Every home inspector in the state of Texas has to perform a property inspection to meet the minimum standard of practice. I point this out, because you my find inspectors trying to convince you that their services are vastly different. This can be a true statement, but sometimes this may come across as misleading. I had a phone call a few weeks ago from a potential client who wanted to hire me. She already had an inspector look at the home, but there was a problem. Her inspector was too detailed, she felt, and this was causing problems with the sale. She thought that another inspector would produce a report that was not so detailed. Here was my problem: the details could very well be items that the state tells every home inspector to report according to the standards of practice. My report may not be that different. Considering this fact, if you are trying to compare Houston home inspection services, what do you need to examine?

What should be examined by the inspector? An inspection is an examination of the accessible parts, systems, and components of a home that results in a report of observed deficiencies. Accessible in this case relies upon the reasonable judgment of the inspector that he or she can approach, enter or view an item without undue hazard, without having to move large, heavy, or fragile objects, or without using specialized tools. The intention of the report is to let you know the condition of the home, while informing you of issues that might effect the home. The report is broken down into five general sections: Structural (including foundation, grading, drainage, roof covering, roof structure, attic, walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, stairways, fireplace, chimney, porches, decks, carports, and possibly other components attached to the home); Electrical (including service entrance, panels, branch circuits, connected devices, and fixtures); Plumbing (including water supply system, fixtures, drains, wastes , vents, water heating equipment, and hydro-therapy equipment); Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (including heating equipment, cooling equipment, duct system, chases, and vents); and Built-in Appliances (including dishwasher, food waste disposer, range hood, ranges, ovens, cooktops, microwave cooking equipment, trash compactor, mechanical exhaust vents, bathroom heaters, garage door operators; dor bell chimes, and dryer vents). Added to these five standard sections could be an Optional section, including lawn sprinkler systems, swimming pools, hot tubs, outbuildings, outdoor cooing equipment, gas supply systems, private water wells, private sewage disposal systems, whole-house vacuums, and other built-in appliances. All of these items are described in further detail on other parts of this site. This paragraph is giving you the clue as to what distinguishes one home inspection service from another, so let us delve deeper in order for you to know what to ask when looking for a home inspector.

Are there differences in what the service will examine? If you read the websites, you might be lead to believe that there could be differences. I did find a problem here that the consumer will have to investigate further. When I refer to a standard home inspection, I am referring to a home inspection which includes the five general sections mentioned. This may not always be the case with other home inspectors. First some background: when I first became an inspector, I was told by a few real estate agents that another firm was doing their home inspections much faster. Another inspector familiar with this firm told me that these inspectors would only investigate three systems: structural; electrical; and plumbing. In this way, they offered a much lower price, while also performing a quicker inspection. I was told this company called this their standard home inspection. Were they deceiving their clients? I do not know. The client enters into an agreement with the home inspector as to what he inspects. If the client wants the air conditioning system to be examined by a qualified professional, the home inspector could reduce his price not to include that system. Here is the problem: did you not want him to inspect that system, or did he tell you that it is not part of the report?  With this idea in mind, I checked what would be a standard part of the inspection. I found websites that did not include the five standard sections; other websites trying to make a big deal that they examine the five standard sections; and there were other sites that simply referenced a standard home inspection. There are also home inspectors who include optional systems as part of their standard home inspection. As for the sites that did not include all five sections as standard, other information on their site indicated that they did inspect all five standard sections and maybe more. This might be due to the fact that a person was hired to write the content for the site, and the company did not check what was written.  My advice: ask what is included in the inspection to check against the five standard sections.

Are you going to inspect that?  This paragraph is dealing with the concept of “accessible” as already defined. A few years ago, I saw a report that stated that it was unsafe to go up on the roof. There was a picture of the home, and my thought was that was not a dangerous roof. Later, I was asked to study another report, where a similar statement was made about a roof examination. This roof was one that I had climbed. Lastly, I was called into inspect another roof that an inspector had deemed unsafe, and I climbed to the top. Do I go on every roof? No.  There are times when I say that a roof is unsafe. A home inspector will go into different situations in each home, so he needs to determine what is accessible.The roofs may have been unsafe for those inspectors. Furthermore, if the kitchen sink is filled with cleaning products, would you consider this accessible or not? You could find reports that state this is both accessible and not accessible. Here is the problem: any home inspector called is going to state that he does a full examination, but they will also not know what they will encounter at the home, so they will use the term accessible to state where they will go. Considering my experience with other inspectors, I highlight that I go no the roof of a building, where they might not go onto the roof surface. Is this a false claim? I know that I will, and I know there is a chance that they may not, so the claim is not false, but this may not be a difference between me and another inspector. This is a difficult topic for the consumer to discover differences. My advice: 1) see if the website has sample reports to see what the home inspector has done on other jobs; and 2) ask questions to see how the inspector defines accessible.

Does a special tool mean a better job? You may have noticed that part of the definition of accessible is “without using specialized tools”. If you go through various home inspection websites, you will see references to the tools used. One site pictured standard tools for a home inspection, but they highlighted these tools as if this was special by including this picture on their home page. Other inspectors will tell you that you are missing out if the inspection does not include the use of an infrared camera. Let me relate this story to explain my feelings on the topic. I was asked to inspect a home, and an infrared camera had already been used to inspect this property. I noticed something strange with one of the air conditioning vents. Something did not look right, but nothing had been mentioned by the person who had done the infrared thermal inspection. In the attic, I found that there was no duct attached to this vent. There was no insulation around this vent either. This should have been caught by the thermal inspection. My point is that specialized tools are only as good as the operator.  My next point is that you may not need an inspection conducted by a person using a specialized tool. This is why the definition of accessible from the state makes that provision. In my example, the thermal inspection could reveal details that a normal home inspection cannot access. There is a twist for the consumer: is there an extra cost connected with using a special tool? I found that inspections using specialized tools either cost much more, or an extra charge was included for using that tool. My advice: if you as the consumer feels that a specialized tool will provide better information, then hire that inspector, but I would ask questions to see if you feel that the use of that tool will add value to the information provided by the inspector (in other words, is the idea of using a specialized tool simply a marketing ploy to charge more, or is it helping you understand your future home?).

Can a report be significantly different to effect your decision? In the end, the most important part of the inspection is the report. The consumer may be there for the inspection, but the report is the item used in negotiations. Because of its importance, the quality of the report becomes part of the home inspector advertising. What you will find when searching websites is commentary meant to encourage you to consider one report more valuable than another report. One difference mentioned is report length. One inspector touts that his reports are ten pages long, and he is focusing on the information that you need. Another inspector points out that his report is over thirty pages long, giving you detailed findings. The secret is that number of pages does not matter. It is the amount of information in the report and the quality of the content. I found that many inspectors use software to produce their reports. I am not against this practice, but I made a business decision to write my own reports. These software assisted reports are typically longer due to how the information is presented. If my fifteen page report and the over thirty page report were stripped of formatting techniques, such as font size and white spaces, our reports are around the same length. The question then becomes twofold. Does the one report contain more usable information over the other report? Is the report presented in a format that is easy for me to comprehend? That is a decision for each consumer to make. Before we continue, there is another advertised aspect of the report the consumer should consider: photographs. In my career, I have gone from not using photographs to including them. This was done because of decisions made about my own business. There are arguments against using photographs and for using them. For the consumer, you have to consider will the photograph help you. A potential client will ask me “do you take photographs”, but they never ask of what. Maybe they should. One report that I examined contained many photographs, but only about a quarter of them had anything to do with explaining an issue. There were photographs of the different rooms and equipment tags. If I inspected the Master bathroom, do you need a picture of the Master bathroom to prove that I went into that space? If I write down the information from the tag of a dishwasher, do you need a picture of the tag? What does that picture tell you? We are facing the same problem as with the content; is the picture provided useful to your understanding of an inspector’s finding? The reason that I began to include pictures in my report had to do with a desire to clarify my finding. Most home buyers are not going to wiggle their way through a tight attic space. On an inspection, I discovered that the builder had not properly insulated the attic to his own specification. I mentioned this fact, but he claimed that this could not be too bad, so he was going to ignore my finding. My statement could be doubted. By taking a photograph, the builder had to acknowledge that the insulation was not there. My goal is to take photographs of parts of the home that the buyer will not see, or to clarify a finding in the report.I do not take a picture of every issue. I do not know a way of showing that an appliance is not working through a photograph. My advice: find sample reports on the website or ask for sample reports to see if you find the report helps you.

My hope  is that my research can help you find the Houston home inspector that is right for you. Hopefully that will be me.If you are looking for what is the best value for you, then you need to find ways to discover these facts about the service provided.

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My impression is that the real estate market is good right now. When I speak to others in the industry, they often make similar statements. If you hear the news, you can find stories of an improving housing market. The real estate industry is upbeat. That is great, but does this translate to good news for sellers? Over the last year, I have seen more homes in my own neighborhood become rental properties. This is not always a good sign. There are several factors which induce owners to become landlords, so this might not be a standard to observe. I began paying attention to homes in neighborhoods that I frequent, and I felt that there was one trend that I spotted which could explain why a home is not selling: neglect.

    You want to sell your home, but you have already moved to your new home. You have your home listed with a real estate agency. Sometimes you think there is good interest in your home, since the agent has told you that people are coming to see the home. No one is making an offer though. Months begin to pass, and you are wondering why no offers are coming. You may need to understand a few things. When your home is first listed, agents looking for a home for their clients in a particular area will go to see the home with their clients. This may not mean that they were seriously interested. They wanted to know what was on offer. This flow may die out, once they know about your home. There may be so many houses available, that your home does not stand out. In fact, real estate associations keep track of how long it would take to several everything on the market. This number will be over six months. Sure, a neighbor managed to sell their home in a month, but that does not mean you will. What is happening to your house while it is sitting there vacant? That may play a factor if your home will sell.
    This is where the neglect trend may be a factor. I am watching one house where the owner did not spend anytime making repairs before the house went onto market. He quickly realized that he was not going to obtain his asking price, so he decided to go the rental route. This decision may have come quickly for him, since he already owned rental properties. The house went vacant again, but I noticed that this owner has taken a different tack this time. For the last month, the home has undergone a major remodel. I believe that he is preparing to sell. A client of mine this past weekend mentioned that he wanted the house perfect before he moved. He was concerned about the nail holes that the artwork would leave behind when the seller left. As a seller, you may find this to be unreasonable, but buyers do want a sort of perfect house. This leads me to the vacant home. Most vacant houses suffer from neglect in one form or another. I buyer may forgive seeing a small pile of fliers at the door, but other signs of neglect are harder to ignore.
    The photograph is from a front yard of a home for sale. The yard looked worse at one point. There is a home around the corner from this house that had the same problem, but now a yard crew arrives on a regular basis. I have noticed buyers checking out this house. The overgrown yard has kept buyers away from the home in the photograph, until recently. The funny thing to me comes in two parts. The owner came to this home, and the yard did not bother him. Picking up the mail and fliers was his only concern. There are neighbors with houses that look like junkyards, so maybe that is why he has a lack of concern. (Yes, there are some pretty bad looking homes directly near this house in what is a nice neighborhood with some gorgeous homes). His home has been on the market for around a year now. The second funny thing to me was that some buyers did come to the house. I was near, and the woman was speaking loudly into her cell phone: “We can get this house for cheap I’m sure. They (the sellers) don’t care none for the house.” Finally, the seller is attracting interest, but maybe not for the reason that he wants.
    What can you do to help sell your home? Home staging is always a great idea. A home that looks nice will attract more attention. Yards do not need to look like the Yard of the month, but they should look maintained. I would also suggest fixing obvious problems. If you have a lot of broken tile, that leaves an impression. Buyers may not be checking out a house like a home inspector does, but they are looking. Vacant homes can begin to smell if the air conditioning has not been running. Basic cleaning is the answer, along with basic yard maintenance. When the housing crash hit full stride in 2008, you could tell the foreclosures from the homes for sale by the owners. Foreclosures looked neglected. That is not the case anymore. Many lenders learned that if they want to obtain their money back, they needed to send in a crew to make the home look presentable, and keep it looking good. Currently, there are sellers that could learn this lesson.

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The following 6 point guide will help you decide which property investment is best for you.

3 Reasons Why New Property Provides the Best Returns

1. When you own an investment property you are able to claim depreciation of items such as dishwashers and washing machines. Carpeted floors and furniture all have relatively high rates of depreciation and when you own a new property you can claim higher rates on the depreciation of such. The amount of depreciation you can claim depends on the age of the property, so owning a new property will allow for better tax benefits from your investment.
2. Tenants will often prefer to move into a new property rather than an old one. If you are buying to rent then a modern property has a greater appeal. Particularly in coastal areas overlooking the sea, modern properties will fetch a greater rental rates from tenants, making newer better.
3. There are now builder regulations in place which mean they must supply insurance for any properties they build. This means that if anything happened to the house then you would be covered. It also offers the opportunity to claim back from the builders if you discover that they have failed to meet the specifications of the build. This will provide you with peace of mind at being covered if you discover problems with your property after purchase.

3 Reasons Why Old Holds the Gold

1. When buying an older property it is important to consider the value of land and building costs in the area. You will find it easier to get permission for a renovation than for a complete rebuild. Managing this sensibly will enable you to create an instant equity increase on the property. Make sure you do the calculations to ensure you are going to come out with a greater equity increase than the value of the investment.
2. Older buildings amongst other older properties have a certain appeal because of the atmosphere. It is difficult to replicate the feel of an older suburb when creating new property areas. The appeal of the surroundings will ensure a maintained demand in the area which cannot be guaranteed in a new development.
3. Older properties often have hidden attractions which you would not find in a newer property. Elements such as solid oak flooring hidden under carpet could really increase the appeal and value of the house. When looking to buy an older property, ask questions about the original features and you may be able to unearth some hidden wonders.

The Research Element

When looking to buy any property it is always necessary to do a lot of research. This is often more true with older properties, but knowing the area, the potential for expansion nearby and the accessibility of the property, will place you in better stead to discover the best buy in your chosen area. Be sure to utilise property valuation software to discover the true value of a home before making any offers.

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There will come a time however, where you are either presented with an opportunity or you are in a financially stable situation, and you ask yourself: is it the right time to buy a house?

Here are some questions you need to consider that will help you determine whether buying a house is a good option for you.

1. Do you want to buy a house to be your home?

The first thing to consider is whether you want to buy a house so it can become your own home, or if this will be a rental or investment property.

If you are purchasing it to live in, owning it means you will have the control and freedom to add your own touches, to redecorate – and to repair anything promptly without having to wait on your landlord or real estate agent (always one of the main downsides to renting!).

Buying your own home will mean if needed, you can find other flatmates who can pay you rent to help pay off the mortgage, and will provide a form of financial security for you and your family. Be sure to use Property valuation software so that you can determine whether the home you are buying now really will pay off in the future.

2. Do you want to buy a house as an investment?

Perhaps you don’t wish to live in this house yourself, but see it more as an opportunity to get into the property market. Owning real estate can be a lucrative and inspiring way to save and make money: provided you have the dedication to learn and the patience to wait for the right opportunities.

Thinking about who you want your potential tenants to be – students, travelers, families – will determine where you look and what type of house you search for. Real estate development software and courses will help you learn how to spot a great investment.

3. Do you plan to move any time soon?

Buying a house – whether it is for you to call home or for investment purposes – is a significant long-term commitment. If you cannot see yourself being close to the area in where you have bought the home, or if you will be unable to visit frequently, then perhaps it is not the right time in your life to buy.

You need to be able to keep an eye on your property, or have someone you can trust to do this job for you. If you take the proper precautions now, you will not be one of those many horror stories where owners return from years overseas, only to find their tenants have destroyed their property.

4. Do you want to renovate, fix up, or change nothing at all?

Your budget will likely greatly influence your answer to this question. If you cannot afford to buy the dream house in its full glory, renovating or “fixing up” a property can be a tempting option.

If you decide to go down this route, then you are in for a fun, creative – but also lengthy process.

Please make sure you have worked out a budget for all the changes and renovations needed before you close the sale. You might discover it is worthwhile waiting another few years if the budget works out to be significantly more than you initially expected.

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Over the years, I have been involved with competitor analysis. Sometimes you might think this would be fairly obvious. Why would certain companies need to do competitor analysis. For example, why would one movie theater need to know the ticket price of another when most prices are so similar, and other factors, like location, may determine where you go? However, even movie theaters conduct competitor analysis on an ongoing basis. I keep track of my competitors, and once a year, I perform a more in depth analysis to create my plans. One aspect of this analysis is “what is a Houston home inspection cost?”

What are Houston home inspectors charging? My methodology was to look at the average square footage of homes that I inspected last year first. Home inspectors base their quotes on the square footage most often. I rounded this number to the closest one hundred. This gave me 2100 square feet. Since home inspectors will have different base prices, I looked at what would an inspector charge for a 2100 sq ft home. Prices were quite varied. I found the highest price at $500. The lowest price that I found this year was $250.I had someone report a $600 cost, but I have not verified that amount. If you were to randomly call a Houston home inspector, the price you are most likely to obtain is somewhere around $310 for my average home.
In previous years, I had found prices as low as $200. I did not find a home inspector offering that low price. I believe that they are still out there, but they may be harder to find. My services cost $250 for this square footage used in the study, and I have decided not to raise my price. Each inspector has to look at their own operating expenses and desired profit along with revenue trend to determine what they charge. Another factor for me is to examine my quote to conversion ratio along with comments made by potential clients. Although, as the year progresses, I may revisit this cost, I am finding this is the best price point for me.
Does a lower cost mean a cheap service? You may hear “do not use a cheap home inspector because you will be getting poor service”. I am not sure about that fact. In my next post based on my competitor research, I want to go into what that service entails. I was surprised  by some facts. What you may find is that some lower price services are not poor in quality. There are too many factors as to why an inspector will set a price, but it may be true to state that an inspector who has been in the industry longer can command the higher price. Does an older company history mean better service? Although I know some who will make that argument, I cannot support it. Customer expectations evolve, and not all companies evolve with them. Remember Google was not the first search engine, but for most users, Google has become the main search engine to use. In the future, another search engine meeting consumer desires may be the prominent firm.
I hope that there are other reasons to decide upon which home inspector to use besides cost. The purpose of this post is to give you an idea of what to expect when doing your own research.

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Below is a snapshot of current rate and term refinance Texas mortgage interest rates taken from the mortgage rate research web site, ForTheBestRate.com (9:52 AM MST 1/9/2012). Please visit the site for the criteria used in the survey. Mortgage rates are subject to change without notice.

30 Year Mortgage Rates
Quicken Loans: 4.000% Note Rate, 1 Pt, $1553 Fees, 4.149% APR
Amerisave: 3.750% Note Rate, .837 Pts, $1995 Fees, 3.902% APR
FFSI: 3.750% Note Rate, 1 Pt, $0 Fees, 3.832% APR

20 Year Mortgage Rates
FFSI: 3.750% Note Rate, 1 Pts, $0 Fees, 3.865% APR
EverBank: 3.625% Note Rate, 0 Pts, $852 Fees, 3.674% APR
AimLoan: 3.375% Note Rate, 1 Pts, $1995 Fees, 3.603% APR

15 Year Mortgage Rates
Quicken Loans: 3.250% Note Rate, 1.25 Pt, $1553 Fees, 3.547% APR
EverBank: 3.000% Note Rate, 0 Pts, $852 Fees, 3.061% APR
FFSI: 3.000% Note Rate, 1 Pt, $0 Fees, 3.145% APR

10 Year Mortgage Rates
EverBank: 3.000% Note Rate, 0 Pt, $852 Fees, 3.089% APR
Amerisave: 2.750% Note Rate, 1 Pts Pts, $1995 Fees, 3.172% APR
FFSI: 3.000% Note Rate, 1 Pt, $0 Fees, 3.211% APR

About the Author:

Nat Criss works with ForTheBestRate.com, a resource for searching current mortgage rates in your area.

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Maybe the tales of a Houston home inspector are not the standard for examining real estate trends, yet I feel that the year has shown positive signs. A few neighbors have asked me about my business outlook. Perhaps this is a way to judge if they should go into the market with their own home. That could be the first trend which I noticed: the hesitant seller. There are people who want to move, but they are waiting until the market appears better for sellers. The interesting aspect of this trend for home inspectors has been sellers wanting their homes inspected to deal with issues before a buyer comes into the picture.  When looking back at this year, I can say that it has been a good year for me, but not all real estate professionals. This leads me to consider other trends.
    Is that home inspector still in business? That real estate agent? The real estate industry might consist of more part time employees than other industries. You could have a job, and you could perform home inspections on your days off. I have seen appraisers do the same. I see people begin their careers as a real estate agents while still working another job. This is what makes the real estate industry a great industry for many. You can earn extra income. You can build your business while still having security. However, when the real estate market is bad, you do loose people. I have encountered home inspectors, as well as agents, who were full time going out of business. Mainly, I find people starting new business ventures to supplement their real estate business. I found my business increasing, so I did not have the time for a new business. I found other real estate professionals in my situation. We focused our business, and we found an increase when others complained how bad the market is. Basically, the firms left standing are doing business better.
    The buyer wants to spend their money wisely, and the real estate industry is responding. Sometimes I feel that professionals in my industry are paying lip service to the idea of providing value, but we are see changes that do help the consumer. Even before 2008, the consumer was gaining more information through the internet. Smarter consumers force businesses to be smarter.  Builders are constructing more efficient homes, which consumers see as a better value. Some real estate firms are letting consumers pick and choose what they want in the way of service, instead of simply charging them for everything. The consumer may be looking for the lowest price, but they do want to ensure that they are not cutting the corners too much. The recession added the information wise consumer more budget conscious, which means even more pressure on real estate professionals to do the job right.
    Green is better. This is not a surprise: consumers are considering value, and they are considering the cost of living in the home. The vague concept of a green home is linked to the concept of value. Vague? Yes, vague. There are different standards for defining a green home. Terms like “EnergyStar” and “LEED” carry a good deal of weight. The consumer is well aware of the EnergyStar brand, but honestly, the consumer does not understand many issues that people are using to define  an energy efficient home, since all of this is new. I thought everyone understood R-value in relation to the insulation in their homes, till I began lecturing homeowners on energy efficiency. At this time the consumer wants an energy efficient home, but as the information becomes more available to them, we will see more focus of clarifying what green means.
    Do I need a home inspector or energy rater? Home inspectors have become a fairly standard part of the home buying process. I had a good percentage of clients who did not use real estate agents this past year. (There were other clients who had agents, but the agents hardly seemed involved from my perspective). The home inspection became important, because the inspection was a way to ensure value. As the consumer begins to include the cost of living in a home into their purchase calculations, they are looking for ways to discover that data prior to the purchase. Energy raters may fill this need. I noticed more home inspectors are going after this certification. I am not sure that this will become the consistent choice of the consumer any time soon. Cost is still a driving factor for the consumer, and even though having inspections of your purchase helps ensure value, there comes a point where the cost of these inspections is too great for the average consumer. There is also a question of return on investment. Having good professionals conduct these investigations will uncover problems to save you money; however, the consumer might not have the funds to go after all of these inspections, and they may not realize the value. Energy raters will be the wave of the future, but home inspectors could begin to include this knowledge in their reports  to create value.
    With builder confidence rising, and my review of my own business, I have good feelings for the coming year. More home inspectors will leave the profession. This was a good year for me and others, but this is still not the best business climate for the real estate industry. I am feeling positive; however, lenders are making mortgages difficult to obtain (unless you have worked to meet the requirements), and foreclosures will continue to bring home prices down (this is good for the consumer if they can find the right home). We have to remember that the recovery in the real estate industry will take time.

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Several years ago a home inspector told me that he took two weeks to write a report. His reports were long, filled with quotes and diagrams. Another home inspector told me that his report was a checklist, which he gave to the client at the end of the inspection. His reports were obviously short. Here we have two extremes, so which one do you prefer? That is a bad question.  How long it takes to produce the report should not be our concern, but rather the quality of the content. Yet speed of report writing is still a bar by which we judge home inspectors. The irritation of some consumers did lead the state of Texas to make a requirement that reports should be produced within three days. This is fine with me, since I have always tried to produce a report quickly.

   When I first became a home inspector, I thought that producing a report at the end of the inspection would be a selling point. I had set up my report in a form format, and I would write them in a half hour. The problem with these reports were that they presented cold facts at their most basic. I came to realize that these reports did not help my clients. I did present a great deal of information to each client, but this was generalized, which had nothing to do with the specific home. I was still concerned with the idea of producing the report quickly; however, my desire to create better content was a more important driving factor. I found that writing my reports was taking two hours when an inspection lasted three. I added content that would help my clients, being common to every home inspection. The reports were still taking two hours. Oddly, I had a real estate agent criticize me for this two hours of writing. We live in an age of immediate gratification.
    The newest trend in home inspection reports is the use of software programs that produce the reports. The home inspector has to perform his investigation. He goes through a list of pre-written statements to fit his findings. There are often some spaces for personalization. I have known a few real estate agents to prefer these reports, because the automated format produces an easy to read list. I even had agents who claimed that this was a required aspect to a report. My question was if this way of producing reports was the best for my clients. I like the idea of the software, but I wanted better content, and I felt that writing my own reports was best for me.
    Having better content is the key to a good home inspection report. I began adding more items to my reports. I had reasons for not including photographs, but I found that certain photographs enhanced the report for the client. I expanded the informational sections of the reports. I created space to make it easier to read the report. This idea came from studying web design. I could write the report like my college papers, but a well designed appearance makes the information in the report easier to read. After a broker mentioned to me that clients did not always see my invoice at the end of the report, I added a table of contents. This is a breakthrough, since this could allow me to expand the information in a readable format that can allow the user to go to the appropriate section quickly. I am still tweaking these aspects of the report. The goal is to produce better content with better content delivery.
    These steps have increased the amount of time that I was taking to write the reports. Increasing work time does not seem logical from my standpoint as a business owner. More time on the job means lower profit. I decided upon a different approach to report writing. I began by writing the report backwards. I started filling in the information on the last pages. Afterwards, I would go back through the report in the standard order to check what I had written. This method forced me to edit. I had edited before, but this editing was done too quickly I discovered. Starting with the end of the report did not increase the report writing time, but I produced a better report. Still attempting to write faster, I added the idea of the information dump to my writing process. Instead of looking at my notes, I wrote everything from memory. When going back over the report in my editing process, I used my notes to fill out areas that I missed in my first draft. My report writing takes as long as my home inspection, and I am fine with this development.
     A home inspector’s goal should be the delivery of a report in a timely manner. If you are looking for an inspector, asking them how long it would take to produce the report is a valid question; however, asking questions that relate to the quality of the content would be better.

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I read a summary of a study done about the state of energy efficency in our homes. Most Americans want more efficient homes, because they want to reduce their energy bills. Most of us do one thing towards this goal, maybe two. We insulate; we caulk, sealing air gaps. Our bills see minor improvement, so we think this energy efficiency kick might not be worth it. If we are trying, we go for one more effort to reduce our electric bill: compact flourescent lighting. Sounds great. The electric bill still does not see much improvement. The study found to significantly reduce our bills that we need to do four things towards energy efficiency. I might suggest that youseal your air ducts.

   On one home inspection, I did not mind being in that hot attic, because I was feeling the cool breeze. The breeze was not from a windy day; the air duct had a hole. Cool air was gushing out. I have even found attics that were being cooled by ducts that were cut in half. I read a report that improperly sealed ducts cause 20% to 30% loss in energy efficiency. This is a large loss. Most of the leaking air is not from obvious holes or disconnected ducts, but from improperly sealed ducts. There is a new product on the market, which could be the best way to seal our ducts. The principle is simple. The substance is floated through the ducts, and clogs up the holes that it finds.  This is probably not a do it yourself method. My own method was to create a new sheathing to cover my old ducts. I have the older, rigid ducts in my home. Since they are not damaged, I do not need to replace them with the modern flexible ducts. I use a radiant barrier material for the sheathing. Here is how I install this sheathing:
1)I measure the size of the duct diameter. A flexible tape measure such as used by tailors works well. You can take a piece of string. Wrap it around the duct, marking the diameter.
2) While the radiant barrier is still in its original roll, I measure out the length of the duct, with an additional three to four inches for overlap. I cut the material with a handsaw.
3) I unroll the radiant barrier to wrap it around the duct. Here is the hard part. Your duct should be supported by straps, so the duct does not sit on the insulation. Lifting the duct up to slide the new sheathing through is not always an easy task, particularly in a tight fitting attic. I wrap around the straps. I cut slits into the sheathing material to fit the barrier on each side of the strap. I then use HVAC tape to tape up any openings. The overlap is pulled tight, and I tape the overlap with HVAC tape. Why HVAC tape and not duct tape. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and having the right material for the job ensures a better job. I am not sure why, but I have seen duct tape peeling off from ducts and plenums when used in this application.
4) The ducts obtain their conditioned air from the supply plenum. This is the big box after the evaporator coil (the metal box with a safety pan to catch water underneath it). Use the tape to seal the new sheathing to the plenum. If the plenum has leaks, you can use the radiant barrier as a new sheathing for this part of the system too. Remember to seal with HVAC tape.
5) The last step is often skipped when I find that ducts have been sealed during my home inspections. The duct attaches to a box for the vent into your room, called a register. The box will probably need a new sheathing or at least sealing with tape. When energy was cheap, builders and homeowners were not concerned if ducts had little insulation, or if there sealing was not entirely complete. If there were no obvious signs of problems, then they did not seal tightly.

The radiant barrier does act like an insulation. Most new homes have ducts with insulation that has a R-6 value. That is basic. A value of R-8 is better, and you can find this amount in new homes. The radiant barrier adds about this amount. In a climate like Houston, you may wish to go a bit higher in insulating value. You could add more insulation over the Radiant barrier if you want to go a little better. This would also have to be taped with the HVAC tape. My attic is a tight fit in several places, and this poses my greatest challenge. However, leaving the ducts unsealed is noticeable. Of the air ducts which I have sealed, I find the temperature coming out of the duct is hotter during heating months, and the temperature is cooler during the cooling months. I did not think that I had much of a sealing problem. I felt the problem in my case was poor insulation. What I discovered was that older ducts which may appear to be sealed well still need help.

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I do home inspections during the rain. I joke that it is the best time to find a leak, which does happen, but going up to the roof in the rain is not the safest proposition. I do not advise people to go on a roof during the rain, yet I have done so during inspections. The one benefit is that you begin to see what you suspected. Deflections in the roof sheathing do funnel water like a small creek, causing more damage to shingles in the “creek bed” than the surrounding surfaces. You can discover that your assumption about where sealing/caulking needs to be done was correct as you see the water hold on to vents or slight nail depressions. I also had an assumption about a particular type of plumbing vent confirmed.

    A builder thought that I was being too detailed when I made a comment about a plastic flashing on a plumbing vent. “Home inspectors have to find things to justify their cost, so they point out things that are not really problems.” (How many home inspectors have heard that line?) In this case, I had pointed out that the installation of a plumbing vent had been done incorrectly. The fix was not going to be too hard to accomplish, but this builder wanted to create the idea that I make a big deal out of nothing. I am sure that sellers looking at my reports could feel the same way as well. However, I know that small problems left untreated can lead to a big mess. When I do roof inspections, I do have the tendency to be wary of plastic flashing on plumbing vents, because I do find more leaks with them than I do with lead flashing on plumbing vents. Lead flashing is not perfect, but I encounter fewer problems with them. These newer style vents can be effected by bad installation or movement in the house.
    The main problem with the plastic flashing is that it does not last as long as lead flashing. The plastic relies on a tight seal on the vent pipe to stop leaks. This seal can break through exposure to the elements outside faster than the roof covering. The seal can also be damaged through excessive movement in the home. Another problem is that the bell part of the plastic can bend down to form a cup around the vent. This happens with a bad installation job, but I have seen this with movement or objects hitting the flashing. In the above photograph, I was on the roof during a rain. You can see a little pool of water being held in the flashing. This can begin to leak through the roof surface, down the vent pipe. Logically, I knew that this would happen, although I have had others tell me that I am making this up.
    How can I repair these plastic flashing pieces on a plumbing vent? I have seen the broken seals caulked, and this has worked. I have seen people use foam insulation on the interior, but this is a temporary fix. The best repair may be placing a new plastic cover over the older one, gluing the cover on with caulk. As for this cup effect seen in the photograph, I would suggest going into your attic. From below you can push the flashing back up into place. Then you can check for traces of light, which will show you there is a gap (the pvc vent pipes will glow with the sun light). Gaps can be caulked on the roof. Pulling this flashing bowl up form above may lead to more problems. You may not see the gaps, so that is why repairing from the attic would be better.
    I am sticking with lead flashing, but I know the plastic flashing is here to stay. I am sure that this type of flashing will improve over time. I do feel that this something homeowners or home buyers should check. This can happen to these vents at any time, and a small leak left unrepaired could lead to more damage than you may expect.

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