Tri-County Home Inspector Blog

At Tri-County Inspections, in the Greater Cleveland area, our objective is to provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your investment. This blog is for interesting news and information related to the home inspection industry, home buying or home selling. We hope you enjoy!

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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!

Flat Roof: What You Need to Know

Problematic Rolled Roofing Are you knowledgeable about flat roofs, their construction, and the materials used? If you said no, then you know a home inspection is really important when purchasing a new home. Therefore, if you can spot potential or present problems in a roof you can make an informed decision about the home you want to purchase. When a roof is flat, it can be commonly found for the roof to be covered with rolled roofing material. The rolled roof is installed as opposed to roof shingles and then the seams connecting the rolled roofing are tarred. Furthermore this…

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Cleveland Home Inspector Explains GFCI Outlets

If you are purchasing a new home, you may have some questions regarding GFCI outlets in your new home. More specifically which outlets in a downstream need to be GFCI Outlets. You may not be extremely knowledgeable about the electrical requirements in your new home and that’s why it is so important to have an experienced and qualified inspector. A GFCI outlet or a Ground-Fault Circuit Interruptor is put in place to protect you from electrical shock. When you plug in an appliance, the GFCI outlet will track the amount of power flowing to the device. If the GFCI detects…

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Amherst roof inspections

Amherst Roof Inspection:Spotting Amateur Repairs

If you are purchasing a new home, a roof inspection to spot amateur repairs and other potential problems will be important. Are you familiar with the parts of a roof and chimney? Would you be able to spot a sloppy repair to your potential new home? One important part of a chimney is the flashing that is a roof flashing. You should find roof flashing at the base of a chimney that creates a waterproof seal to protect your chimney and roof from water damage and penetration. Any damage to the flashing on the chimney or even a sloppy repair…

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Cleveland Commercial Inspection

Commercial Inspection: Standing Water on Roof

There are many commercial properties that are designed with flat roofs. When a commercial inspection reveals standing water on the roof, are you aware of specific things to consider and have inspected about a flat roof  when purchasing a property? When Tri-County Inspections Owner, Mike Vakos evaluates the Roof of a Cleveland Commercial Property he points out several important factors about flat roofs and why they might be holding standing water. A flat roof should have a roof drain in order to get rid of water in the event of heavy rains. If anything is plugging or obstructing the roof…

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Cleveland Lead Safe Certification Dust Wipe Samples

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…

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Cleveland Lead Tester

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…

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Cleveland Lead Tester

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…

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Mold Testing Cleveland

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…

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home inspections window sash

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…

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Cleveland Home Inspector Roof Inspection

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…

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Attic home inspection Cleveland

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…

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Home Inspector Near Me

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…

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Home Inspector in Cleveland

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…

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home inspector near me

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…

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Cleveland Home Inspector Finds Mice

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…

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Gutters Cause Water in Basement

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…

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Benefits of a Home Inspection

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…

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Benefits of Home Inspections

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…

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reason to get a home inspection - find mold

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…

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Electrical Safety Month

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….

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 33312 Vineyard Park,
Avon, OH 44011
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Home Inspection Service Area

 

Tri-County Inspections home inspectors deliver everything from thorough home inspections with radon testing, mold testing and septic testing add-ons to brief walk-through inspections across ten Ohio counties including: Lorain CountyCuyahoga CountyLake CountyMedina CountySummit County, Wayne CountyHolmes CountyGeauga CountyPortage County, and Stark County. We are also the Cleveland landlords' choice for lead inspection services.

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