Home Inspections: What Types Are There?
Professional home inspectors examine existing homes using professional standards as a measure to accurately report their condition to parties involved in a real estate transaction.
There are many types of property inspections offered by home inspectors, depending on your needs. These include:
- Pre-Listing Inspections
- Pre-Purchase Inspections
- New Construction Inspections
- HUD/FHA Inspections
- Multiunit Inspections
- Annual Maintenance Checkup
When purchasing a home, many home buyers have saved literally thousands of dollars through information provided by the home inspector. Home owners who have owned their homes for several years can even benefit from a home inspector's knowledge of maintenance and repairs, and experience to avert potential problems. In many areas where disasters have occurred, homeowners have relied on inspectors to help them identify any damage resulting from storms, earthquakes, etc., some of which could be hidden if you're not trained to look for them.
Talk to us about home inspections. We'll help you decide what type of inspection is right for you, depending on your circumstances.
Have you ever purchased a home without getting the recommended home inspection done prior to buying? Leave us your comment if you've had a good or bad experience concerning home inspections. We'd love to hear from you. Your email address will never be published here, so your privacy is maintained.
High Gas Prices: Where Will it All End?
Who else is getting a little tired of paying more and more money every single time you have to stop at the gas pump to fill up? Although not directly related to the real estate or mortgage industries, continually rising gas prices are hurting us all.
Gas prices are up 19.9% from what they were last year. A month ago, the nationwide average was $3.246 a gallon.
Gasoline prices normally rise during the spring as people travel more. However, the record pump prices have also been supported by high crude prices as shrinking profit margins cause refiners to pull back on production.
Higher gas prices are affecting (although not directly) our children as well. The cost to fuel the buses that carry children back and forth to school has jumped 35% over the same time a year ago, and that's 35% less money schools have for teachers, computers, and whatever else our children need to become well educated.
Where will it all end? How high do you think gas prices will climb before they level off or come back down some? Give us your feedback, angry or not. We'd love to hear from you. Use the comment link below to sound off about the high gas prices.
Home Equity vs a Line of Credit
While the credit crunch has made borrowing for… or against… your home more difficult, home equity loans and lines of credit remain popular for those with equity.
Stacy Johnson explains what these loans do and if you should consider them. (video runs 1:27)
Leave us a comment about this tip. Use the comment link below. Your identity will be protected, we never publish email addresses at this site. We welcome your comments.
Selling a House: Make Your Home Stand Out
In today's market and the increased choices buyers have when shopping for a home, one of the most important factors you need to consider (other than price of course) when getting your home ready to sell is the condition of the home.
Condition reigns supreme over all else. Buyers have so many choices right now that anything that looks like it needs work can be enough to kill your chances of selling. People prefer move-in condition, so if your property isn’t, you probably need to do what it takes to make it that way. It's worth the money to remove old wallpaper, paint, replace carpet, and replace the roof if it’s almost at the end of its life. Offering an allowance doesn’t work in the market we're in now because buyers tend to overinflate the costs of these improvements, anticipating double or triple what it will actually cost you to just go ahead and do it now.
Plus, with the number of homes for sale, if yours is the one that needs to be painted, chances are it’s also the one that won’t sell.
There are exceptions, such as homes that need a complete overhaul, so it’s a good idea to discuss your home and your plans with a real estate agent before getting started.
Have a suggestion for people thinking about selling their home? Leave us a comment by clicking the comment link below. Your email will never be published here to protect you from spam.
Termites: Not Just a Spring Pest
When we think of termites, most of us think they are only active in the spring and summer months. This is not the case, but since they do tend to swarm and become more active in most parts of this country at this time of the year, it's when most of us start thinking about them.
Termites can silently and secretly destroy a home before you even see the first sign of evidence that these hungry home wreckers are even present. And if you think they just eat wood, think again!
If you have termites you very probably have subterranean termites. There are other kinds but, they're not nearly as common in the US. We found a great web site that deals with termites and would encourage you to check it out. http://www.icfhomes.com/DYKpages/dykARTICLEtermite.htm
Another good site to learn more about termites is at http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/termites.htm
If you'd have a bad experience with termites (who has good experiences with them? - unless you're in the extermination business) then click the comment link below and tell us about it. We'd love to hear from you.
