You can now breath a sigh of relief. Both parties have signed the purchase agreement and everyone is excited to close the sale. If you have read my prior posts hopefully you had your home inspected before you put it on the market but if you didn’t you need to get ready for the buyers inspector to look over your property.
What should you do to prepare your property for a home inspections? Here are some tips that with little or no cost to you can prepare your home to avoid items I may call out on the inspection report.
1) Divert all water away from the house and clean out the gutters.
2) Ensure the grade around the house carrys water away from the foundation.
3) Trim all trees and bushes away from the house as well as the roof, siding and chimney.
4) Seal any cracks in the driveway, walks and patios.
5) Caulk around windows, trim, door frames and the chimney.
6) Paint any weathered exterior wood.
7) Point up any failing mortar joints in brick and block.
8) Make sure the crawl space is accessible and is dry with a vapor barrier present on the ground.
9) Check all the windows and door to ensure proper operation and repair any cracked glass.
10) Test all GFCI outlets for proper operation.
11) Test all plumbing fixtures to make sure there are no current leaks.
12) Replace regular outlets to GFCI outlets near all water sources especially bathrooms and kitchens.
13) Clear access to the attic, crawlspace, heating system, hot water heater and the garage.
14) Replace or clean the filter to your HVAC system.
15) Make sure all the utilities are still on for the inspection.
These items will help you avoid many of the small issues we as inspectors see daily and can delay the closing of your home.
Did you know that the United States only makes up 5% of the worlds population but uses 25% of all natural resources. 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is just 28%. Protecting the environment is on everyones mind and is now becoming a key factor in all areas of real estate. It is inspiring home buyers, architects and builders to re-purpose or reuse older structures and materials. Everything from reusing doors and lights fixtures to recycled products such as mantels, salvaged wood, tiles and flooring products. Outside the house, xeriscaping is taking over as the preferred landscaping technique preserving our local water resources. Utilizing native plants and water wise landscape designs that optimize local conditions held reduce the need for watering, prevent soil erosion and will lower your maintenance costs.
Here are some simple tips to implement the three R’s in your household:
- Buy only what you need and use what you buy. Our landfills are full of items that still have a useful life. If you can use it pass it along to someone who can.
- Make wise “package” choices. Product packaging accounts for 33% of our trash. Select products that are not wasteful in their packaging.
- “Pre-Cycle” by selecting only products that are packaged using readily recyclable materials.
- Start a garden, food that is grown in your own back yard doesn’t have to be processed, packaged and shipped.
- Start a compost pile to go along with your garden.
- E-Cycle. Discarded electronic equipment is constantly being dumped into our landfills and the speed with which technology is becoming obsolete makes this a major issue. E-cyclable items include: televisions, computers, microwaves, telephones, cellular phones, stereos, VCR’s and DVD’s.
We can all make a difference by taking on the challenge of respecting the environment for the generations to come. Visit earth911.org for more information on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
This is the questions my clients routinely ask during the inspection process. “How old is the air conditioner and how long will it last?” or “How old is the roof and how long will it last?” Buyers want to know the average life expectancy of various home components and appliances. In a list put out by the National Association of Home Builders, chimneys, fireplaces, brick veneers and brick walls can last a lifetime, due to the durability of the material. Natural Stone counter-tops will also last a lifetime if treated with reasonable care. But what about other housing materials, as well as the appliances contained within the home?
Starting in the yard, buyers can expect trees that are properly planted and cared for in the yard or in the terrace along the street to live between 100 and 200 years, some lasting as long as 300 years. Unfortunately, the actual average life span of a tree in a residential urban setting may be only 32 to 37 years. The longevity of shrubs and bushes can vary widely, depending on several factors, including climate and species. One species of long living bushes is the American Holly, with a life span of 150 to 200 years. Annuals typically only last a season, but perennials will have a lifespan of at least 2 years. However, some may bloom twenty years or longer.
Moving to the driveway, both asphalt and cement driveways should last between 15 and 20 years. Driveways constructed using clay pavers should last the lifetime of the home.
What about the deck? Well, the deck will probably last longer that the buyers live in the home. The latest statistics show that the average owner will remain in the same home for between seven and ten years. The wooden deck will last ten to fifteen years.
When selecting new exterior doors, buyers may want to consider this. Fiberglass and wooden doors should last the lifetime of the home, while a vinyl door will last twenty years.
Moving inside, we can start in a kitchen filled with appliances. A good rule of thumb about appliances is this - the life expectancy of a typical appliance depends to a great extent on how it is treated. Also, buyers should keep in mind that they may tire of the style, color or functionality of an appliance and replace it long before it wears out. Here is how long appliances should last. A gas stove will have the longest life expectancy - 15 years. Dryers and refrigerators last about 13 years. Appliances with shorter life spans are: compactors(6 years), dishwashers(9 years), and microwave ovens(9 years). Kitchen cabinets will long outlast appliances. Buyers could be looking at them for fifty years or longer.
But what about a component in the home that’s used thousands of times a day? That’s right - the floors. Here’s how a new homeowner can expect the floors to hold up. All natural wood flooring’s have a life expectancy of 100 years or more, and so do floors made of marble, slate, and granite. Vinyl floors can last up to 50 years, linoleum about 25 years, and carpet between eight and ten years, depending on the traffic pattern in the home.
Summer is not too far off, and buyers may be wondering if the older air conditioning unit will hold up. Again, it depends on how well it’s been maintained, as well as how old it is. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems require proper and regular maintenance in order to work efficiently, but even in the best case scenarios most system components survive around 15 years.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, most smoke detector manufacturers now indicate a maximum service lifetime of 10 years for their products. As for a carbon monoxide detector, it needs to be replace every 5 years, unless the manufacturer recommends sooner. In any event, homeowners should always follow the manufacturers instructions for replacement. For any home that doesn’t come with owner manuals, most manufacturers websites have them available for download.
What about the roof? Slate, copper and clay/concrete roofs have the longest life expectancy - over 50 years, while roofs made of asphalt shingles last for about 20 years. Roofs made of wood shakes can be expected to last for about 30 years.
Finally, how long will you have to stare at the walls? A long time! Walls and ceilings should last the full life span of the home. Of course, there are many more materials and components that to into constructing a home. If you ever have a question about home construction or something inside the home, you know who to call. Ty Kirkpatrick at TEK Inspections, 775.746.4990.
Real estate professionals, home inspectors and mortgage lenders alike await the arrival of spring with great anticipation. We know the majority of our business for the calendar year will take place in the next six months while the housing is ripe. More than ever, sellers will need to do everything to make their homes stand out fromt he competition. For years, real estate agents have encouraged clients to make necessary home repairs before the home is marketed so that when a buyer comes along and as offer is made, the buyer’s home inspection reassures the buyer that they are purchasing a good home. When a seller follows sage advice, everyone wins.
Still some sellers are reluctant to invest money for a home inspection because of the “What if” questions: “What if the inspection turns up something major?” or “What if I hire an inspector and they find nothing wrong?” If the home inspection reveals major problems, the seller has the option of correcting the problem or obtaining a few estimates for the repair, adjusting their asking price and informing the buyer about the problem. The seller is going to learn about the problem, either from the inspector they’ve hired or they’ll learn about it after the buyer has had the home inspected. The seller is in a much better position to address any problems before the sale is in progress.
If the home inspection reveals only minor problems or a perfectly maintainted home, it was still money well spent. The seller now has bragging rights. Prospective buyers are likely to find a pre-inspected home more attractive because a “what if” fear of their own is greatly reduced. Sure, the buyer will probably have the home inspected again, but the seller knows it’s unlikely the condition of the home has changed since the first inspection. With more and more sellers choosing to have their homes pre-inspected, everyone wins.
Almost every homebuyer hires a home inspector. Contrary to what some people might think, home inspectors do not squash real estate deals. Deferred home maintenance and the inability of a buyer and seller to reach an acceptable agreement to cure the defect is what spoils the deal. Not so long ago home inspections were requested only by buyers, but times are changing. The number of requests from sellers is steadily increasing. Real estate transactions are closing with less stress to both the buyers and sellers because problems in and around the properties being sold are addressed by the seller before the home is advertised to potential buyers.
The presale home inspection provides sellers with a report of any items likely to be revealed by the buyer’s home inspection. This gives the seller the opportunity to find adequate, affordable remedies to correct problems in advance and avoid haggling with the buyer and possibly losing the sale.
The most common problems found during a home inspection are improper grading and drainage around the exterior, problems with the electrical system, such as insufficient overload protection, “double taps”, or amateur wiring. Mechanical problems within the heating/air conditioning systems and roof damage are also common. Although these problems are not usually expensive to correct, they may chase a buyer away.