Home Professionals- Inspection & Environmental Services, Inc.

02/09/2012

Been a while since I posted an update. I think its the usual winter blah's. Sorry for not keeping up lately. Reminder for any Realtor friends of mine...don't forget the annual Realtor fair this Tuesday at the Civic Center. Also, this is a good time of year to be replacing your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries if you didn't do so on the first of the year. FYI: All hardwired and battery operated smoke detectors should be replaced every 7 years. I find that allot of homes DO NOT have Carbon Monoxide detectors installed. CO monitors are advised if you have any fossil fuel (ie. gas heating source or hot water tank, fireplace, gas logs either natural gas or propane oil fired burners) burning appliances or an attached garage. CO monitors should be installed in all your sleeping locations, and garage, with at least one on each level of multiple level home. You want a CO monitor that is close enough and loud enough to awaken you when sleeping. Also, It is advised by the that all hardwired and battery only detectors be

12/15/2011

Still not the one I was looking for but another good read on the link between MOLD and asthma in children.

12/15/2011

For a good read on link between respitory issues and mold. There is another publication on respitory and elevated moisture within a home that I'll link as soon as I can.

12/03/2011

Its that time of year that alot of us are putting up those christmas decorations inside and outside our home. A good pointer is for the outside lights make sure you don't use too many strands on a single extension cord and try to break it up to a few different cords if you have alot of lights. If you are plugging into an outside receptacle or garage receptacle and your home is newer it likely has a GFCI outlet (it has the test/ reset button on them), check the test button to make sure the outlet "trips" and shuts off power. If you do not have a GFCI outlet/ circuit protector then you can purchase an adapter that plugs into your outlet and then allows you to plug your cord into the adapter. This adds an extra layer of protection. Merry Christmas decoration to all.

This FIRE SHIELD 15 Amp 120-Volt Portable GFCI Plug With Surge Protector Has Built-in Electronic Circuitry Which Monitors the Electrical Current and Shuts Off Power If a Ground Fault is Present. It is for Indoor Use Only. Model # 793440

11/28/2011

We have had ALOT of rain this past week. I hope no one discovered a new roof leak or basement leak. The late summer/ fall often lead to additional water paths toward our foundation as the soil contracted due to lack of rain. Then we have consistent rains such as we've had this week and area's that never leaked before suddenly leak. Also...remember that "clean your gutters" speech I gave when I first started the page, clogged gutters with this kind of rain drops a significant amount of water next to your foundation. If you are leaking...check those gutters. I mentioned roofs due to having to do a temporary patch/ seal on my own roof. If you can access the attic area it's a good idea to snoop around a little while when it's raining and look for signs of leaks before it shows up on your ceiling. Just some friendly local home inspector advice.

11/16/2011

I don't see many "new" things much anymore. Appliances are pretty consistent in the region since options are limited when buying new items for our home. But suprises do occur. I recently inspected a home and could not figure out how to operate the oven. I had never seen this make or model.. don't know where they purchased the item but the controls were as complicated as a Boeing 747. ( Not that I've flown a 747 but just speculating:) Luckily the homeowner was present an heped out. Lesson: Leave your owners manuals out when selling your home for the new owner- they may need them!!

11/13/2011

I inspected my first lawn sprinkler system on Friday. I had never seen one in all the years I've been inspecting- or at least had never been asked to inspect one. It all worked great and makes me one to install one for my yard. In case anyone is interested here is a link for a supplier who will provide a design and materials list for you yard. It's not as expensive as you may think. www.rainbird.com And here is the popular mechanics link on how to install a system yourself.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/3044261

Rain Bird manufactures a full line of irrigation controllers, rotary sprinklers, pop up spray head sprinklers, sprinkler nozzles, irrigation valves, drip irrigation and more for lawn watering, residential irrigation, commericial irrigation, agricultural irrigation and golf course irrigation. As a l...

11/09/2011

Great news. I am expanding and adding an additional service to the business. I will be offering a home inventory service. You can contract with HP to come to your home and create an inventory of your belongs for insurance purposes. Using DocuHome software a complete inventory of your home will be created in case of fire, flood, or theft. If you have the time and wish to complete the task yourself then use the link below and sign up for the software and get a discount my linking through my site. Two years for the price of one.

DocuHome.com the leader in home inventory software and services. We make it fast, easy and simple to create a property inventory for disaster preparedness. Know your property value for insurance. Free home inventory software trial.

11/09/2011

Getting ready to start the day with a crawlspace inspection. Had an interesting day yesterday. There was some confusion with the scheduling and I entered an occupied home... the house alarm went off...I had no code....so I went back to the front porch with my clients and contacted the listing agent. Its then she tells me that I was lucky as the owners have two large Rotweilers. As I was looking for my camera I realize I had left my tool bag inside the house. I obviously wasn't gonna restart the horrible alarm or risk being mangled by two dogs I don't know. Luckily the owner came home to reset the alarm and I could get my tool bag. Just another fun day as a home inspector. At least the cops didn't show up or it would have really been fun for the neighbors.

11/06/2011

As part of my page I hope to provide information to buyers, sellers, and home owners in general with useful information regarding homes. I will make folders of photo's of various problems and maintenance items with explanations for repair/ maintenance. Feel free to ask a question or post comments. Thank you. Seth

11/05/2011

The leaves have nearly all fallen. Looks like we have about 25% left hanging on and telling us winter is not far behind. So let's get out there and clean those gutters. Don't let your gutters suffer through the winter with a heavy load of wet leaves that can freeze. The debris filled gutters don't drain water very well (or at all) and loose spikes can alter the downward slope of the gutter. Properly functioning gutters are your first defense in preventing water into the crawlspace or basement of your home. Don't let this routine maintenance item wait.