Affordable Home Inspections

04/24/2026

I dont advise planting Cotton wood trees near a home. The root system can grow 50 to 100' from the trunk.

12/04/2024

I still scratch my head after 30 years wondering why people do things. This new construction exhaust hood terminates out the top of the cabinet.

10/24/2023

Lawsuits could disrupt laws around US broker fees, revamping how Americans buy houses
Escrow-no… The first of two class-action lawsuits targeting US realtors' dominance over broker fees got underway in Missouri yesterday. They represent a group of 260K+ Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas home sellers versus the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which backs the US housing market’s system for brokers sharing commissions. Typically, sellers must pay 5 to 6% of their home sales to fees split between buying and selling agents. Critics say it’s a conflict of interest because it gives buying agents little reason to negotiate lower prices.
• Missouri says: The system is a “collusion” forcing people to pay billions worth of unnecessary fees. With the median new-home price at $416K, agent fees can top $20K/sale. Now Missouri sellers are seeking $4B in damages.
• NAR says: It’s trying to prevent a “Wild West” of decentralized property listings. The outcome of the trial (and a similar one set to start in Illinois next year) could be pivotal in reshaping homebuying.
“Selling Sunset”-level tension…NAR's broker-fee system has long been criticized for driving up home prices and prioritizing agent listing prices, since higher sales mean more $$. With no legal cap, brokers can even raise fees when demand is high. Last year, the average US broker fee was about 5%, but in countries including Australia and the UK it stayed around 2%. Some companies are fed up: this month online brokerage Redfin left NAR, which requires a buyer’s agent fee on each listing.

THE TAKEAWAY

Old foundations may need new structures… The lawsuits come as Americans face the least affordable housing market in nearly 40 years. The suits could help decide whether the Justice Department pursues an antitrust case against the NAR. Untying agent fees would be seismic — lowering commissions by as much as $30B/year.

10/19/2023

https://www.wral.com/story/contractor-defends-code-violations-in-chatham-county-home-build/21103748/

During Wednesday's hearing, Jake Muehlbach repeatedly shook his head in disbelief and disagreement as Jeremy Lindley of Lindley Builders, Inc. defended his work in front of the board.

07/07/2022

Blue light special

06/22/2022

This guy just scared the daylights out of me

05/23/2022

Housing’s hitting a wall… There’s a reason higher borrowing costs aren’t sinking prices: brutally low inventory. There’re only 1M homes for sale in the US. Cue: the average home gets snatched up within 17 days. Some fear we may be heading into a housing bubble, though mortgage lenders now have strict debt-to-income ratios to protect against an ’08-style crash. As rates rise, fewer people will be eligible (or willing) to take out loans. Yet home prices won’t cool until supply improves, which could take a while.

04/08/2022

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/08/waiving-a-home-inspection-is-risky-but-this-hack-can-helpif-you-pull-it-off-real-estate-agent.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

The homebuying market has been fiercely competitive for the last two years, and it's pushed more buyers to strip the inspection clause from their bids.

02/11/2022

Cut out about 75% of this beam to install a duct that carries two floors above it. SMH

12/20/2021

Friends and Clients,

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to you!

The holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories.

We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us and supporting our business.

This may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have. Give us a call or reply to this email; we’d love to help you.

In case we don’t hear from you until 2022, have a happy New Year!