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New Home Inspector Regulations Will Take Effect in Kansas

December 9th, 2009
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New home inspector regulations will take effect in Kansas in January next year.

Starting January 1, before house inspectors can carry out their home inspection tasks, they need to first register with the Kansas Home Inspector Registration Board and increase their liability limit to $2,000 or higher. They must also comply with educational requirements and residential inspection standards.

According to members of the board, they surveyed house inspectors across the state before they created regulations. They said that after Kansas lawmakers approved the Home Inspection Certification and Financial Responsibility Act, they worked with house inspectors to develop residential inspection standards and continuing education requirements.

They conducted public meetings in Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita to talk with homebuyers, real estate agents and house inspectors and obtain inspection input.

To help homeowners and prospective homebuyers, board members also developed a set of detailed home inspection guidelines so that clients would know what are done during inspections, which parts are inspected and which parts are not.

Despite the opposition of some inspectors to the new home inspector regulations, a lot of house inspectors welcomed the new registration and liability rules. They understood the rationale behind the registration program, which is to make house inspection a more respected profession.

With registration, certification and continuing education, incompetent house inspectors will be prevented from practicing, thereby reducing the number of people destroying the image of house inspectors.

According to registration advocates, the profession of house inspection should be regulated because it is one of the most crucial parts of home buying and homeownership. Buying a home entails large amounts of money, credit records, families and emotional investments, so the persons inspecting the homes to be purchased should be able to describe the real conditions of the properties and identify potential problems.

If house inspectors fail to see major problems in the properties, buyers would be buying homes that they must repair at high costs within months of their purchases or immediately after their move-in.

For prospective homebuyers looking for house inspectors to hire, they need to check not only state certification, but also membership with reputable state and national house inspection associations, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors.

House inspectors with background in home construction are oftentimes preferred because they know how things are put together, but homebuyers also need to ensure that the chosen home inspector does not identify defects and then volunteer his contracting service to resolve the problems.

Home Inspectors

Home Inspector Takes Greater Role in Minnesota Cities

November 16th, 2009
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The city home inspector has been increasingly taking a greater role in the monitoring of foreclosed and vacant homes in the Minnesota cities of Lakeville and Burnsville, which are both located in Dakota County.

As vacant foreclosure homes continue to rise in the two cities and as mortgage lenders fail to maintain the properties, Burnsville crafted an ordinance that assigned a group of house inspectors to monitor the conditions of foreclosed properties and then assess maintenance costs on the owners of the properties.

But due to decline in tax revenues that ultimately forced Burnsville to cut its budget, the ordinance authorizing a team of house inspectors to supervise foreclosure properties was rescinded. Now, only one house inspector in Burnsville is monitoring foreclosed properties. Likewise, Lakeville has also reduced the number of its inspectors to only one.

Because of the reduction, Ron Anderson, a real estate inspector for the city of Burnsville for about ten years, is now overwhelmed with work because of the continued rise in foreclosure activity in the area.

Dave Olson, director of the Lakeville Community and Economic Development, said it has been a challenge for city personnel, particularly for the city home inspector, to monitor and maintain vacant foreclosure properties because the activities do not generate revenues for the city.

According to Olson, his team gets its list of foreclosure sales monthly from the Dakota County Community Development Agency so it can continue monitoring foreclosed properties. The foreclosure sales are conducted by the county through sheriff’s sales.

As of September, the county has sold a total of 1,349 housing units through sheriff’s sales. Last year, more than 2,000 units were sold by the county. About 300 units were located in the cities of Apple Valley, Eagan, Burnsville and Lakeville.

Olson explained that mortgage lenders are responsible for maintaining properties once they are foreclosed, but the 6-month redemption period gives lenders the leeway not to comply because property owners can still redeem the property within the allotted period.

He added that some banks are more responsible, particularly those that are located in the area. But out-of-state banks have been harder to pursue for maintenance.

Another problem faced by the city is the right to inspect once a property has been secured. He said that the city home inspector cannot just enter a property to look into a water problem causing a street flooding problem without first getting a court order.

Home Inspectors

Home Inspectors in FL Need to Be Licensed by July 2010

October 2nd, 2009
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Home inspectors in FL are currently not required to obtain a state home inspection license before conducting house inspections across the state, except in Charlotte County where only professionals in the building industry are allowed to apply for a house inspection license.

But by July 1, 2010, the approximately 3,000 house inspectors across Florida are expected to have obtained their state licenses. In addition to these inspectors, an increasing number of mold inspectors and mold remediation specialists are also expected to get their licenses.

However, many of these inspectors have been expressing their frustration at the way the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation has been preparing for the eventual licensing of house inspectors.

The home inspectors claim that it is now only eight months before July 1, 2010 and there are still no rules for inspectors to follow and there are still no licenses available.

In response, professional and business licensing officials explained that there was no money appropriated by state
legislators when they passed the bill for home inspectors in FL in 2007. They said that they are waiting for legislators to tackle the issue in their next regular legislative session.

In the meantime, the department related that licensing officers have been conducting sessions around the state, gathering input for licensing and inspection rules.

Several home inspectors and owners of home inspection businesses raised their concerns about expected licensing rules and exams. They said they have been conducting house inspections for the past several years and they are concerned that they will undergo the same procedures as the new ones without any home inspection experience.

One home inspection business owner said that he has conducted over 2,000 house inspections for over 14 years.
Some inspectors suggested that new home inspection applicants should get job training and complete at least 250 house inspections before they are issued licenses.

Building contractors, on the other hand, proposed that house inspectors should complete 8,000 hours of job training, similar to what they have undergone to obtain their contracting licenses.

Another issue raised by the inspectors is the grandfathering clause which was removed from the home inspection bill by Florida Governor Charlie Crist when he signed the bill in 2007.

Grandfathering allows existing house inspectors to gradually comply with the licensing rules.

As the licensing officials are gathering data, they assured home inspectors in FL that their main goal is to ensure the safety of homeowners and not to put any home inspector out of business.

Home Inspectors

Home Inspectors in NY Offer Free Additional Services

September 30th, 2009
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Most home inspectors in NY offer free additional services to win more customers. Some offer free mold sampling, free termite inspection, free digital photos and free energy-efficiency advice. If you live in New York or plan to buy a house in New York, you can compare the services offered by house inspectors working in New […]

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Home Inspectors

What House Inspectors Should Check

September 21st, 2009
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Houses can look okay and fine, but you may not know details that would make them fail a great deal. House inspectors are here top help you evaluate your house. Here are some areas you should make sure to be checked, as well as what details are to be inspected: The house structure. You can […]

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Home Inspectors

Inspector Helps Colorado City Homeowners Comply with Codes

September 11th, 2009
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A qualified home inspector can help homeowners in Fort Collins, Colorado comply with city multifamily housing standards. Across the city, many homeowners have converted their single-family homes into rental duplexes or have added rental spaces by converting their basements or garages into dwelling units without obtaining the needed permits and without complying with building codes. […]

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Home Inspectors

Inspector for Foreclosures Will Save You from Loss

September 9th, 2009
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An inspector for foreclosures will save you from losing your investment or purchase money in an overpriced foreclosure property that needs costly repairs. Oftentimes home buyers are excited by the lower prices of foreclosure homes, making them sign a purchase contract immediately without putting in a house-inspection contingency clause or buy at a foreclosure auction […]

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Home Inspectors

Good American Home Inspectors Follow Codes

September 1st, 2009
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If you are a homeowner or a real estate broker planning to hire a home inspector, look for American home inspectors who follow codes of conduct designed by national home inspection organizations. It is also good if you first read about what are expected from house inspectors so you would know what to expect and […]

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Home Inspectors

House Inspectors for Homes Built during the Boom

July 21st, 2009
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The housing boom pressured builders to construct a lot of homes in short time frames, causing construction defects that oftentimes only professional house inspectors can immediately see. So, prospective home buyers really need to hire professional house inspectors licensed to conduct home inspection in the state where the houses are located. In a 250-unit subdivision […]

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Home Inspectors

House Inspectors Help Make Your Home Energy Efficient

July 14th, 2009
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The relatively small fee you pay house inspectors to find how you can make your homes energy efficient will be returned to you many times over in terms of monthly savings on your utility bills. There are at least three things that house inspectors will accomplish during energy efficiency inspection: home inspection, analysis and recommendation. […]

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Home Inspectors

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