Buying a house? Selling a house? Whether you're buying a house or considering selling your own, a home inspection from Tri-County Inspections of the Greater Cleveland area is designed to provide you with the information you'll need to inform your decisions. Buyers: A home inspection when you’re the buyer is critical to negotiating a fair price based on maintenance due and other anticipated expenses – or to discover that the home has little to no deferred maintenance and pursue your purchase with more vigor and confidence. Sellers: Getting a thorough home inspection before you list a home can determine if there are updates that will come-up when the potential buyer gets a home inspection and allow you to make repairs and upgrades before you list, or to price the home accordingly and eliminate surprises.
Below our some interesting posts that should help set your expectations regarding home inspections. Call us to schedule your inspection today!
Cleveland Lead Safe Certification. Video 3: Dust Wipe Samples
If you’re a Cleveland landlord you are likely trying to understand the Cleveland Lead Safe Certification process. When do you need to get your properties tested? Does Cleveland send out their lead testers? As the landlord, what are your requirements, costs and deadlines? As a certified Cleveland lead clearance technician, we aim to answer your questions quickly and simply in a short 3 video series. Lead Safe Certification: Brief Overview Videos Mike Vakos, owner and head home inspector of Tri-County Inspections, is also a landlord and a Cleveland lead tester. Before becoming a certified lead clearance technician even Mike, an…
Cleveland Lead Testing. Video 2: The Visual Inspection
Most Cleveland landlords are scratching their heads about this whole Cleveland lead testing process. When do I have to get my Cleveland investment properties tested for lead? How is the lead safe program enforced? What type of improvements will I have to make in order to pass the Cleveland lead testing process and when? These and many other questions can be answered at our FAQs page, “How Do I Get Lead Certifications on My Cleveland Properties?” and we also made three short videos that give you a brief overview – without needing to read through a bunch of details. Cleveland…
Cleveland Lead Tester Video 1: What is the Lead Clearance Test Process (CliffsNotes)
If you’re looking for a Cleveland lead tester, chances are you have to be slightly confused about the whole Lead Safe Certification process in Cleveland. Why? Because it’s confusing. At Tri-County Inspections we’ve put together three short videos, because if you’re like us – short is just the right amount of time for your attention span. We also added a page on the website for frequently asked questions “How Do I Get Lead Certifications on My Cleveland Properties?” Mike Vakos: Cleveland Lead Tester The videos, made by your Cleveland lead tester, Mike Vakos, owner and head home inspector at Tri-County…
Mold? IAQ Testing In Your Home Inspection
An “IAQ” test, or indoor air quality test can test the air in your home for harmful particles such as mold, allergens, and radon. If you suspect mold present, you may need and Air quality test. Testing the air is the first step in determining if your new home may have mold present. At Tri-County Inspections, a home inspection company in the Cleveland area, we are experienced and ready to perform an air quality test in your prospective home. We can either give you the assurance that the air in your home is free of harmful mold spores, or we…
A Broken Window Sash is a Safety Concern
A Window Sash is the part of a window that moves and holds glass panes together. The window sash fits inside the window frame and should hold your window in the open position when it is lifted open. When a window sash is broken or malfunctioning it can become a real safety concern. In this instance, when the window is lifted to the open position, it would not stay open but would instead come crashing down to close. This can be a real safety concern if there ever is a fire in the home and you would need to escape out…
Roof Leaks by the Chimney? Should You Have a Chimney Cricket?
Some people call them chimney crickets, some call them roof crickets, and they’re referred to as chimney saddles, too. Although technically a chimney saddle is slightly different from a chimney cricket, they are so similar that the phrases have become interchangeable. In all cases the chimney cricket, roof cricket, a.k.a saddle, is used to divert water on a roof. We live in the Cleveland, Ohio area so we get plenty of rain and snow. The last thing you want is water pooling up anywhere on your roof where it can become saturated, permeate layers, and over time cause rot and…
Attics Important to Home Inspectors in Cleveland
At Tri-County Inspections, a Cleveland, Ohio home inspection company, we go out of our way to set aside substantial time to inspect the attic in all our Cleveland home inspections. Not only does a thorough inspection of the attic help explain major components of energy efficiency and ventilation, but the attic also holds the secrets to other things like mold, past water entry, leaks, rodents and other pest infestations, electrical concerns that could lead to fire damage, past fire damage and potential structural issues. Cleveland Attic Inspections Reveal Mold, Electrical Hazards and Mice Although this particular video is about a…
What to do About Two Prong Outlets
Earlier this year we posted about our most common electrical issues that come up in a home inspection and provided some answers about two prong outlets in our post “Two-Prong Outlets: What Does the Home Inspector Say?” That post is the most popular on our page so it has become evident that home owners, home buyers and maybe even home investors are unclear about whether or not a two prong electrical outlet is safe. With construction in Cuyahoga County booming in the 1950s, many homes we inspect were built prior to the adoption of three prong outlets as standard electrical…
Cleveland Home Inspection Helps Catch Expensive Plumbing Leaks
Cleveland is a sellers market, so why get a Cleveland home inspection? Realtor.com declares “Cleveland, OH is a seller’s market … which means that there are more people looking to buy than there are homes available.” Cleveland home buyers could worry getting a home inspection could hurt their chances of buying a home – especially in a multiple bid situation. Read “Should I Waive the Home Inspection in a Seller’s Market to Win a Multiple Bid Situation?” Mike Vakos, owner and lead home inspector at Tri-County Inspections began making short videos to help new home buyers understand the types of preventative…
Home Inspection Reveals Hidden Access Panel and Missing Rail
Many people wonder, especially in today’s tight real estate market, “why get a home inspection?” Mike Vakos, owner and lead home inspector at Tri-County Inspections started making quick videos to help answer this question for new home buyers. Myth: Home Inspections Kill Deals Unfortunately, some home inspectors can make even the small minutia seem like a deal breaker to a new home buyer. At Tri-County Inspections we train all our home inspectors to avoid being alarmists. Every home has small issues, and some have big issues. We believe it’s a home inspector’s job to do a thorough home inspection, point…
Home Inspector Finds Mice
Home inspectors find mice droppings frequently. The idea of having mice, or squirrels or raccoons, or any rodent or pests, in your home might bother a lot of home owners. But the reality is it’s extremely common to have had a mouse make its way into your home at some point or another and a home inspector will find mice signs – droppings or other evidence, when the inspector is crawling in the attic and basement crawlspace. Mice can enter your home through an opening as small as a dime – commonly found near loose foundation, entry point of utility…
Home Inspection: Improper Gutter Placement = Wet Basement
We know many buyers are waiving the home inspection to win in a multiple-bid situation, and we get it. However, there are a hundred reasons why you want to get a home inspection before you move in. A home inspection can definitely be used as leverage to negotiate in a less competitive market, but that’s not the only reason to get a home inspection! Check out our past posts that include videos of simple, but important, issues caught in a home inspection: One Reason to Get a Home Inspection: Find Causes of Mold Wood Destroying Insects: Another Benefit of a…
Another Reason to Get a Home Inspection – Fix Electrical Hazards
Wondering if you should get a home inspection? What is a home inspection, why for it and what are you likely to find? At Tri-County Inspections we’re regularly taking videos of things that frequently come up in a home inspection. We know as buyers aim to deliver the best offer, they consider foregoing the home inspection. Mike Vakos, owner and lead home inspector of Tri-County Inspections, wants to remind buyers that if you waive the home inspection when making the offer it is still wise to get the home inspection before moving in. A home inspection will inspect all the…
Wood Destroying Insects: Another Benefit of a Home Inspection
At Tri-County Home Inspections we’ve recently started taking videos of common things that come up in a home inspection. As the market tightens and buyers aim to be the most appealing offer, they actually consider waiving the home inspection. Mike Vakos, owner and lead home inspector of Tri-County Inspections, advises that if you find yourself in this situation, it is wise to get the home inspection either once your offer is accepted or once the transaction is complete and you’re moving in. A home inspection is designed to inspect all the components that make up a home, and it’s the…
One Reason to Get a Home Inspection: Find Causes of Mold
Mike Vakos, owner and lead home inspector of Tri-County Inspections, is committed to educating home buyers and home owners about the many things that a home inspector covers. Typically a home inspection is done to inspect the quality of the home – the hundreds of components that make up a home, and it’s the inspectors job to point out where things may need to be updated, repaired or replaced to keep a home maintained. While our home inspectors are on site they see a lot of common things that will be added to the report. The Tri-County Inspection YouTube channel…
Learn About Your Home’s Electrical System for National Electrical Safety Month
Did you know that May is National Electrical Safety Month? Each May ESFI, Electrical Safety Foundation International, spearheads an annual campaign for National Electrical Safety Month to educate key audiences about the steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of electrically related fires, fatalities, injuries, and property loss. Why would we need a month devoted to electrical safety? An average of 51,000 electrical home structure fires occur each year, claiming almost 500 lives, injuring more than 1,400 people, and causing more than $1.3 billion in property damage (National Fire Protection Association, 2003-2007). In addition, the U.S….
April Showers Bring … Flooded Basements
Although the saying is “April showers bring May flowers,” in the Cleveland area, April showers bring many flooded basements. If you’ve gotten a first-time home buyer home inspection in the last year from Tri-County Inspections, these tips are for you. And if you’ve gotten one of our new construction home inspections, these tips area also for you. Basically, if you have a basement, these tips are for you. Step 1 of NEO Home Ownership: Learn About Flooded Basements Last spring we saw many headlines about flooded basements and in most areas it was all too common to see destroyed carpets,…
Avoid Burn Risks in Your Home With These Tips
We frequently educate home buyers about fire safety, as it relates to a home’s electrical system and other areas of the home. Fire is the ultimate risk when determining what to do about two-prong outlets and a Federal Pacific Electric Panel, two topics we recently posted about in this blog. To raise awareness about the risks of home fires during winter weather, when we spend most of our time indoors, we want to highlight National Burn Awareness Week (Feb. 7-13, 2021) and share important burn prevention tips to prevent burn-related injuries and reduce the risk of home fires this winter….
National Radon Action Month – Get a Radon Inspection
Yes, we do provide radon inspections so we “have a bias” but radon is a legitimate issue – not something to be dismissed. The EPA has designated January as National Radon Action Month because radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the US! Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year. The EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General urge all Americans to test their homes for radon to protect their health. What is Radon? Do I Need a Radon Inspection? Radon is a…
Home Inspection Reveals Two-Prong Outlets. What Now?
Are you getting a pre-listing home inspection to uncover potential issues before selling your home? Are you buying a home and getting a thorough home inspection report? If the home was built before the 1980’s, it is very common to see notes about two-prong electrical outlets in the home inspection report. There are a lot of great resources out there to answer any of your questions about two-pronged outlets and ungrounded three-prong outlets. One of our favorites is this blog post, “Options for repairing ungrounded three-prong outlets.” At Tri-County Inspections we meet many first time home owners that worry two-prong…
