Home Town Inspections of Syracuse LLC

05/30/2024

https://www.syracuse.com/news/2024/05/two-of-the-top-sellers-markets-in-us-are-in-upstate-ny-ranking-finds.html?utm_campaign=syracusedotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2hCYQcmlWwSlNrhFtiDdSd6CTd6GcE3JrC6p9GlU56BPj5FKh8EwaocHI_aem_ARQY7IZnQ1K_oPJBslJZMIC9-HgtHVINwgS2DX8glgH35lG_Fu0BPVSxdSlevI3lxnPMPWFKZNkczsKho0yKQXhp

One of the cities was named the No. 1 seller's market in nation.

07/13/2023

Another reason to get your home inspected! Beware the stab-loc panel.

4380 likes, 109 comments. “I can't tell you how often I find these and people have no clue they existed!!!! spread the news! if you didn't already know about federal Pacific maybe your friend and family don't either!”

03/09/2023

In today’s edition of what does a home inspector look for:

One of the major things we look at is the electrical system, and in particular the Main Electrical Panel. A good home inspector will remove the front of the panel and do at least the following:

- Note the size of the service (e.g.,100 or 200amp)
-Look for signs of moisture or rust- wet panels are a safety risk.
-Ensure that the panel is properly grounded for safety
-Look for evidence of sparking or overheated circuits- also an obvious safety risk
-Make sure your breakers are rated correctly with your wiring. For example you don't want a breaker rated at 20 amps connected to a wire rated at 15 amps. The wire can overheat/burn before the breaker is tripped!
-Look for aluminum wiring- generally used during the 60's and 70's, aluminum wiring is also considered a safety risk due to the potential for overheating.
-Make sure there are no "double tapped" breakers- this is when two or more wires are connected to a single lug of a breaker and can cause sparking due to their improper connections. Check out the picture!

Finally- if any of these (or other issues) are noted the inspector will recommend further evaluation by a Licensed Electrician!

Good luck with your home purchase and stay safe!

01/27/2023

As a home inspector, one of the things we look for is whether the door between the garage and the interior of the house is self-closing and either fire rated, or solid with a minimum thickness of 1 and 3/8 inches. We also ensure that the ceiling is fire rated if there are living spaces above the garage.

Why you ask? Garages are often multipurpose areas. Parked cars, stored belongings, home appliances, chargers for power tools, and flammable liquids like oil, gas, and paint thinner are just some of the common items found together in a garage that can lead to a fire!

Without proper protection a fire in the garage will easily spread into the rest of your home!

Please check your home to make sure your garage door is self closing and can withstand a fire... Here are a couple of photos where there was a fire in the garage but the rest of the home (and people in it!) were saved!

Oh and if you are buying (or just bought) a home please get it inspected!

01/16/2023

Inspected a nice older colonial today, built in 1952. It turns out that virtually all of the old 2 prong outlets were replaced with newer style three prong outlets. The problem is that the original cloth wiring was still being used and none of them had an actual ground!

Having an actual ground wire is important for the following reasons:

Electrical shock: The absence of the third grounding wire means that the outlet and the path to the breaker box remain charged, making electrocution more likely to occur.

Fire: Without a ground, any issues with the outlet can produce sparks or arcing that can cause walls or nearby furniture to catch on fire.

Damage to personal property: Ungrounded outlets can damage appliances or other electrical equipment by causing them to short out.

There are things that can be done to rectify this, some costly and some not so costly. I'd be glad to explain how.

PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you have your home inspected before (or after) you purchase a home. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND ON IT!

12/22/2022

Interesting article to share with my new clients. Very rarely will an item require the seller to repair but it’s always good to know things that may become issues in the future.

If you are in the middle of a real estate contract then you will have a home inspection. After you get the inspection report, you will need to take a look and see if there are any repairs needed. If there are, then you will want to work alongside your agent to negotiate these repairs into the contra...

10/06/2022

Today’s inspection of a 1940 home revealed two pipes coming into the basement with unknown origin. Home is currently served by gas. It’s quite possible these are the fuel and vent lines for an old buried oil tank. Beware if you see this and ask the sellers about it !

09/24/2022

I rarely (if ever) recommended replacement of a roof, but in this case I’ll make an exception…

09/12/2022