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The main web site has over 130 Safety, Maintenance and Real Estate tips for the new buyer.
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Buyers Real Estate and Home Inspection Tips
Main Water Valve LocationEveryone in the household should know where to shut off the water to the house in case of a water leak. Knowing where the main valve is located can save a lot of money in water damage. Our inspectors will show the buyer where the main valve is located. Another good idea is to put a tag on the valve that the valve is the main valve and turning the valve shuts off all the water to the house. In an emergency people are afraid to turn valves unless they know exactly what the valve controls and for that reason write on the valve tag exactly what the valve controls .Needless to say the main valve should be easy to turn in an emergency there no time to go looking for a pliers to turn off the valve. Another good tip about the main valve is that it’s advantages to have it located in an easy access area. For example if the valve is located in back of a dark crawl space, women and children are not going to crawl in the crawl space to look for the valve. I know one lady after she hard a very expensive water damage incident when a large leak developed and no one could find the main valve that was located in the back of the crawl space. Well after the plumbing repairs were made she had the main valve piped up to the main floor and installed in a closet. She then had everyone in the household instructed where the valve was located and how to turn it off in case of water emergency. Two years later a water emergency did developed and the damage was kept to a minimum because the water was turned off right away.
Article by Gerald
Member of NACHI and NJ-ALPHI
Things You Should Know Before Buying Real Estate
Article By Gerald Warren
The following are two quick stories about permit problems as related to construction and a plumbing update, both installed without permits.
ATTIC PROBLEM - Edison, New Jersey: A woman bought an older colonial that was in really good condition, the previous owner was an excellent carpenter that kept the house well maintained. About a year after she moved in, she decided to finish the attic area and applied for a permit. When the township inspector came to the house to inspect for the permit he gave her some shocking news. The two window dormers in the attic were illegal construction; no permits were obtained for their construction. The inspector informed her that the construction of the dormer did not meet code and would have to be re-framed. Needless to say, the seller was nowhere to be found and the re-framing of the dormer to meet code was a substantial added expense
PLUMBING PROBLEM - Dunellen, New Jersey: A retired lady decided to sell her house and move to another state where she had children living. The realtor found a good buyer and everything was going along smoothly until the township inspector arrived for the certificate of occupancy inspection. The inspector found all new plumbing had been installed without a permit. To obtain a C of O the woman would have to take out a plumbing permit and have a licensed plumber certify the plumbing. It seems that the plumbing nightmare began when her brother , a licensed plumber, did the complete job without a permit and passed away without ever getting the permit. The woman did get a plumber to certify another plumber's work; a task which was very expensive and not easy. Needless to say, the hold up for the C of O affected the mortgage rate, the commitment, the attorney's closing date, and the movers moving date. VACANT HOUSE PURCHASE - The following are some special cautions to take when buying a vacant dwelling:
1. Ensure that all the utilities are turned on and functional. Make sure the water, electric and the heating system are functional before ordering a home inspection. If any one of these systems is not functional at the time of inspection, the house should not be inspected. To purchase a home without a through inspection of any one of the utilities could lead to some very expensive repairs. For example, if the water is not turned on, none of the plumbing, the bathrooms, the hot water heater, the dishwasher, the kitchen sink and possibly the complete heating system can not be inspected. The home inspector is only responsible for what can be inspected the day of inspection. If he has to return to inspect something that was not available for inspection at the time of inspection, there is an extra charge.
2. Many times vacant houses have been vacant for a long time and are sold at what appears to be a great price. However, vacant houses sometimes develop some hidden problems that eliminate the savings. Some hidden problems may be:
a. Broken or leaking pipes in the wall that are not visible
b. Sheet rock or plaster damage to the walls or ceilings caused by improper heating. (If the house was not being heated and the house interior temperature dropped to the freezing point, the result can be some serious damage.)
c. Animals, such as squirrels, birds, or raccoons, have moved into the attic.
To be sure that the bargain price on a vacant house is really a bargain, we have two recommendations: First, get a good home inspection, and second, get exact repair cost of any repairs that the inspector recommends. In other words, don't guess at repairs for which there could be hidden costs.
3. A house that has been vacant for a long time (over a year) one should really try to find out why it remained vacant for so long. One should investigate the following:
a. Was the house over priced? Houses that are priced right usually sell.
b. Is it an estate sale? Most times the house can't be sold till the estate is settled.
c. Is there a structural problem?
d. Is there an environmental problem? A vacant house with a water leak is a prime candidate for mold.
e. Has there been an environmental clean up from a leaking in ground oil tank?
f. Is there a termite damage problem? TERMITE INSPECTION - Never, never, never, buy a house in New Jersey without having a good thorough termite inspection. Eight out of ten houses we inspect have some type of termite damage. However, most of the time the damage we find is minor and can be fixed for a few hundred dollars. The houses with the serious damage are usually houses that have water penetration problems and have not been properly maintained. The following is some good information about termites and the termite inspection:
1. Don't panic and lose a good house because it has termites. As mentioned earlier, usually the termite damage can be repaired and with the modern termite treatment termites are easy to eliminate.
2. Check with your mortgage company and find out if you need a clear termite certification to obtain a mortgage particularly if you are buying a condo. Most condo associations will repair any termite damage, but will not give a clear termite certification required by the mortgage company. The catch 22 is that you may find yourself in a situation where you're buying a condo located on the second floor where you know there are no termites, yet the mortgage company wants a clear termite certification. If you find yourself in this position, hire a termite inspector and get the clear termite certificate.
3. Always have a house inspected for termites and always hire your own termite inspector. The seller may have a termite treatment contract and insurance policy but that doesn't mean there is no damage. It is not uncommon for a dwelling to have termite damage that has not been repaired even though there is a treatment contract and insurance policy. We also suggest that you, the buyer, read the disclosure statement to see if any termite repair work was done, and, if so, how extensive was the repair.
RADON - First of all, I recommend that you don't terminate the purchase of a good house over a high radon reading. Simply defined, radon gas is a natural form of radioactive gas, which is developed by the decay of granite rock and certain soils. As per the EPA, if the radon level in the home is equal to or greater than 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) it is dangerous to your health. The radon test is conducted in the lowest living level of the house and the basement is considered a living level. Years ago, when radon was first discovered, the installation of a radon venting system was very expensive, and a house with high radon was hard to sell. Today the cost of a radon venting system is very reasonable and appears to have little or no effect on the resale value of a house. In other words, don't let a high radon level stop you from buying a house, but you would certainly want the seller to pay for the venting system. The exact price of a radon venting system, (mitigation system) varies according to the size of the house and whether or not the house has a sump pump or French drain. However, to give the reader an idea of price, the average cost is between fifteen hundred ($1500) and two thousand ($2000) dollars. All this can be summarized by saying that once a proper venting system is installed in a house with high level of radon, that's the end of the radon problem.
Article by Gerald Warren
All About Clark NJ 07066
Things You Should Know Before Buying Real Estate
Article By Gerald Warren
The following are two quick stories about permit problems as related to construction and a plumbing update, both installed without permits.
ATTIC PROBLEM - Edison, New Jersey: A woman bought an older colonial that was in really good condition, the previous owner was an excellent carpenter that kept the house well maintained. About a year after she moved in, she decided to finish the attic area and applied for a permit. When the township inspector came to the house to inspect for the permit he gave her some shocking news. The two window dormers in the attic were illegal construction; no permits were obtained for their construction. The inspector informed her that the construction of the dormer did not meet code and would have to be re-framed. Needless to say, the seller was nowhere to be found and the re-framing of the dormer to meet code was a substantial added expense
PLUMBING PROBLEM - Dunellen, New Jersey: A retired lady decided to sell her house and move to another state where she had children living. The realtor found a good buyer and everything was going along smoothly until the township inspector arrived for the certificate of occupancy inspection. The inspector found all new plumbing had been installed without a permit. To obtain a C of O the woman would have to take out a plumbing permit and have a licensed plumber certify the plumbing. It seems that the plumbing nightmare began when her brother , a licensed plumber, did the complete job without a permit and passed away without ever getting the permit. The woman did get a plumber to certify another plumber's work; a task which was very expensive and not easy. Needless to say, the hold up for the C of O affected the mortgage rate, the commitment, the attorney's closing date, and the movers moving date. VACANT HOUSE PURCHASE - The following are some special cautions to take when buying a vacant dwelling:
1. Ensure that all the utilities are turned on and functional. Make sure the water, electric and the heating system are functional before ordering a home inspection. If any one of these systems is not functional at the time of inspection, the house should not be inspected. To purchase a home without a through inspection of any one of the utilities could lead to some very expensive repairs. For example, if the water is not turned on, none of the plumbing, the bathrooms, the hot water heater, the dishwasher, the kitchen sink and possibly the complete heating system can not be inspected. The home inspector is only responsible for what can be inspected the day of inspection. If he has to return to inspect something that was not available for inspection at the time of inspection, there is an extra charge.
2. Many times vacant houses have been vacant for a long time and are sold at what appears to be a great price. However, vacant houses sometimes develop some hidden problems that eliminate the savings. Some hidden problems may be:
a. Broken or leaking pipes in the wall that are not visible
b. Sheet rock or plaster damage to the walls or ceilings caused by improper heating. (If the house was not being heated and the house interior temperature dropped to the freezing point, the result can be some serious damage.)
c. Animals, such as squirrels, birds, or raccoons, have moved into the attic.
To be sure that the bargain price on a vacant house is really a bargain, we have two recommendations: First, get a good home inspection, and second, get exact repair cost of any repairs that the inspector recommends. In other words, don't guess at repairs for which there could be hidden costs.
3. A house that has been vacant for a long time (over a year) one should really try to find out why it remained vacant for so long. One should investigate the following:
a. Was the house over priced? Houses that are priced right usually sell.
b. Is it an estate sale? Most times the house can't be sold till the estate is settled.
c. Is there a structural problem?
d. Is there an environmental problem? A vacant house with a water leak is a prime candidate for mold.
e. Has there been an environmental clean up from a leaking in ground oil tank?
f. Is there a termite damage problem? TERMITE INSPECTION - Never, never, never, buy a house in New Jersey without having a good thorough termite inspection. Eight out of ten houses we inspect have some type of termite damage. However, most of the time the damage we find is minor and can be fixed for a few hundred dollars. The houses with the serious damage are usually houses that have water penetration problems and have not been properly maintained. The following is some good information about termites and the termite inspection:
1. Don't panic and lose a good house because it has termites. As mentioned earlier, usually the termite damage can be repaired and with the modern termite treatment termites are easy to eliminate.
2. Check with your mortgage company and find out if you need a clear termite certification to obtain a mortgage particularly if you are buying a condo. Most condo associations will repair any termite damage, but will not give a clear termite certification required by the mortgage company. The catch 22 is that you may find yourself in a situation where you're buying a condo located on the second floor where you know there are no termites, yet the mortgage company wants a clear termite certification. If you find yourself in this position, hire a termite inspector and get the clear termite certificate.
3. Always have a house inspected for termites and always hire your own termite inspector. The seller may have a termite treatment contract and insurance policy but that doesn't mean there is no damage. It is not uncommon for a dwelling to have termite damage that has not been repaired even though there is a treatment contract and insurance policy. We also suggest that you, the buyer, read the disclosure statement to see if any termite repair work was done, and, if so, how extensive was the repair.
RADON - First of all, I recommend that you don't terminate the purchase of a good house over a high radon reading. Simply defined, radon gas is a natural form of radioactive gas, which is developed by the decay of granite rock and certain soils. As per the EPA, if the radon level in the home is equal to or greater than 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) it is dangerous to your health. The radon test is conducted in the lowest living level of the house and the basement is considered a living level. Years ago, when radon was first discovered, the installation of a radon venting system was very expensive, and a house with high radon was hard to sell. Today the cost of a radon venting system is very reasonable and appears to have little or no effect on the resale value of a house. In other words, don't let a high radon level stop you from buying a house, but you would certainly want the seller to pay for the venting system. The exact price of a radon venting system, (mitigation system) varies according to the size of the house and whether or not the house has a sump pump or French drain. However, to give the reader an idea of price, the average cost is between fifteen hundred ($1500) and two thousand ($2000) dollars. All this can be summarized by saying that once a proper venting system is installed in a house with high level of radon, that's the end of the radon problem.
Article by Gerald Warren
All About Clark NJ 07066
Grading and Draining
This is a quick overview of water drainage around the property.
The actual home inspection of a bathroom would take longer
than two minutes
Demonstrator - Home Inspector Gerald Warren
CLICK ON ANY MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION TIP BELOW FOR DETAILED BUYERS INFORMATION
This is a quick overview of water drainage around the property.
The actual home inspection of a bathroom would take longer
than two minutes
Demonstrator - Home Inspector Gerald Warren
CLICK ON ANY MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION TIP BELOW FOR DETAILED BUYERS INFORMATION
HOME BUYERS MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION TIPS
