Home Inspection Articles | House Inspection News

House inspections have been thriving in the foreclosure market as buyers and investors of foreclosed homes make sure they are buying properties worth their prices.

According to house inspectors in Alabama, most of their clients are people buying foreclosed properties or newly-built houses that have been unoccupied for more than one year. They also said that they are detecting common problems such as mold, leaking roofs, moisture, poor air conditioning and heating systems, faulty water heaters and nonfunctioning attic fans.

Home inspector John Glover said that most houses his firm has inspected suffer from lack of maintenance. He said that a lot of homeowners do not spend money to maintain their homes.

In Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama, home inspection fees can start from $175 up to a high of $500. Good inspectors list the parts that must be fixed and potential problems that can be addressed in the near future.
Bill Hinton said that he has been advising sellers to fix several problems instead of making a big costly improvement. On the other hand, he has also been advising his buyers to check the more important things such as the foundation, the roof and the attic, and not the cosmetic stuff during house inspections.

Bob Grafe, owner of a Daphne house inspection firm that has been operating for 15 years, said that he has cut down his inspection prices to remain competitive. He added that despite the importance of inspection, some people have been forgoing inspections to save on costs.

Another inspector, James Porter Elder, said that even newly built homes need to be inspected, especially if these properties have been unoccupied for several months. He explained that with the air conditioning and heating systems turned off, mold damage could develop during summer or burst pipes could occur during winter.

According to Elder, who also owns a home inspection firm and who works with the American Society of Home Inspectors, house inspectors will soon participate in a nationwide program of introducing energy-saving systems and green-built houses to American consumers. Elder said that the U.S. Department of Energy will soon launch a program that would educate homeowners about energy efficiency and that would involve house inspectors.

Indeed, the business of house inspections thrives during the downturn especially for home inspectors who do their work efficiently and who make themselves updated with home inspection trends and industry developments.

Home Inspection

Building inspection is one of the requirements of NeighborWorks in its PEARLS program before a foreclosure home is purchased for the program.

PEARLS stands for Purchase Efficient Affordable Homes and Rehab, Lease and Sell. The homes acquired under the program need to be rehabilitated well before they are sold or rented out to families that cannot afford to buy homes without help from other parties.

It was last year that NeighborWorks started purchasing foreclosed houses, fixing them and then renting them out to families who do not yet have the capacity to own homes, but who can work towards home ownership in the near future. The scheme is similar to the rent-to-own or lease option schemes being offered by other developers to potential homebuyers.

According to Roy Nash, CEO and president of NeighborWorks, it has already acquired 20 vacant foreclosed homes in the Waco metro area in Texas and all of them are already occupied or are being prepared for move-in.

Nash said that the repairs and other construction work have been stretching the budget for the homes, but efforts have paid off. He added that the selection process for the purchase of foreclosed properties is stringent in order to maximize its funds. Every home acquired by the program must first pass a building inspection process conducted by the construction unit of NeighborWorks before it is purchased.

For instance, in McLennan County, Texas, a foreclosure company offered more than 127 foreclosed units, but NeighborWorks chose only a few. Nash explained that the nonprofit has been choosing the units with the best potentials to reduce repair costs and to ensure the homes have great values for renters and homebuyers.

Based on a report from the Real Estate Center of Texas A&M University, the city of Waco is a good market for rentals because the home ownership rate is only around 43 percent, much lower than the national home ownership rate of 67 percent.

To help renters prepare for home ownership, NeighborWorks conducts home ownership sessions that enable participants to learn about credit, financing, insurance and home buying.

If the renter is ready to buy the house under the PEARLS program, NeighborWorks provides a zero-interest loan to help the renter make the down payment.

According to Nash, the PEARLS program has a very low default rate because of the firm operational systems and strict building inspection policies of NeighborWorks.

Home Inspection

Choosing a home inspection company carefully for environmental testing is important because you are testing for the existence of hazardous substances that adversely affect the health and well-being of your family.

For radon testing, look for certified radon testers at neha.org, the web site of the National Environmental Health Association, or at nrsb.org, the web site of the National Radon Safety Board.

Radon, which can cause cancer, is a radioactive gas found in every house. The amount of radon inside a house should not exceed 4 picocuries per liter. You can call the EPA hotline for drinking water about testing radon in water.

For information on lead, you can call the National Lead Clearinghouse. Many houses constructed before 1978 have paints containing lead, which can harm children and babies. Your inspector will use either a chemical test, which is cheaper, or a radioactive device, which is a very expensive equipment.

Asbestos can be found in insulation materials and other building products used for houses built before the 1970s. But generally, asbestos materials are not harmful if they are in good condition because they do not release fibers that you can inhale. Any asbestos material that shows damage such as abrasion, tearing or water damage must be removed by a home inspection company experienced in removing asbestos materials.

Carbon monoxide testing is among the cheapest types of environmental testing, so many home inspectors oftentimes offer this testing for free to attract clients. Carbon monoxide, which arises from combustion, should be vented properly from a house because this gas can kill. Since this gas is odorless and invisible, it can only be sensed by an electronic carbon monoxide detector.

There are only a few home inspectors that provide full septic inspections, so make sure you are hiring an inspection company that also perform complete septic inspections. For initial testing, some inspectors overload the system with large amounts of water and put some dye to spot leakages and check for odors.

Professional septic inspectors, on the other hand, make diggings to inspect the tank and the leaching field. If you are buying an old house, ask the seller to empty the septic tank so you do not need to worry about septic-related problems.

When choosing a home inspection company, choose one which provides standard house inspection services in addition to the specialized environmental testing that you need so you can reduce your total inspection costs.

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