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.

New Home Inspector Regulations Will Take Effect in Kansas is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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 Inspector Takes Greater Role in Minnesota Cities is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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 in FL Need to Be Licensed by July 2010 is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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 York by visiting comparison sites that feature home inspectors and inspection companies.

Make sure the home inspector you choose is licensed in New York and licensed in the area where the targeted house is located. See to it also that the home inspector is a certified member of a well-known house inspection association in the U.S. like the American Society of Home Inspectors and a member of a statewide home inspection association in New York.

Based on data from comparison sites, home inspectors in New York vary in their specialization, in the methods and tools they use, in the number of years they have been doing inspection work and in the types of warranties and free services offered.

Some inspection firms are the New York units of national home inspection companies; others are operating only in New York. Several are independent but licensed home inspectors in NY running their inspection businesses from their homes.
When you deal with a house inspection firm, ask the firm to provide you in advance the name of the house inspector to be assigned to you, including information about the experiences and training of the assigned inspector.

One advantage of dealing directly with a house inspector over dealing with the clerk of a house inspection company is that you can gauge immediately the personality of the home inspector while asking him questions about how he is going to conduct the inspection.

Remember also to ask the inspector or the inspection firm about the inspection report. Some reports are given immediately after the inspection because they are just checklists with written comments. Others are just written descriptions of conditions found. Some reports are more detailed, and these are typically given a day or days after the inspection.

The other issues that you need to ask are the parts or systems of the house excluded from the inspection. If you are particular about lead, termites, molds or other potentially hazardous substances, look for home inspectors in NY that include these specialized inspections at reasonable fees.

Home Inspectors in NY Offer Free Additional Services is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

• The house structure. You can check the house structure by yourself by standing at a certain distance. From there, look at the house and how it stands. Inside, you can check the walls and make sure that they do not bow. Also, the floors should be checked and made sure to be stable and solid.
• Water. You have to make sure that water goes away from the house. Also, ask for the pipes to be inspected so that there are no leaks in them.
• Roof. Make sure that the roof is strong. It should be installed properly so that it can serve its purpose well.
• Details. The finishing details should look flawless. This would show great workmanship and also strong and quality materials.
• Kitchen and bathroom. Check the sinks, bath tubs and even toilet bowls. They should work properly. Also, check and inspect the pressure of the faucet and the flush.
• Electrical. This is one of the most important aspects you should check in a house. You can check for the number of electrical outlets and if it would match your needs. Also, make sure that the connections are installed properly and that the main breaker is at 100 amps at least.
• Water heater. House inspectors should be able to give a comprehensive report not only of the water heater, but of the plumbing as well. Depending on your preference, you can go with an electric heater or a gas heater.
• Heater. Make sure that the furnace or any heating unit in your house is running efficiently. Rooms should be properly insulated, and air conditioning should also be properly installed.
• Insulation. House inspectors would be able to give you information regarding the insulation in your house. For instance, if you are in an area with a moderate climate, you should look for insulation that is at least R-19. Also, if you are in a cold area, your insulation should be at least R-38.

What House Inspectors Should Check is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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.

These homeowners did not apply for multifamily building permits partly because of the high development permit fees which can reach $15,000 per unit and partly because of the high costs of complying with multifamily building standards.

To help these homeowners, the city of Fort Collins has launched an amnesty program waiving the costly development fees and requiring only fees of between $200 to $400.

The main goal of the program, which ends on June 15, 2011, is to ensure that all houses across the city meet health, habitability and safety standards and to lessen the financial burden of compliance.

According to Mike Gebo, chief of the Fort Collins Building Department, the first thing homeowners need to do is to check the city zoning maps or call the zoning office if multifamily uses are allowed in their areas.

If multifamily housing is allowed, the next thing they should do is to hire a house inspector to help them check if their multifamily housing is up to city building standards and to tell them what they should do to comply with the standards.

House inspection is essential because it facilitates the process of getting the certificate of occupancy under the amnesty program. When the city inspector conducts his own building inspection, all he needs to do is to ensure that the housing is compliant with codes and then gives the approval for the issuance of the certificate of occupancy.

Among the things that the city inspector will examine and that multifamily housing owners will correct are basement bedrooms without egress windows, use of a single air furnace to supply heat to two separate units, problems with electrical and plumbing systems and inadequate heating, ventilation and kitchen facilities.

For homeowners who made units for rental housing in neighborhoods not zoned for multifamily uses, they need to convert back their properties into single-family housing units.

For owners of housing units that were converted into duplexes when previous zoning laws allowed their conversion, homeowners need to show the city inspector old rental receipts, lease agreements, tax returns or other documents that can prove that the duplexes were constructed in compliance with laws.

Inspector Helps Colorado City Homeowners Comply with Codes is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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 without seeing the interiors of the house.

Some homebuyers also visit foreclosure houses and get attracted by the finishes or designs of the house without examining the more important features of a house such as the structure and foundation.

According to many house inspectors, they have inspected a lot of foreclosure properties and many of these need costly repairs. They said that some defects are not immediately apparent and that homebuyers discover them only when they have already bought the house and have moved in.

Several of these defects, they said, are intentional damages made by previous occupants who were probably angry at their lenders for foreclosing on them without giving them any chance of saving their homes.

Among the defects discovered after move-in are blocked water drainage lines because of poured concrete, dishwashers disconnected from the drain lines, water heaters replaced with old devices and missing plumbing or electrical fixtures.

With these kinds of defects, you really need an inspector for foreclosures because this kind of inspector already knows what to look for. If a good house inspector discovers a major repair expense, such as a roof damaged by hail or plumbing systems and drainage lines blocked by concrete, you can ask the bank to repair it before you buy.

Banks usually approve the repairs of major defects if they do not want to make disclosures that could sharply lower selling prices. Many lenders now however, especially those with large numbers of REOs, usually just cut the prices for foreclosure homes with major defects to get rid of them. They would rather leave repairs to investors in foreclosure properties.

When choosing house inspectors, ask their experiences in the foreclosure sector and choose someone backed with referrals and certification from reputable individuals and associations.

Lastly, choose an inspector for foreclosures who has a background in home building or repair contracting. Since he knows the home building process, he can perform a more thorough foreclosure home inspection.

Inspector for Foreclosures Will Save You from Loss is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

It is also good if you first read about what are expected from house inspectors so you would know what to expect and you would know what to ask inspectors if you think they are missing something during the inspection.

A home inspection is a visual non-invasive examination of a house to determine the defects in the parts, structures, systems and components of the house. The house inspector will inspect only what is apparent and what is visible. He is not expected to inspect what he cannot access.

A defect is a condition in a part or parts of the house that reduces the value of the house or that puts the residents at risk or that reduces the capabilities and functions of some systems of the house.

In a standard home inspection report, you can see the parts or systems of the house that should be examined by the house inspector. Included are the roof, exteriors, basement, crawlspace, foundation, attic, doors, windows, interiors and fireplace and housing systems such as cooling, heating, plumbing, electrical, ventilation and insulation.

It is often assumed that the house inspector is professionally or legally bound to examine all the parts and systems of a house, but there are limitations to house inspection. There are situations where house inspectors cannot perform their examination such as lack of access or prohibition due to lack of professional jurisdiction.

Among the things that the house inspector is not expected to examine are the life expectancy of a housing system, the cause of a defect, the condition of a part that is not visible or accessible and compliance of systems to certain regulations.

The house inspector is also legally bound to examine the presence of lead-based paint, asbestos, mildew, rodents, molds, fungus, and other hazardous materials. They are also prohibited to move personal belongings or dismantle any system to be able to access a place to be inspected.

In multifamily housing complexes, house inspectors are also not allowed to inspect common areas and systems, such as intercom systems, law irrigation equipment and security devices.

Now that you know what house inspectors are expected to do and not do, you can make preparations and take actions so you can choose the best type of house inspectors that you need.

Good American Home Inspectors Follow Codes is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

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 in Sacramento Valley, more than 50 percent of residents have reported at least one major defect in their homes. The residents have filed a lawsuit against the builder, seeking money to repair their homes, but while waiting for the case to proceed, they have to suffer leaks, cracks, fissures, shifting floors and other defects possibly for a longer time.

If these residents hired professional house inspectors, they would have avoided their current housing problems.

Housing analysts said that the fast pace of home construction from the 1990s to 2000 to satisfy the soaring demand for homes contributed to significant numbers of construction defects, compared to building defects in houses built in normal times.

During the construction boom, builders had to continue the work despite the shortage of high-quality building materials and skilled construction workers.

Many local government agencies also failed to inspect adequately housing projects because their house inspectors could not cope with large numbers of projects.

Based on data from the National Association of Home Builders, over 2 million homes were constructed across the country during the construction boom in 2005. A national association of home inspectors estimates that about 17 percent of new homes constructed in 2006 had more than two significant defects.

In 2003, the percentage of new homes with at least 2 major defects was 15 percent.

Nevertheless, according to a large insurance firm covering home construction defects, the number of homeowners filing for residential defects is declining, partly because of the increasing awareness among prospective home buyers about the importance of hiring professional and licensed house inspectors.

The firm also added that the number of insurance claims for construction defects in some states is still increasing because of attempts by some homeowners to turn insignificant defects into cash.

Still, many construction defects are real. A homeowner in Minnesota bought an eight-year-old house that now needs to be overhauled at a cost of $228,000. The homeowner said it does not make sense making the repairs as the value of the house has gone down to only $190,000.

With these defects and home value deterioration, prospective home buyers should have been persuaded by now about the value of hiring licensed professional house inspectors.

House Inspectors for Homes Built during the Boom is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.

There are at least three things that house inspectors will accomplish during energy efficiency inspection: home inspection, analysis and recommendation.

First, house inspectors will inspect the house and check if there are energy efficiency strategies installed and if the design of the house incorporated energy efficiency techniques. They will check the energy efficiency ratings of all appliances. They will also look at ways by which the house can save some more energy for the occupants.

Next, home inspectors analyze the data gathered through the use of a customized energy efficiency and home inspection software. This specialized software will help them come up with ways by which the occupants can reduce their energy bills.

After the analysis has been done, house inspectors will explain the condition of the house in terms of its energy efficiency performance and then enumerate ways by which energy efficiency can be attained or improved.

House inspectors will also explain energy products that will cost homeowners initially but will save them energy in the long run.

Home inspectors can also provide the total energy efficiency rating of the house. Many older homes would get a score of between 50 and 70 while newer homes would get at least 80. Homes rated 86 or higher are considered Energy Star rated homes.

Since residential energy efficiency got into most people’s consciousness only in recent years, sellers of new homes would oftentimes market their units as energy efficient homes even if the homes have low energy efficiency ratings. Sellers would oftentimes focus their marketing talk on the installation of energy efficient appliances.

Among the systems of the home that house inspectors would check is the heating system. Heating cost is one of the major contributors to the total house energy costs. The heating system could have been oversized, increasing heating cost by as much as 30 percent. Sealing air leaks, replacing old windows with energy-efficient windows and increasing insulation can reduce heating requirement.

House inspectors can do energy efficiency inspection as a separate inspection. To save on inspection costs, home buyers or homeowners can request house inspectors to incorporate energy efficiency inspection with the regular home inspection.

House Inspectors Help Make Your Home Energy Efficient is a post from HomeInspectorCenter.com - Your home inspector headquarters.