Trust your real estae agent

Over the last few years many alleged real estate experts have written articles, blogs, posted websites etc... to discourage home buyers from using home inspectors referred by real estate agents. The alleged theory being that the agent will refer a crappy or worse dishonest inspector so that the sale will go through easier w/o a thorough inspection.

People hire a real estate agent for two reasons: to gain insight into the local real estate market and to guide them through the complexities of the home buying process including securing a mortgage, getting an appraisal, securing title insurance, the attorney review of documents and scheduling a home inspection. Most home buyers probably don't have these people lined-up and they rely on the real estate agent to refer professional and competent attorneys or mortgage brokers or home inspectors. My experience as a home inspector is that the great majority of real estate agents want you to do a good job for their client and will refer you based on competence and honesty.

Inspecting a Boiler

Keep the Attic Well Ventilated

The reality is that most people don't spend much, if any, time in the attic.  Those with pull down stairs may spend a few minutes a year lugging seasonal decorations up and down with barely a glance at the rest of the attic.  For those whose only access is a hatch needing a ladder for entry they may never see the attic.   In the course of my inspections I come across mold in the attic fairly frequently usually of the light and moderate variety but on occasion I find heavy mold infestation.  The homeowners are invariably surprised by the finding of the mold.  If you're going to sell the home and there is mold in the attic, any home inspector worth his salt is going to find it and in some fashion the mold will need to be dealt with.  The primary cause of mold in the attic is condensation from the warm and moist air in the home convecting up into an attic that does not have adequate ventilation.  Ideally the roof is ventilated from the soffits at the eaves of the roof up through to the ridge vents at the top of the roof.  That air flow keeps the underside of the roof cool and dry so that the mold spores don't have a chance to stick to a warm moist surface.
Besides a poorly ventilated roof a number of other factors can contribute to mold in the attic:

• A poorly insulated attic floor including air gaps around lighting, fans, plumbing and the attic entrance;
• Vents from the bathrooms, kitchen, and clothes dryer venting directly into the attic;
• Furnaces and uninsulated duct work located in the attic;
• Leaks from the roof, chimney, plumbing vents etc...

The vast majority of  mold found in attics is of the light or moderate variety and can be self-remediated or can be removed by a handyman.   Check the EPA website at epa.gov - keyword: mold for the proper clothing and cleaning supplies to remove the mold. If you have heavy mold infestation on the underside of the roof call a couple of mold remediation firms for estimates.  This could be quite expensive and I know a few clients who have replaced the roof including the plywood sheathing, and got a new roof with proper ventilation for less than the cost of the mold remediation.Remember a well ventilated roof is the key to keeping the attic moisture free.  If your home does not have soffit vents or is multi-peaked making it difficult to have an effective ridge vent consider adding powered vents.  Solar vents have been on the market now for a number of years and are easy to install, relatively cheap, need no electric power and last for about 20 years – a good alternative for keeping your attic moisture and mold free.

Limitations on Home Inspection

A Home Inspection has Limitations: The home inspection is a snapshot of the home and its systems on the day of the inspection. The home inspector cannot inspect areas hidden behind drywall and plaster (think fully finished basements and attics). Some areas of the home may be inaccessible or dangerous to get to. It is impossible to predict when a roof will start leaking or a furnace will quite (most likely on a single digit day).  A good inspector does the best he can by accessing as many panels, water closets, attics and crawls spaces and running all the major systems to assess the age and condition of the homes major systems.

Inspecting a sump pump

Why you need a Home inspection

Many home buyers don't have much experience with the inner workings of a house and those that do probably won't subject the home to a thorough inspection. The home is made up of some fairly complex systems.

If I'm buying a house, some of the things I would want to know:

• Is the plumbing galvanized steel?
• What's the condition of the roof?
• Is the electrical wiring dated?
• Is the attic ventilated and properly insulated?

Really the home inspection is a heads-up to the home-buyer for anything that might need repair now and may need upgrading or replacement in the future. That way, if the home has a 25 yr. old furnace the home buyer knows that its possible that the furnace could die this winter or next and he or she can be prepared for that.

How to inspect a sump pump

Spring is here in Chicagoland and as our thoughts turn to sunshine and baseball we also know that the rains will come, heavy rains, basement flooding rains. And nothing can kill those good Spring vibrations quicker than a flooded basement. And if your basement is finished and converted to a rec room or an office or a bedroom then a flooded basement is more than an inconvenience.

If your house was built after 1950 you probably have a sump pump that take the excess water from the rain storm and pumps it out of the sump pit and away from the house. But if that sump motor stops working during a heavy rain then the water will overflow the sump pit and flood the basement. As a home owner you should consider doing an annual inspection of the sump pit and motor.

The modern sump motor is more resistant to rust and corrosion and is now made mostly of plastic and stainless steel. The sump motor is like any other motor, whether it's a lawn mower, a leaf blower, or an automobile, the older it is the more likely it is to breakdown. The estimated lifespan of a sump motor is much debated, ranging from 5 to 15 years, if it is over 10 years have a plumber evaluate it and replace if necessary.

Lou Manfredi, of Mr. Fix-it fame recommends a plumber does an annual check-up on the sump motor. However, you can give it your own spring check-up and the only tools you'll need are a flashlight and a bucket and about 10 minutes. A sump pump is a pretty simple operation. Most sump pumps have a float switch, when the water rises the float activates a switch, the motor turns on, and the pump pulls the water out of the pit and sends it up through the PVC piping.

To inspect the pump:

First, unplug the sump pump (modern electric code calls for a GFCI outlet) from the outlet.

Next remove the sump cover (if your home has a radon mitigation system the sump cover needs to be removed by a professional).

Look into the sump pit. Look to see if there is a little oil slick on the water in the pit. If so the pump is releasing coolant and should be replaced.

Look to see if there is any debris in the pit and if so remove it. Find the water intake on the pump (a round hole with a screen) and remove any debris with your hand. Next examine the float switch and make sure no debris is interfering with the float going up and down.

Plug the sump motor back in, get a bucket of water and slowly poor it in the sump pit. Watch the float rise and the motor activate. The motor should run smoothly, in rhythm, and shouldn't be noisy, or race, or sputter, if so you probably need a replacement. The motor should stop when the water is removed.

Finally, you should have a battery back-up in case of an electrical outage. The batteries come in a variety of strengths and are priced according to the protection they provide. Many people now have a 2^nd or back-up pump inserted in the sump pit and if the motor on the 1^st quits, the 2^nd will kick on saving the basement from flooding.

Mark McCaffrey

McCaffrey's Home Inspection

847-363-9733