Jim Allhiser Salem, Oregon Home Inspector

One of the major events in my life that drove me into the home inspection industry was learning of thermal imaging/infrared and the benefits of this technology for home inspections.

I was doing a home inspection the other day on a very nice, and newer home here in south Salem today. The home had very few minor issues but one thing popped out when I used the thermal camera to scan the master bedroom.

The circuit did not appear to be hot enough to cause a fire however there was no significant load on this circuit and it should not have been heating-up. As it turns out there was a loose wire in the heated outlet in the picture. The heat was produced because of the looseness/resistance of the connection.

Just another issue that can be easily resolved with the help of thermal imagining/Infrared.

Jim Allhiser President/Inspector
http://SalemOregonHomeInspections.com
503.508.4321 jallhiser@perfectioninspectioninc.com

"Always on the cutting edge"

Every inspector is different but I like to get everyone on the same page at the very start of the inspection.

I am not a building inspector. Despite the similar sound of our job titles I do not inspect for code compliance. (although most codes address safety issues that I will educate my clients on) I do not work for the county/city/local municipality. Unlike most government workers I suffer liability for my actions and recommendations. I work for my clients expressly, I only have their interests in mind and I make every effort to produce the highest quality home inspection every time.

I will find stuff on this house. Every house has things that could be improved and adjusted. New homes are just as bad and a lot of the time even worse than a home that has had the benefit of being lived in. I compare your prospective home to a perfect home, and there is no such thing.

My job is to educate you on your how your new home works. You should attend as much of the inspection as possible. You will get more information out of me if you are standing over my shoulder when I find something worth noting. We can quickly talk about what is wrong, what most likely caused it, how you can fix it and how you can prevent it in the future. That kind of comprehensive discussion can be difficult to accomplish in even the best inspection report.

Thanks for the pictures Melina.

Salem, Oregon Home inspections, pest and dry rot, mold, leaks thermal imaging

If you like what you learned here please consider Perfection Inspection Inc. for your Salem, Oregon Home inspections, pest and dry rot, mold, leaks and thermal imaging

You have gotten an offer accepted and scheduled with the best and brightest home inspector in town. Now it is time to check out his legal disclaimers.

Home inspectors as a rule do not accept liability. It sounds funny, but in truth it is a defense against what we couldn't see. That means that home inspections are a visual snap shot. We inspectors do our best to not miss anything but depending on the environment (read: boxes piled to the ceiling), the time of the year (hard to look at a roof under snow) or even a lazy or forgetful seller (they cover up stuff due to lack of proper knowledge) some things can be very hard if not impossible to see.

I frequently read about the poor couple that bought the turn-of-the-century home and had an inspection, only to find out later that the walls were full of rot and termites. The media has a neat little way of tilting the story. It is never mentioned that the finishes and accessible areas of the home showed no signs of damage in the walls under the windows. It is never brought up that the window sills had been collecting water for close to a century before being repaired and they forget that the poor home owners learned about the damage only after they actually started destroying the home's walls to do remodeling.

I explain to my clients that I am an inspector, they are paying me to spend 2 1/2 to 3 hours with them and I will do my darnedest to not miss anything significant but I will not buy them a new home even if I do turn out to be a human being. There is always the possibility for things to be going on under the surface but most of the time there will be indications of those things.

When I bought my first home, I was amazed at the home inspection. The dude spent 45 minutes in my 1950's fixer. He did a very poor job and missed some major things. In my previous post I suggested getting out their and shopping inspectors, something that I did not. I let my agent schedule the inspection for me and I came away with a very bad taste in my mouth for the home inspection industry as a whole. A little less than a year after that I heard about thermal imaging and home inspectors that were using it to help with a more in-depth education for their clients. I knew that it would not be hard if my last inspector was the guy that was my competition!

That first home inspection experience ensures that I do my best inspecting every day for every client. Even though my disclaimer says that, "...its not my fault and you agree.." I try to make it a personal goal to not miss significant issues.

Of course everything is negotiable. I had clients recently ask me to adjust my disclaimer. That is just fine but realize what you are getting for around $400. If you expect a home inspector to suffer liability the price of the inspection must change. If you increase liability you increase risk you increase price. I am thinking around $5000 might justify my liability but on second thought I want to be a home inspector not a defendant, please go find yourself another inspector...


Salem Oregon Home Inspections

A top notch, local, Salem, Oregon area agent, my friend and web guru Melina w/ Tomson Burnham LLC had a great idea for a series titled: What to Expect when you're Inspecting. Cute and clever and she said she would let me use it for a series.

I figured I would start from the beginning of the home inspection process within the real estate transaction and go through it step by step.

Get your Home Inspection scheduled

So first things first: you just received notice of an accepted offer and you have a certain amount of time to get all of the applicable inspections and make negotiations. If you are working with a good agent they will give you some names of home inspectors that they know do a good job. Check these guys/ladies out. Check their website, read their blog, and give them a call. Learn about their experiences and what makes them better than the other inspectors. Talk to them about your new home. Find out how they communicate. I wish I would have done this when I bought my first home. The guy I hired to do my home inspection gave me a lot of grumbles and, what I now call the "home inspector shrugs." A home inspection is not like a loan. With a loan, the numbers are what you need to focus on. Everyone plays with the same numbers. A home inspection is a very personal thing and for the same number (price) home inspections can range from a gobbledy gook mess of check boxes and confusion to a clear, concise description of the repair and maintenance issues within your new home and can actually be a future owner's manual. Besides the report, how is the inspector at educating you? If the inspector grunts, shrugs a lot but you saved $50....maybe that isn't the best place to save a couple bucks.

Once you have found your favorite inspector and you have confirmation on your deal you should get on the internet and book yourself an inspection. Most of the time buyers negotiate a 10 business day window, however, if you find yourself dealing with the bank you might only get 5 calendar days to get your inspections. If you are hoping for a really great inspector during the summer months and you only have 5 days.......good luck. 10 business days gives you two calendar weeks and should be enough time to get your all of your inspections done but you need to start immediately if not before your offer is accepted. I have been at least a calendar week out since April and I have had to do my share of referrals to other good, but not quite as good, home inspectors in the Salem, Oregon area.

So you need to make a choice, really good in-demand inspector or mister inspector guy that can fit me in tomorrow. It is up to you and who knows, that short notice guy might just do a good job for you.

Alright, time for me to jump on the band wagon. I am doing some trials on adding videos to my inspection reports so that may be in the future as well. Thanks for watching. This video will soon be on the welcome page of my little Salem, Oregon home inspection website: