Furnaces are a great invention. They heat our homes so well and so efficiently. But when something goes wrong with them, they can be dangerous. When you mix gas and air and fire, you have to do it right. When you’re inspecting a home with a combustion furnace, what should you look for to make…
The sale of homes through the Department of Housing and Urban Development is a bit different than homes sold by real estate brokers. HUD homes are houses whose previous owners couldn’t pay the mortgage, and they ended up in foreclosure. HUD homes are often considered bargains because the government wants to get rid of them…
Your home inspection courses taught you how to inspect an HVAC system, but you have likely learned in your work thus far that there are many variations among the systems in your area. HVAC — or as the masses know it, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning — are fairly modern inventions in the history of…
There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about “sick houses.” What are they, and how can we ensure that a house is healthy? While many inspection training programs touch on this concept, it’s worth a deep dive to understand just how dangerous an unhealthy home can be. Medicine Net says a house that…
Many professionals improve their knowledge and skills by reading literature relevant to their field. As a home inspector — or a home inspector to be — you can find lots of helpful and valuable information in the books and resources listed below. It’s exciting to embark on a new career, and it’s rewarding to learn…
Mold isn’t just ugly; it can be dangerous too. That’s why looking for mold is such an important part of a home inspection. Some mold can be cleaned up with bleach, but some is in the air, and you can’t even see it. Breathing in these mold spores on a daily basis, the way occupants…
Potential home buyers don’t want to see a cracked chimney. In fact, they probably don’t want to see cracks in anything in their home-to-be. But the reality is, cracks are part of most structures — concrete, brick, stucco, plaster, and more. Some are expected and inevitable. Some are just ugly. And some are dangerous. As…
Your home inspection training prepares you to be on the lookout for hazards and dangers of all kinds. But it’s not just your eyes you should be using during your home inspections. It’s your nose, too. You’re probably aware that you should note significantly musty odors in a home since they signify the possibility of…
Doing home inspections comes with its share of challenges. It isn’t usually dangerous — if you are careful — but it’s definitely not a cushy office job. Summer comes with its own set of pitfalls for home inspectors. And because it’s the busy season for real estate transactions, it’s also the busy season for home…
Mold has always been a part of life — since before life for humans even existed, according to the Smithsonian. But more attention is being paid to mold these days, due to the illnesses we have learned it can cause. According to the National Poison Control Center, mold is a nontechnical term for fungi that…
