Depending on where you work as a home inspector, air conditioning may be a standard part of every household, or it might be a fairly uncommon sight. In Florida, you can hardly live without it. But in Maine, the windows are the air conditioners. Air conditioning, however, is standard in enough homes to be included…
DetailsPeople love to use duct tape for a wide variety of purposes — even decorative — but this handy product was originally made to stop air from leaking out of the seams of ducts. As a home inspector, you are likely to frequently encounter homes with ductwork. The Department of Energy says most homes in…
DetailsElectricity is really handy, but it’s also dangerous. That’s why only licensed electricians are supposed to perform electrical work — to make sure it’s safe. But you can’t see the wiring inside the walls, ceilings, and floors, so the best way you can make sure a home’s wiring is safe — outside of checking the…
DetailsFurnaces 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…
DetailsThe 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…
DetailsYour 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…
DetailsProfessionals often look forward to industry conferences as a chance to get away, learn something new, meet others and have fun. Any organization that hosts a conference is challenged to meet everyone’s expectations on each of these levels. It’s hard work and takes months of planning to pull off. An accessible location needs to be…
DetailsThere’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…
DetailsMany 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…
DetailsMold 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…
Details