Archive for the 'Home Inspections' Category
What You Should Do About Radon Levels Just Under 4.0
October 3rd, 2008 Categories: Home Inspections
It seems I cannot escape questions about radon levels these days. Is there some public service campaign running on TV that I have missed? One question that comes up in almost every discussion is what to do if your levels are just under the recommended action level of 4.0?
First, the facts about your “rights” based on the standard NC Offer to Purchase and Contract. The action level requirement in the contract is any level at or over 4.0. If the level is 4.0 or higher, the seller must remediate or they have breached the contract. A level below 4.0 does not require any action by the seller and the buyer must proceed with the purchase of the home.
So, the purpose of the contract is to determine who pays for remediation. Not necessarily whether the level is safe, or not. I know a line has to be drawn somewhere, but the question remains: what should you do with a radon level of 3.9, 3.8… even 3.5?
For the facts regarding that decision, I can refer you to the EPA website. There is an interesting chart about halfway down this page on their website that gives recommendations based on ranges of radon levels. The recommendation above 4.0 is to always fix the home. The EPA recommends to consider fixing your home at levels between 2.0 - 4.0.
If you want my personal opinion, I would recommend adding a radon remediation system for any level over 2.0. Why run the risk of seriously damaging your health, perhaps even risking your life? The cost of a typical system is anywhere between $1,200 to $2,000. Remember, the standard contract simply decides who pays based on a level of 4.0. So, if you have to add a radon system to your home at your expense, what would you do? For me, risk vs costs analysis takes on a whole different perspective when the risk is my health or life.
A radon test costs about $150 and can be done at the same time as other inspections. This test really needs to be done in our area. I’ve been told by several people in the radon business that the Raleigh area has about an 18% rate of high levels in homes. This matches my own experience in selling homes in the Raleigh area.
And if you are reading this, and did not have an agent who insisted that you test your home when you bought it, do yourself a big favor and get tested. It could quite possibly be a life or death matter.
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Saturday Perspectives - Rain Sustains Life And Can Wash Your House Away
September 6th, 2008 Categories: Buying a Home, Home Inspections, New Construction Homes
What’s left of hurricane Hanna is blowing through Raleigh right now. I live in Wake Forest and we have had quite a bit of rain and wind. Nothing serious. The creek out back is a little swollen. The grass will be greener next week. This is very typical of what we get from hurricanes that make their way up the east coast of the United States.
Water is a fascinating substance. Without it, we cannot survive. Our bodies are up to 60% water. Our brains 70%. Our Lungs 90%. As necessary as water is, it can destroy your home, even in small quantities, when it gets in the wrong places.
I have a basement in my home. The front wall is solid, steel reinforced, concrete with a waterproof coating on the side exposed to the earth. In addition to all that, there is a drain that takes excess water away from the foundation wall of the building. Sounds pretty water tight, doesn’t it?
Well, we noticed water coming in where the plumbing pipes come through the wall about a month ago. It seemed to come and go with the rain. As it turns out, there was a tiny void in the packing material around the plumbing pipes that was allowing enough water to come in to wet the floor in a good sized area whenever we had a heavy rain.
Since we have a new home, and we managed our relationship very well with the builder, he gladly agreed to fix the problem. The plumbing crew had to come back and remove all the old packing around the pipes and re-seal it. So far the heavy rain we just had from Hanna has not made its way into my basement.
This basement leak was easy to spot since I can walk down into my basement anytime I want. I don’t have to crawl under the house to see what is going on. I don’tlike crawling under houses at all. Most people don’t ever do this no matter how long they live in a home.
Water is one of the most compelling reasons to have every home you purchase inspected. An inspector will crawl under the house. A good one will take photos of anything he sees wrong and include them in a detailed report. When buying a house, the inspection period is your chance to get the seller to fix small problems before they become big ones. It is also your chance to walk away without penalty from really major problems with a house.
Smart buyers have every home they purchase inspected. Even a new home. New homes typically need more repairs that used ones
The inspector for my new home did not catch the basement leak because it came and went with the amount of rainfall. But he did catch more than enough other items to make it more than worth the money I paid him. And throughout this process I was able to build a relationship with the builder that facilitated getting my basement leak repaired after we had already closed.
There are two morals to this story.
First, always have any home you are purchasing inspected. There are no exceptions to this.
Second, respect the relationship with the builder of any new home you are purchasing. Most of the time, if you work with them, and don’t complain about the small stuff, they will gladly take care of the big stuff for you.
And here’s another idea for you. Have your home inspected every five years or so. A lot can fail in a home over five years. Unfortunately, many of these failures cannot be seen by the average homeowner. Periodic home inspections are cheap insurance.
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How To Handle Repairs When Selling Your Home Without Breaching Your Contract
September 4th, 2008 Categories: Home Inspections, Selling a Home
The solution to the headline I just wrote is simple. Do what the binding agreement you just signed, called a real estate contract, says you will do. If you are a seller, make all the necessary repairs. If you are a buyer, only ask that necessary repairs be made. More on what a necessary repair is in a minute.
The North Carolina standard Offer to Purchase and Contract is really a pretty fair document. It is a standard contract that was created jointly by the NC Bar Association and the NC Association of Realtors. Neither of these organizations have any reason to favor either sellers or buyers, one over the other. It was written with the goal of allowing a buyer and a seller to transfer title to a property without harming one another. Plain and simple.
There is specific language in the contract that describes how the inspection process shall proceed, what rights each party has, and sets time and monetary limits on the repair process. There is even an easy to read list of what items shall be considered for repair. Basically the main systems of the house.
There is even a test of when an item on the list can be considered a repair item. The contract states that all items on the list “shall be performing the function for which intended and shall not be in need of immediate repair”. Any item on the list which fails this test is termed a “necessary repair”.
Sellers need to make any and all necessary repairs. This is what they agreed to when they signed the binding contract. And buyers do not need to request any repairs that are not necessary repairs. This is what they agreed to when they signed the binding contract. And both agents need to advise their clients, in the most clear way possible, to honor the agreements they both made in good faith.
Believe it or not, this seemingly simple process is complicated by both parties far more often than it should be. And I lay the blame for that, most of the time, at the feet of their real estate agents.
I actually had an agent, representing the seller of a home my buyer and I had put under contract, tell me that she advised her seller not to make any repairs because my buyer did not pay full price. What was she talking about? The contract the seller signed committed the seller to make all necessary repairs, without regard to the selling price. This agent was advising her sellers to purposefully breach an agreement they had made in good faith. Ethics anyone?
By the way. You probably shouldn’t call me to list your house if you want an agent who can help you figure out a way to wiggle out of contractual agreements you have made. In that case, I’m just not your guy. Now if you want someone who will explain in plain English exactly what your responsibilities are, and advise you on what you are responsible for repairing, and what you are not responsible for repairing, then maybe we would be a good fit.
The bottom line is to read very carefully any contract that you are signing. Another good thing about the standard NC real estate contract is that because it is standardized, and because all real estate agents receive extensive training on how to understand the terms and conditions it contains, there is no need to hire an attorney when making an offer. A good fiduciary real estate agent will take all the time required to thoroughly explain the contract to you prior to making an offer.
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Check That Vinyl Siding Before You Buy A Home
June 21st, 2008 Categories: Buying a Home, Home Inspections
I was at a home inspection with a buyer yesterday for a brand new home they purchased in North Raleigh. This particular home has vinyl siding and the inspector discovered that it was too tight.
Have you ever seen a home where the vinyl siding has buckled? Especially during the hot North Carolina summer days. If so, this was most likely because the siding was installed too tight. Our inspector told us that every piece should be able to move 1/4″ to 1/2″ when you grab the edge and give it a good pull.
We tugged on every single piece of siding we could reach, on all four sides of the home, and not a single piece moved. The inspector took us to a home under construction right next door and every piece we pulled on moved at least 1/4″ or so. This was a great object lesson and really illustrated the difference between a proper installation and an improper one.
Our home inspector speculated that the installer either nailed the nails too tight or failed to nail them in the centers of the slots. Or maybe he did both. Vinyl siding is designed to be installed in such a way that it can move slightly when it expands and contracts, or as the house settles over time. This eliminates the buckling effect. The photo at the right illustrates the correct way to nail the siding.
It left as is, the very least that would happen is that cosmetically the siding would be unattractive as it bowed out in various places in an attempt to relieve the pressure caused by the expansion. Worst case, several pieces could come loose allowing water to enter the walls. Don’t even want to think about the long term implications of that.
This one discovery paid for the cost of the home inspection… many times over. Now we have powerful evidence to present to the builder that will help us convince him that he needs to fix the siding. And the fix could very well be to pull it all off and reinstall it. But, whatever the fix, it’s the right thing to do for the buyer.
Owning a home will cost you far less over time if you can make sure it was built properly. And new homes aren’t perfect. Unfortunately, people build homes and sometimes they make mistakes, or unknowingly use defective materials. It pays to have an agent who can connect you with a good inspector. And it always pays to have a home inspection.
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