According to the city council, they intend to get the opinion of residents first before authoring an official draft that will be voted on. The initial draft for the planned Health and Safety Occupancy Code is to be released in a few days at the city's Web site and at the City Clerk's office. The Code is actually a legislation that has two main provisions.

The first is a guideline that will require tenants and owners of commercial, rental and residential properties to first get a Health and Safety Permit prior to moving in to their premises. They will also be required to get a home inspection certification by passing an ocular examination that will decide whether the property is in violation of any maintenance code that is in place in the city.

Local authorities have clarified though, that new renters and homeowners will not be required to satisfy every single provision of the maintenance code. The focus, authorities explain, will be on aspects that pose imminent danger to the safety and health of occupants, including gas leaks, faulty wiring, mold and smoke detectors that do not work.

Owners that have properties with these problems will have to address them within a month or they would have to pay fines. For more serious cases, city authorities can refuse to provide a permit or revoke it if one has already been issued. This would then make it illegal for the property to be occupied or rented by anyone.

Local officials have stated that the proposed guidelines will help improve safety conditions among homes and buildings and will also aid the city in its effort to increase the values of properties. They also reveal that almost 40% of homes and commercial structures in the city are over 50 years old and most of them are not up to code and are in need of home inspection certification.

Home Inspection Certification Program Planned in Collinsville is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

Don, along with associate Richard Seay, takes care of the house inspection tasks while Allison works as the company's business and office manager. Prior to launching Accurate, Don worked as an insurance adjuster and was also active in the motorcycle family business. He revealed that after six years of dealing with long periods of time away from home, he just decided to use his adjuster talents to launch the property inspection company.

Crook stated that he had always been interested in this type of business. The company conducted its first inspection six years ago in June 2004. The firm is Texas Real Estate Commission-licensed and Crook has revealed that for every house that will be inspected, a seven-page report or form should be filled up.

He talked about trying to remain sensitive to what homebuyers have on their home inspection list. In short, there is a need to be aware of what the homebuyer is searching for. He states that, as opposed to the buyer, they try to look at every house in an objective and professional manner. When Crook is on the field inspecting a residential property, he claims that he starts with the curb.

He details the process he uses during the inspection. According to him, he checks the land where the house is built and examines possible drainage concerns. He then moves on to foundation exploration to find out if there are structural concerns. He advises other inspectors that sidings should be the first stop when checking for structural or foundation problems.

Crook then moves to electrical and plumbing systems, roofing and other areas of the property. He states that most buyers do not have aesthetics on top of their home inspection list, but are more into home problems that can take them by surprise and cost thousands of dollars to fix. He adds that in the area, around 85% of homes sold involved inspections.

Home Inspection List Should Include Local Firm is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

According to local inspection firms, only one percent of homeowners in the state are expected to retain their discounts. They revealed that one of the changes is the absence of discount for tile roofs, even those that have been built in compliance with the 2010 code. They added that a longer form will be required for a residential inspection which has been approved by the state Cabinet.

Inspectors also revealed that the changed guidelines resulted from two developments. First is the Office of Insurance Regulation's plan to tie discounts strictly with findings from a 2002 scientific study on hurricane costs and common building materials. They stated that if building materials, like roof tiles, were not tested in 2002 then they will get no discount.

Another factor behind the changes is the Legislature's attempt to prevent fraud by requiring detailed home inspections documentation, including digital photos, which should appear on the inspection form. Most of the standards have been retained, particularly those related to roofing requirements.

As before, hip-shaped roofing qualifies for discounts, but only if a carport or porch roof is part of the exterior wall and is not part of the main roofing system. Under the newly designed form, an attic vent attached to a gable roof should have its own shutter for hurricane.

Furthermore, if a house inspector was unable to document the front door's wind rating, discounts for exterior openings that are storm resistant will not be provided. Some inspectors have stated that this will likely cause much discount loss in the area since most homeowners do not keep rating documents on their doors and they usually paint over rating stickers.

Changes in the home inspections guidelines of Florida are expected to minimize the amount of property insurance discounts that most homeowners will receive during the year. The changes, according to local officials, are meant to eliminate residential inspection fraud.

Changes in Florida Home Inspections Rules Can Minimize Discounts is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

According to the lawsuit filed at the Kanawha Circuit Court, McLeod had assured the Rhodes that the house is free from any safety problem. However, the couple revealed that right after they purchased the property, they experienced defects which forced them to hire a professional engineer for further inspection.

The lawsuit revealed that the engineer had told the new owners that the home has several construction problems, including defective water control that causes basement leakage and mold growth. The costs of repairs that would make the house habitable and safe would reach thousands of dollars, according to the couple. They further added that the water control problem should have been seen and reported by McLeod right after his first inspection.

The owners then reportedly tried to contact the house inspector to resolve the issues but the defendant allegedly failed to respond. The Rhodes family accused the house inspection specialist of violating the Consumer Credit and Protection Act of West Virginia.

The plaintiffs have requested that the court declare that the inspector has violated the Consumer Credit and Protection Act and have sought punitive and compensatory damages. The couple is being represented by David L. Grubb and Cameron S. McKinney. The case was put under the responsibility of Circuit Judge Louis Bloom. McLeod is conducting business under the Assurance Home Inspection.

The Rhodes family is currently awaiting the court’s decision on their negligent house inspection claims. The court is set to decide whether there is merit behind the complaint and whether McLeod violated the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

House Inspection Gone Wrong Resulted in Lawsuit is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

The service involves having a county inspector visit the home of a family with an asthmatic child to check for mites and mold that can make breathing difficult for someone who has asthma. Inspectors conduct the home examination after a doctor’s referral.

Local health experts stated that this service can help mitigate asthma attacks among children since it could help identify contributing factors present in the child’s immediate environment. Inspectors usually take an hour to conduct the complete house examination.

According to local statistics, around ten percent of children in the county, plus an estimated seven percent of adults, suffer from asthma. Statistics also showed that asthma attacks have been responsible for the hospitalization of hundreds of residents every year.

Hospitalization costs related to asthma have reached an average of $7 million in the past three years, officials have said. So far, county inspectors have conducted 35 homes inspections since the program’s inception in November 2008.

Environmental health experts in the county have explained that the inspection can identify structural problems that contribute to the occurrence of asthma attacks. They stated that leaks creating damp environments, which lead to mold growth, and cockroach problems are some of the factors that can cause asthma attacks.

The program, local officials have explained, will be getting its funds from the county budget until 2011 and will be sustained by a grant for two more years beyond after this period. Officials also revealed that it was patterned after Boston’s Breathe Easy at Home program which was launched in 2007 and had resulted in over 450 homes in Boston getting inspected.

The efficacy of the Boston program is still being evaluated, Multnomah officials stated; but a survey has revealed that out of 12 families surveyed, eight have confirmed that there had been improvements in their children’s symptoms following inspection.

The homes inspections aimed to control asthmatic attacks among children of low-income families in Multnomah are part of a bigger effort called Healthy Homes Programs. According to local environmental health officials, the effort has resulted in lowering emergency room visits from families with asthmatic children.

Free Homes Inspections Service Offered to Multnomah County Residents is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

The first one is that currently in Florida, there are no standards covering house inspection. There is no law defining residential inspection and there are no regulations about what should be included in a regular inspection.

A law requiring house inspectors to get licensed by the state starting July 1 has already been enacted, but standards and requirements for licensing have not yet been passed.

This means that you have to make a thorough research when choosing your house inspector. The common advice is to select your inspector from members of the American Society of Home Inspectors and the International Association of Certified Homes Inspectors.

This advice, however, does not ensure you are getting the inspector you need. You still should ask referrals from real estate agents that you know and investigate backgrounds through the websites of Best Business Bureau and home inspection associations.

The second thing you should know is the preponderance of mold in the state. Florida is mostly humid and when air conditioning systems are not working well, mold can easily grow in various parts of the house.

This means that you should consider getting a home inspection that includes infrared mold inspection. An infrared camera detects mold which is not yet visible to the naked eye.

The third important thing is the actual inspection of the roof and attic. As Florida lies across the paths of most hurricanes that hit the southeastern U.S., your roof and attic must be strong enough to weather strong winds and storms.

Your inspector should actually go up into the attic and should actually use stairs to look at the whole roof to check damages. There have been complaints that inspectors do not do these parts of the inspection process due to various reasons, such as lack of access or restrictions resulting from non-invasive inspection rules.

Septic inspection is the fourth important thing. There are places in Florida where houses are not on municipal water supply. Since water from private suppliers is more costly, septic maintenance could be lacking, so ensure that your chosen inspector includes septic inspection.

On the whole, home inspection in Florida, despite inadequate state regulations, can still help ensure you are purchasing a home worth your money if you exert effort to wisely choose your inspector.

Four Things You Should Know About Home Inspection in Florida is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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.

House Inspections Thriving in the Foreclosure Market is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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.

Building Inspection – a Requirement by NeighborWorks is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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.

Choosing a Home Inspection Company for Environmental Testing is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

A professional home inspector will be able to determine any problems in your home. As soon as the inspection is done, you can discuss with him which should be addressed first.

In addition, you will be able to have a clear picture of the total cost, giving you time to look over your budget and plan it accordingly to accommodate all the necessary repair work.

Obviously, the first thing you will have to tackle is the defect which can pose health hazards. For this particular problem, you might want to hire a licensed contractor to fix it in time for the home sale.

For the minor problems that a home inspection reveals, you can choose to hire a handyman or do the repairs yourself. Your decision will basically depend on your budget as well as skills.

If you think you cannot handle the job, do not hesitate to admit it. You might be able to save more in the long term if you leave the work in more capable hands.

As you complete each repair, you should make sure that all pertinent paperwork is kept. You will have to show them to potential buyers when the time to sell your home comes.

Also, you will need to make sure that after every problem has been addressed, you will take care of the property by doing preventive checks and maintenance. This way, any new problems can be discovered before they got worse and turn off the buyer.

Ordering a home inspection and repairing all home defects is a smart move for anyone who considers their home as investment. Despite the fact that you have no plans of selling the property in the near future, you will be able to enjoy peace of mind knowing that when the time comes, you and your home are ready.

Home Inspection to Prepare a Home for Sale is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.