If you are planning to buy a home, a thorough inspection by an experienced inspector will reveal issues that you, as the buyer, might not have noticed. A professional home inspection is an objective third-party review conducted by a home inspector who is trained and licensed to evaluate all aspects of a structure’s condition.
Inspectors check the house from top to bottom — inside and outside, structural and mechanical components — looking for defects or deficiencies in the condition of the property.
A professional home inspection is not a moving survey or termite inspection, but rather a detailed visual analysis of the overall property and its components. In most cases, the home inspection is performed while the client is present.* It’s always best to be present during the inspection so that you can ask questions or request explanations as needed. Home inspectors will always explain their findings fully before leaving your property.*
Home inspections are typically conducted by certified inspectors who have previous experience working in construction and/or engineering fields. They may also be licensed real estate agents, engineers, contractors or building inspectors.*
Home buyers are often faced with the dilemma of whether to take a property off the market and get it inspected prior to closing. Here are some pros and cons, along with a checklist for how to choose the right inspector for your needs.
A home inspection is an examination of the property by a qualified party that provides an unbiased, third-party evaluation of its physical condition. A home inspection is not a guarantee of any kind. It may or may not reveal something that will cause you to walk away from a deal. But if you find something that significantly reduces the value of the property, you should be able to back out of the deal without penalty.
The house may be perfect, but it’s still worth getting inspected if you plan to make changes or additions, or if you’re planning to move in soon. Inspections can provide information on structural issues, as well as on potential mold problems and plumbing issues that might be cause for concern during your time there. An inspection doesn’t have to be expensive either: many companies offer free inspections when they list properties for sale.
When it comes time to purchase a new home, arranging a pre-listing inspection is usually not enough, even if your realtor offers this service. If a seller refuses to fix issues discovered
Question your home inspection. When you hire a professional home inspector, you get a thorough assessment of your home’s condition. In most cases, it is wise to question your inspector’s findings.
By questioning the inspector, you can better understand the inspection report and make sure the work is done properly. The best way to accomplish this is to have a professional inspection completed.
To ensure that you are hiring a reputable inspector, ask several questions before calling for an appointment. The following questions can help you determine if the company is reputable:
1) What is your experience? Ask how many inspections they have performed and what types of homes they have inspected.
2) Are you licensed? If so, by whom? Many states require that inspectors be licensed or certified for the state in which they are working. Some states also require that inspectors belong to trade associations such as ASHI or NACHI.
3) How much do you charge? Inspectors should offer a free estimate that includes time spent inspecting the property and writing the report, as well as any other fees associated with the inspection. If they cannot provide an estimate without first inspecting the property, consider it a red flag and move on to another potential provider.
4) Can I see some examples of previous reports
A home inspection is a comprehensive visual assessment of the condition of a house. It’s a close look at the systems and components of your house. In most cases, an inspector will be able to detect issues before they become problems. The inspection process typically begins with an examination of the house from the outside, then progresses to a detailed interior inspection. A complete home inspection may take several hours to complete.
Tightly-held secrets about how to inspect for leaks and infestations are passed along through word-of-mouth and/or extensive training, so it is harder for people without experience to get into this field. A good online resource for more information on this topic is http://www.homeinspectorpro.com/. One can also take http://www.homeinspectorpro.com/ courses on how to become an inspector. With practice and sufficient effort, one can learn the skills needed to perform these inspections effectively on his own or with someone else.
In some cases, it is possible to see the problem even without opening walls. A few months ago, I inspected a small house in Massachusetts that was advertised as needing only cosmetic work. It seemed too good to be true, but that is not unusual. I suggested a home inspection anyway, just in case. The sellers agreed, and we scheduled the inspection for a Saturday morning when the sellers would be around so I could ask questions as we went along.
I showed up at 8:00am and found that one of the walls was covered with cornmeal—a good trick if you have mice problems. But this was no ordinary wall. It was made of cement blocks and ran through the center of the house, from front to back. The cornmeal didn’t make sense until I opened up the wall and found an old fireplace with a tiled floor built inside it. The owners had told me they had “no idea” what they wanted to do with the space, but they knew they wanted to keep it in case they ever decided to renovate their home into a multifunctional family room or something like that.
The inspector who had looked at it before did not mention the fireplace—probably because he didn’t find anything wrong with it—and no one else
The cinnamon you buy in a little can at the grocery store is made from powdered bark, with some oil of cinnamon added to preserve it. The cinnamon bark is harvested from trees that grow wild in Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia.
The inner bark of the tree has been used for thousands of years as a spice and medicine. It also contains essential oils that can be extracted by steam distillation. Cinnamon essential oil is used in aromatherapy, as well as in many other practices where oils are applied to the skin.
Dried cinnamon sticks are widely available at natural food stores and through spice catalogs. These are not true cinnamon, but cassia bark, which is related to cinnamon but lacks the distinctive flavor and aroma of true cinnamon. Cassia sticks do have good antifungal properties, however.
Cassia sticks are often sold as cinnamon sticks because they look similar and cost much less. If you’re buying your cinnamon at a grocery store or superstore, be sure to ask if it’s cassia or cinnamon before buying it.
The cinnamon tree is native to Sri Lanka, southern India and southeast Asia. The name comes from the Latin word for cinnamon- “cinnamonum.”
Cinnamon bark is used as a spice and flavoring material in cooking. The essential oil of the bark is generally used in perfumery.
Trees are grown for their bark, which is harvested once a year. The process is labor-intensive: branches are cut, transported from the field, stripped of their bark and then replanted. Only 20% of the tree yields bark; the rest of the wood is used for lumber, firewood, charcoal or animal husbandry.
Trees take 10 years to grow to full maturity, but they only produce for 8 of those years; after that they stop producing and must be replaced.
