Scoping the sewer line is not part of a standard Home Inspection

I frequently suggest to my home inspection customers that they may wish to have the sewer line scoped to check for damage or debris in the line.

Some will ask me “Isn’t the sewer part of the home inspection?” The answer is yes and no.

During a home inspection I flush toilets, run faucets, tubs and showers. I estimate I run about 50 gallons of water during a normal home inspection. Water will flow through most any obstacle course, solids and debris do not.

I do not, lets say, “field test” the toilets. I simply can not bring enough bananas with me to flush to see how the drain lines handle debris. If I did, and the line clogged, you know I would be blamed.

Home Inspections are visual, sewer lines are not

Home inspectors conduct visual inspections of what can bee seen. Items concealed in walls or underground are not included. I do recommend you locate the main sewer line and see if you can determine where it runs. Look for plants (Like big mesquite trees) that have roots that search for any sign of moisture.

If you have any trees or plants by the sewer line, I recommend you have a plumbing company come out and run a video scope down the drain and inspect the condition.

If you are in an older part of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler or Gilbert, it is now possible to replace the old clay lines without digging them up.

Remember if you do need a home inspection, please give us a call.

AZ Home Inspector must be Bonded OR Insured

Yes, you read that right, The state of Arizona requires home inspectors to have a minimum of a $25,000 bond or be insured for $100,000.

What does that mean to you?

A bond pays if you sue the AZ home inspector and win. If it goes to trial, court costs will likely be higher than the $25,000 bond.

Insurance may settle before a case ever goes to trial and if the inspector chooses to be insured, the minimum policy the state will accept is $100,000.

Then there is the type of insurance is it E & O insurance, GL, workman’s comp? These are some of the questions you should ask before hiring or referring a home inspector.

As AZ Home Inspectors, our Insurance covers the buyer and the referring agent.

We have been inspecting homes for over 10 years and have been involved in construction for even longer. We wouldn’t think of driving without insurance let alone operating a business without insurance.

Our Errors and Omissions Insurance (E & O) covers us if we make mistakes, and if you are the real estate agent that refers us, our policy covers you if you should get blamed for something we did or didn’t do.

If you are the buyer of a home, why wouldn’t you want an AZ home inspector who is insured?

If you are an agent then you not only want to ask if the Phoenix home inspector has E & O insurance but general liability coverage as well.

What happens if the inspectors ladder should fall and hit the sellers car? Who will get blamed? Who will have to deal with the fall out?

Is Your AZ Home Inspector Licensed?

The hard truth is the bond and the insurance cost more per year than the AZ Home Inspector state license.

If the home inspector has been foreclosed on, it is likely they can’t even get a bond for under $2,000 a year. This is one of the reasons registered home inspector numbers have dropped from over 1,700 to 700 in the last 4 years.

However there are still home inspectors out there that are doing the work even though they are not bonded, insured or even state licensed.

It is quick and easy to see if you home inspector is state certified. Simply click on the blue and grey state logo on the right side of this page, this will take you to the state BTR professional registrant page, Type in the last name of the home inspector and then click find. the inspectors name, company and status should show up. Under status it should say AC if the inspector is Active or current.

The State recently fined one home inspector $25,000 for performing home inspections with an expired registration, this was the second time they had caught him and he had performed well over 100 inspections since the last time.

Imagine trying to defend yourself for referring an AZ home inspector that was not licensed.

Imagine finding out after you hired and paid the guy that he was working illegally.

The bottom line is you want someone that is experienced, ethical, educated, and insured. As ASHI Certified Home Inspectors, we can provide that.

If you need an AZ Home Inspection please feel free to contact us.

Golf Course Homes Hidden Hazards says Scottsdale Home Inspector.

As a Scottsdale home inspector I get to look at some lovely properties including golf course homes.

The homes on the fairway always seem more open since you can normally see through the fence instead of the masonry wall found in other areas.

However when purchasing a Scottsdale golf course home, pay close attention to which direction the balls are flying, where the trees are and look at the neighbors and see if you can see damage or evidence of numerous repairs.

Issues found by the Scottsdale Home Inspector

I recently did a Scottsdale home inspection and while the home I was inspecting had been repaired and painted recently, the home next door looked like someone used it for target practice.

The walls were masonry on the bottom but the top of the walls were wood framed with stucco. The stucco used most often on homes in the Phoenix metro area is known as a one coat system.

Unlike stucco in other parts of the country that is put on in several layers over several days until it is 3/4 inch thick, one coat stucco is 3/8 of an inch thick. this make it easy to damage.

In addition to the stucco, you may also want to think about the windows. The Scottsdale home inspection I performed revealed that while the home had dual pane windows installed at the time it was built, it now has 3 windows missing the outside piece of glass. The home next door decided to just use duct tape to repair the damage.

It is easy for anyone to see the damage to the stucco and the windows but then, as a Scottsdale home inspector, I had to access the roof. There were about 25 roof tiles that had been replaced, 8 more that had been glued back together and stucco damage to the walls and chimney above the roof.

I am not picking on Scottsdale golf course homes, all homes located next to fairways are subject to more damage than other homes. this home could have just as easily been located in Chandler, Gilbert or Phoenix.

My point is if you are hiring a Scottsdale home inspector, make sure you get someone that understands the hazards. Neither the agent or the buyer had realized that the outside glass was missing from the windows until I pointed it out and showed them the difference between a single and double pane window.

Is painting counter tops a good idea?

I perform home inspections in the Phoenix area and lately I have seen a lot of painted counter tops. Home buyers ask me if this can be done. I will provide you with the same opinion I give my clients.

If you Google Painting counter tops you will find lots of articles from people saying how to do it, how great it looks, what products to use and most of the sites have adds for the products on the pages or a DIY sites that will also tell you how to install new counter tops.

I am not in the paint business, I am in the home inspection, performance and education business. My job as a Phoenix Home inspector is not to sell you special paint for counter top. My job is to tell you what is wrong with the home, how the different systems will perform and educate the client.

Painting counter tops is an inexpensive way to give a kitchen or bath a new look. However paint is not a durable as laminate or tile. People slide stuff across counter tops all the time, Glasses and plates get dropped, hot pans and dishes get set on them all causing little or no damage.

The truth is most people would never think about abusing the paint on their car like they do their counter tops. Also most people don’t put food directly on their car paint, but they set food on counter tops all the time. The paint on your car is some of the most durable paint available, You will not get that same quality when painting counter tops.

When painting counter tops the most important step is the preparation. To do the job right you will need to clean, sand, prime , prime again, paint, seal each step requires the previous step to dry completely before you go to the next step. Most of the people painting counter tops in the homes I am inspecting, are doing it fast and cheap. I doubt they are taking all the steps.

Why shouldn’t I paint counter tops?

Would you slide your toaster oven across the trunk of your car, turn it on for 20 minutes and then slide the hot pan out of it on to your trunk? How about a blender, mixer, pots, pans etc. Would you slide a glass across the hood of your car like a bartender in a saloon does on the counter top?

The simple truth is paint is not as durable, or sanitary as laminate, granite, or Corian. It is harder to clean, more susceptible to damage and unless you are going to paint it again, it will have to be removed to install new laminate in the future.

When is starts to chip, how easy will this be to repair. While performing Phoenix home inspections I see painted bathroom counter tops and sinks. The paint is almost always chipped by the drain. This will not be an easy repair and will continue to get worse if it is not repaired.

One other thing, most health departments will not allow painted counter tops in commercial kitchens. Maybe because it is not as durable or sanitary.

Remember, Just because you can do something, does not mean it is a good idea.

Ceiling Fans Tip of the week.

I check the operation of ceiling fans during a Phoenix home inspection. But one thing I noticed is most people pay no attention to which direction the fan is spinning.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ceiling fan users can bump up their thermostat by 4 degrees and see no change in comfort level if the fan is spinning in the right direction.

Fans can be used to blow air down or pull air up. If your registers are adjusted properly they should blow across the ceiling, (not down like most people believe). Here in the Arizona desert the ceiling is often a heat source. If the cold air is blowing across the ceiling it cools it instead of blowing straight down so you only feel it if you are under it.

In the summer the ceiling fan should spin counter clockwise. This will blow air down and make the room feel cooler. In the winter time the fan should spin clockwise. This will pull the cool air from the floor and force it up pushing the warm air on the ceiling out and down the walls.

There is a small switch on the side of the fan that can be pushed from one position to the other. This switch is what changes the direction of the fan.

Shaking or Wobbling Ceiling Fans

Often during a Phoenix home inspection I will find ceiling fans that wobble, shake or are noisy. These are all signs that the fan is out of balance. If left this way it can shorten the life of the fan motor, not to mention driving people nuts watching is shake or hearing it make noise nonstop.

The funny thing is most of the ceiling fans I see that are out of balance, simply have loose blades. That is right, 30 seconds and five screws and the ceiling fan problem is solved.(3 screws at the blade and 2 screws where the bracket is attached to the motor)

Fixing wobbling ceiling fans

If all the screws on the fan blades are tight, then you will likely need to align or balance the ceiling fan. Alignment is simple, slowly spin the blades by hand and make sure the angle of the blades are the same. If one is at a different angle this will cause the fan to wobble. Gently twist the blade so it matches the others. Some people will measure from the floor or ceiling to make sure all the blades are the same height.

Most fans come with a balance kit. You know those parts you didn’t think you needed and threw out with the box? That’s the ballance kit. Don’t worry most hardware stores carry them and they are not very expensive.

Some people say that you can juts tape a penny to the fan to balance it and this is true. Until the tape releases and the penny fly’s across the room.

Put the weight in the front center of one blade, turn the fan on and check for wobble, then repeat with each blade. When you find the blade that reduces the wobble the most, then move the weight either closer to the motor or the other direction and check again. eventually you can get the fan to stop shaking.