun glasses during the early part of the day because the sun is right in your eyes and you don't want to miss any of the show. We were able to sit right on the rail and see two shows during our lunch. If your looking for a special place to eat this is one of those places that won't let you down.

As a home inspector I'm mostly hired to tell people what is wrong with the property they are buying. They take this to the seller and negotiations often take place. Wouldn't it be great to eliminate the extra time and effort of the back and forth of negotiations. There is also the possibility of the buyer walking away from the deal. This wastes time and money.

What is the solution? Knowing the problems before the buyer does. This is sometime called a pre-listing or sellers inspection. There is allot of resistance to this type of inspection in the Reno area. I know other places it's more common and gladly accepted. The few hundred paid for the inspection is well worth the money spent in saved time and possibly saved holding costs. Knowing the problems before the buyer allows repairs to be made prior to listing and/or pricing the house at a more sell-able price. Agents that I have done these inspections for state they have faster sales, less hassle and less liability.

The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors or NACHI is the largest home inspector association in the world has been a big advocate of sellers inspection. They offer a program for home inspectors like myself to perform Move In Certified inspections. This is a sellers inspection combined with the Sellers Real Property Disclosure (which is now required anyways in Nevada), a great Move In Certified sign for the agents to use that draws lots of attention to the property, and an home inspection report that is available online to the buyers and their agents.

In a recent article http://www.mainstreet.com/print/24753 the founder of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors talks about 8 Unexpected Factors That Can Threaten Your Home Sale. It's a good read for any agents that sells homes.

Hopefully the title got you thinking. What I'm referring to is a Home Inspection. I'm often hired to give out the bad news. No one ever wants to hear the good in a home from the Home Inspector, right? Let's face it the inspector is there to find defects and report on them to the client.

A Home Inspection here is Reno is around $300 for an averae home but the defects can add up to thousands. Many are minor and a few found might need quick repair. On a recent inspection I found a defect that no one was expecting and it was an expensive one at that.

This house had a hip roof. A hip roof is like a pyramid and has four sides. On this house the front of the roof was visible from the ground and the rear roof was visible if you went towards the rear of the yard. Due to the proximity of the houses on either side you couldn't see the roof all that well. Up on the ladder I went. When I got up there I started to see some minor issues. The roof looked about 10 years old. As I started to walk further up the roof I started to see more and more. At the conclusion of the inspection I discovered the rear part of the roof was put on about 5 years before the front and the sides looked like they hadn't been touched for 40 years or more. The front and rear parts hadn't even been installed properly. Calling this a patch job is an understatement.

The look on the buyer and his agents face when I told them the news was one I don't like to see. All other defects seemed to became unimportant after that point. I share what I see and that's what your paying me to do. The fact is you asked for the bad news and even paid to get it. In this case it was allot better than skipping the inspection and finding out the roof was bad after the first big rain.

I was unlucky enough to be witness one of those people that give others a bad name. I had to vent and share my experience. I'm posting this down south and not sharing names to protect the innocent and to keep the possibly guilty from being lynched.

On this day a unnamed broker was dealing with a real estate transaction at the property. The broker was not happy upon arrival. They were expressing frustration with the prior owner about some things the broker assumed would happen. There was no contract pertaining to these issue. The broker went on to tell the people this that and the other had to happen. The prior owner stated some verbage that was in the contract in his defense. The broker said your right but..... This was strike one, The broker was lying and knew it. The broker didin't want to deal with anything more than needed and tried to force this person into doing something he wasn't required to do.

A little time passed and the brokers spouse showed up at the property. Then the brokers spouse started in on the prior owner. A statement to the effect of "Let me tell you how this is going to go" came out of the spouses mouth. The bullying of this guy had started. When he didn't cave to the pressure and the spouse was asked to step out, the spouses voice became raised and agitated. The prior owner stated he didn't appreciate being yelled at and was asked to remove them self from the situation since the broker was the one they were dealing with. Strike two, The broker called in the muscle to bully this guy.

The spouse and the broker were teaming up on this guy. When the spouse didn't move an inch the prior owner asked if the spouse was a real estate agent. The spouse said something to the effect of " Yea we're married, we're partners. It XYZ Realty and that's us". The prior owner asked if the spouse was a licensed real estate agent. The spouse stuttered a bit and said "well no". The broker then shuffled the spouse out the nearest door. Strike three, your involving a non licensed person to get involved with a real estate transaction.

What's going on here. I understand people make mistakes. Most of the time it's something minor and unintentional. Being a Broker which usually means your well aware of the right way and wrong way to do things. The ethics set by the Real Estate Division alone should prevent behavior like this. I hope I won't be a witness to any more bad apples.

When the cold moves in we all know it's winter. Here in the Reno area we have seen the thermometer drop below 32 degrees and makes the term "it's freezing outside' a true statement.

Is your house ready for winter? When was the last time you had it checked out? As a home inspector I'm experienced in evaluating condition and finding defects. A home inspector like myself can come out anytime and inspect your house. A regular part of home maintenance should involve a home inspection. Now is a better time than ever. Winter here in Reno is hard on our homes. With the cold, wind and snow coming why wait for issue to arise. A home inspection can help you with preventative maintenance.

During an inspection Some of the things I look at are systems that can be taxed by winter weather like roofs, plumbing, insulation, and the heating system. Roof damage can be hard to fix in the middle of winter. Gutters and downspouts only keep water away when they are working properly. Pipes exposed to cold can freeze and damaged plumbing can fail at the worst time. An unserviced heating system can leave you in the cold. Damaged ducts, window, and weather stripping can waste you money. What about insulation? Believe it of not insulation in crawl spaces can fall and blown in insulation can be moved around the attic by high winds.

The home ages and usually doesn't get better with age. As any inspector how often he has found a problem with a house that the people living in it had no idea about. Know your homes condition. Get a Home Inspection.