Home inspections are a relatively new invention when compared to real estate in general. Until a few decades ago, buyers either had a working knowledge of homes and possible defects to look for, or they went into a sale hoping not to inherit someone else’s problems. But while official home inspections evolved to help eliminate […]
Home Inspector Advertising Can Make or Break You
It’s tough enough to start and run a business on your own. But factor in the occasional unhappy customer and our litigious society where almost everything that makes a person unhappy is deemed worthy of legal action, and you have a recipe for trouble. Doing a thorough job on every inspection is always important. But […]
Expert Interview with Brittney Gordon on the ENERGY STAR Program
Energy efficiency is a top priority for homeowners today. A 2013 survey by the Demand Institute found that in the previous five years, 90 percent of households had taken some measure to reduce energy consumption. That same poll found that while 71 percent of U.S. households believe energy efficiency is important, just 35 percent said […]
Expert Interview with Alyssa Furtado on Tools for Home Buyers
Today’s homebuyers are savvy. They spend a lot of time researching online before they jump into anything – especially big investments like real estate. So everyone in the real estate business – from agents to inspectors to attorneys – should make sure to have some sort of digital footprint. “It might be foreign for most […]
4 Ways to Determine the Age of a House
The general age of a house might be obvious to you. Then again, it might not. Where you can reasonably assume that a house in a new development was built within the last few years, it’s not as easy with older properties. The reason why it’s important to know the age of a house, […]
Is There a Niche for Green Home Inspectors?
The green movement affects almost every aspect of the real estate industry. There’s green building materials, green energy, and even green decorative paint. In a world where ecologically sound materials and components are increasingly important, there might be a niche for you to broaden your reach. Here are a few reasons why expanding your […]
Common Defects Found in Older Homes
New homes aren’t perfect, but older homes sometimes have special issues. And some of those issues carry a health or safety risk. All hazards are important, but you should be especially aware of those that commonly plague houses built before the mid 1980s. Here are a few of the things that you should watch […]
Expert Interview with Paul Laurenzi Of Delmhorst Instrument On Using Moisture Meters For Home Inspections
According to an article for Homes & Gardens, moisture and drainage is the single most common problem found during home inspections no matter what the home is made of or where it’s built. Beyond that, sometimes you can’t even see the moisture. So how can you tell when walls, building material, or foundations have been […]
Can a Demo Show What Home Inspection Training is Like?
You’re interested in home inspection, but now comes the tricky part. Should you enroll at a brick and mortar school with class times and textbooks? Or should you think about the home inspection training course through ICA School? It’s natural to wonder about how effective online training is, especially since you’re on your own. What […]
Outline Your Home Inspection Service and Avoid Potential Lawsuits
You go to work, strive to do a good job, but sooner or later a home owner will probably blame you for something that’s beyond your scope of work or control. This can happen, even if you explained clearly on the front end what’s covered by an inspection and what’s not. The potential for lawsuits […]