​Have you moved into a brand-new construction home within the last year?  No doubt you are enjoying the benefits of such a move, after all, many people love the idea of being the first to live in a home, one that they can design to fit their needs.
 
Most building contractors will provide a 1-year warranty with their new constructions, which means you can enjoy the security of knowing that any issues to do with the construction will be covered for the first year.  What about after the year though?  What if you are unaware that there are some issues with the home?  It would not be good to find these problems after the warranty has expired.
 
This is where an 11-month home inspection proves to be very valuable.  This short video will highlight the advantages to getting this kind of inspection performed on your new home.  If you have more questions on this subject or would like information on any home inspection issue, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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If you are buying a home you, no doubt, cannot wait for the day when the title and keys are handed over to you.  This is known as the closing.  But, you will also be required to pay various fees known as closing costs.  These costs can really add up, in fact they average around two to four percent of what you pay for the home.  What exactly are you paying for with these closing costs?  Here are a few examples:


When buying a home from someone, it’s necessary to make sure the person selling the property legally owns it, and that there are not pre-existing liens, so a title search is carried out.  It’s a good idea to obtain purchase title insurance as this will protect the buyer from any mistakes that may occur from the results of the title search.


An appraisal has to be carried out on the property to see what the value of it is.  This is so that the money being lent is not more than the property is actually worth. 


If the home being purchased is part of a HOA neighborhood, you will need to pay up front for the rest of the years fees.  Property taxes will also need to be paid.


You will also need to have a home inspection performed on the property to ensure it is structurally sound and to make sure there are no hidden problems with the home.


While these are only a few of the closing costs that you will have to pay when buying a home, it’s good to have an idea ahead of time of what is involved when purchasing a home, especially if you are a first-time buyer.

Due to its hard wearing, durable nature, and easy to clean surface ceramic tile has become a great option for use in many floors of the home.  Although ceramic tiles are very hardy, as is the case with most kinds of building materials, they can start to develop various issues over time.  These issues will vary likely need attention.  What are some of the problems that we might encounter with ceramic tile?


Ones of the most common problems are cracks in the tiles, particularly in areas that experience extremes in temperature.  This is because the home can start to expand or contract depending of the temperature, causing cracks in the tile.  Other reasons for cracks in ceramic tile can be incorrect installation of the tiles, and most commonly simple wear and tear.  Small cracks can be repaired using a little grout, but if the cracks are a bit too big to fill in this way, they will most likely need to be replaced.


Problems with the grout is another issue that can require maintenance.  It’s common to see grout starting to crack, crumble or become discolored.  This can happen if the grout has not been correctly sealed, so it will start to absorb moisture.  Moisture prone areas of the home such as bathrooms will likely experience these kinds of issues with the grout.  In cases where the grout becomes too bad, it will need to be removed and redone. 


Sometimes tiles will become uneven.  Although it will probably be very noticeable, its good to have a good check to see if there are any uneven areas.  The cause of this is usually that they have not been installed correctly and will need to be redone.


As we can see, ceramic tiles do need some maintenance from time to time, but they are still a good and durable flooring option.

​When we think about it, most things benefit from an annual checkup.  In some cases, our cars for example, the law requires that we have them inspected once a year to make sure they are in good order.  Is it unreasonable then, to thing about how our home would benefit from a yearly checkup?  After all, it is in constant use.
 
Our video this month shows why it is such a good idea to get an annual inspection done on your home.  We want to make sure your home is in the best shape for you and your household, so that it can continue to be the haven it should be.  In the long run, you may even be saving money by seeing a problem before it becomes a huge expense.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or to schedule a home inspection with an InterNACHI Certified Home Inspector.

When taking a walk through a house for the first time, you probably have a lot of questions and you may not know what are the right questions to ask.  Well, walking through each area there are some things that you can check to find out the basic functions of the house.  Let's focus on one area of the house, the kitchen.   

When doing an overview of the kitchen, the first place you want to go to is the sink.  Run the water and check the temperature of the hot and cold water.  You can also plug the drain, filling it up and then unplug it to let it drain out to see how the drains are working in that area of the house, if there are any strange sounds or if the water wasn't draining quick enough, you want to take a mental note of it.  Check to see if the water seems to be flowing freely. 

Also, check under the sink, are there any leaking pipes?  Is there any sign of water damage?  Is there a dishwasher next to the sink? If so, do the walls of the cupboard look they have been damaged by water? 

A dishwasher is a desirable feature to the kitchen but if they are old or if they haven't been installed properly it could mean that water is flooding the kitchen floor or there is a leak in the inner walls.  This would lead to the growth of mold or rotting floorboards.  
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These are just some basics when walking through the kitchen of a home for the first time.

With the new year just around the corner, perhaps you’re thinking of next years home projects.  If you have a home with well water, it would be good to add to the project list getting your well water inspected.

Why should you have well water tested?

We have a short video to help you get a better understanding of why it is so important.  The health and safety of you and your household is of utmost importance, and a crucial part of staying safe is ensuring you have drinking water free of contaminates.

If you would like more information on well water testing, please feel free to contact us.

​When acquiring a brand-new home many people are surprised to find out that a home inspection is necessary even when the home has never been lived in.  The same is true if you are building a new home along with a contractor.  Although all of the materials that the home is built with have never been used, there can be a lot of issues and problems that arise.

Even with newly-built homes, there can be defaults and things that go wrong.  In a newly-built house, we can still find leaks, faulty electrical connections, and wires.  Also, remember that the home has most likely been used to some extent by the workers in it.  Has the sink been used to clean tools?  The outlets and electricity to power machines?  All of these things can lead to risks and problems if not checked and looked after.

Also, before installing finishes or drywall we can do an inspection before our final one.  When the structure, pipes, and wires are still exposed we can see the bones of the house and really get a good look at the quality of the work and the potential risks there could be.  When we see all of the work being done it's much more difficult to hide the defects in the house.

​So we hope you remember to call before the new home you are building is finished, and we can help you through the process.

When it comes to the construction of new homes, there is always a lot of discussion regarding the many energy saving practices available nowadays. For a large portion of us though, we live in a much older home that was built way before any of these new innovations existed. Does that mean that there is no way to be energy conscious in our older home?

For many of us it might be surprising to learn, that older homes can be very energy efficient, in some ways more so than even new homes. How so? Lets consider a few of these ways:

Many more historic homes were constructed using brick or masonry. Walls constructed with these types of materials are usually very thick and are good at retaining heat.

Unlike in modern homes today, which often have more windows than is needed, just because they look good, historic homes have windows that were positioned for maximum light efficiency and ventilation. This makes them more energy efficient. Windows in historic houses were often designed to have shutters, curtains and drapes, which keep windows better insulated.

In warmer areas of the country, exteriors of older homes were painted with lighter colors in order to reflect the hot sun. This makes the interiors cooler.

Many historic homes that were built in hotter parts of the country were also built with features such as porches, exterior balconies, wide roof overhangs and well positioned trees good for shade.

If you have the joy of living in a historic home, why not look at its various features to see if they are automatically energy efficient?

Whether a professional or amateur DIY enthusiast, ladders are a very useful tool. We can all purchase one, but does that mean that we know how best to use one and be safe?


Over 164,000 injuries are caused each year in the United States alone because of using a ladder incorrectly or unsafely. Unfortunately many have been fatal, so how can we keep safe on a ladder?


A few important safety tips to keep in mind:
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• Its very annoying to have to always climb up and down the ladder, just to move it a little bit, but its essential to do so. Overreaching on a ladder could prove fatal.
• Make sure your ladder is in a safe and secure position before ascending it. If it is uneven or wobbly, do not ascend it.
• Don't place ladders in doorways that have an unlocked door, or one that is in constant use.
• Maybe you are very confident on a ladder, but this is when you should be even more careful. Skipping any rungs on the way up or down is very dangerous. You could easily loose your balance.
• Interestingly the majority of people who die from falling off a ladder, fall from 10 feet or less, so be aware of becoming over confident as you are near the bottom of the ladder.
• It is ill advised to leave a ladder unattended. It is also not advisable for anyone to use a ladder that they have not secured themselves.
• This may seem an obvious point, but as tempting as it may be to use a ladder for a different purpose than for that which it is intended is a bad idea. Using a ladder for such things as a ramp or for holding building materials can be very dangerous.

We want you all to be safe when using a ladder, please contact us with any questions.

In our last article, we looked at the potential causes of air pollutants in our home. In this article, we will look at ways to reduce and treat these pollutants.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Make sure when using gas or kerosene heaters or even stoves etc that the room is well ventilated, try opening a door or window so that fresh air can flow throughout the room, as these appliances can release carbon monoxide into the air.

• When using cleaning chemicals in the home, try to avoid using aerosols and opt for nontoxic cleaners, also make sure you read the instructions on the bottle to make sure you use them in the appropriate way.
• If you have pets in your home, make sure to vacuum and clean regularly, especially in areas where your pets sleep etc. Bathe and groom your pets on a regular basis.
• Certain types of new furniture and soft furnishings contain formaldehyde and can release formaldehyde gas, try to ventilate the area. Hang your curtains and soft furnishings in a well ventilated space at first to air them out.
• If you're a smoker, try and smoke outside as the smoke from tobacco contains harmful chemicals.
• Areas that can be prone to mold and damp (such as basements) should be inspected regularly. Your home inspector can help you with this.

As you can see, there are many ways we can improve the air quality in our home. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have regarding the quality of air in your home.