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!
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…
Will a Federal Pacific Electric Panel Pass a Home Inspection?
So what is a Federal Pacific panel? How do you know if you have one? And will it “pass a home inspection?” Your Federal Pacific Electric panel will likely say “FPE” on the front metal door on a sticker for Federal Pacific Electric. These panels were commonly installed in the 50s – 80s, so the sticker may not be clear. Inside the door you will know it’s a Federal Pacific Electric panel if you see orange handles on the breakers. The last tell-tale sign of a Federal Pacific Electric panel is the label “Stab-Lok.” Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok Panels are…
Why Pay for a Home Inspection When I’m Already Getting a Home Appraisal?
Here at Tri-County Home Inspections our inspection services get confused with home appraisals a lot. Our customers will say, “so do you think it will come in at the purchase price?” or “last time I got one of these, the guy showed up, took some pictures, some measurements, and he was done in 30 minutes.” FAST Appraisals, a Cleveland Home Appraisal company, recently posted a great summary of the difference between a home inspection and a home appraisal in “I Have a Home Inspection Report, Why Do I Need an Appraisal?” Five Differences Between Home Appraisal and a Home Inspection…
Should I Waive the Home Inspection in a Seller’s Market to Win a Multiple Bid Situation?
Good news for home sellers in the Greater Cleveland Area. We’re in a “seller’s market.” (It’s a ‘hot, hot’ housing market in Northeast Ohio, despite pandemic – Fox8.com Jun 29,2020) With interest rates low and a limited supply of houses listed for sale, competition for Cleveland area property buyers is high. In a “Seller’s Market” some buyers are so desperate to win a multiple-bid situation they consider waiving their home inspection. Does the mortgage lender requires a home inspection report? Short answer, a home inspection is not a home appraisal, which is required by the mortgage lender, and the home inspection…
Save Money With a Pre-Listing Home Inspection Before you Sell
Thinking about selling your home? Wondering if it needs updates? How will the house stand-up to the home inspection process when you have a buyer? Will they want a radon inspection? Mold inspection? Are there items that the buyer will demand be updated or repaired as a condition of purchase or will they re-negotiate expecting a seller credit to make repairs that come up in the home inspection? A pre-listing home inspection, is the best way to get many of these questions answered, reduce stress AND save money! What is a Pre-Listing Home Inspection? A pre-listing home inspection is just…
Sell Faster and Sell for More With a Pre-Listing Home Inspection
Imagine you’re buying a home. You’ve scheduled four showings with your real estate agent – all in the same area and all with similar criteria. Now imagine one of those homes you saw had a copy of a recent home inspection report on the table with a detailed list of improvements the sellers made, with receipts! How much more would you pay knowing these sellers had taken good care of their home and were serious enough to get a pre-listing home inspection – proof they’re proud of the home they’re selling and not wanting to stick you with a “lemon.”…
Reduce Stress with a Pre-Listing Home Inspection
A pre-listing home inspection is a home inspection the seller pays for before listing the home. Why would a seller get a home inspection before listing their home for sale? Every situation is unique when selling a home and whether or not a pre-listing home inspection is a good idea will depend on the circumstances and the property. At Tri-County Inspections a good percentage of our home inspections are ordered by home owners that are in early stages of considering selling their home. They aren’t sure what they could get for it. They know the house might have a few…
Do I Need a Home Inspection for a New Construction Home?
It isn’t unusual for home owners buying a new-construction, or newly built, home to consider foregoing the home inspection process. The idea seems to make sense, as a person who bought a newly constructed home myself, I completely understand the thought process. Most of us assume that a home inspection is primarily to inspect what deferred maintenance you could be inheriting upon purchase: Is the furnace in good working condition? What’s that smell in the basement – mold, signs of water-back-up issues? How old is the water heater? Will it need to be replaced soon? Is that hairline crack in…
Selling Your Home in the Age of COVID-19
Originally published at Realtor.com by Erica Sweeney Spring is usually the busy season for home buying. But this year, things will be different amid the conronavirus crisis. Here’s how. Spring is usually prime home-selling season—but this spring is a whole different ballgame. With the coronavirus crisis intensifying and the economy in a tailspin, some homeowners may be asking themselves: Should I sell my home during the coronavirus pandemic, or wait? To be sure, this spring’s home-selling season will be anything but normal. So far, the latest National Association of Realtors® Economic Pulse Flash Survey conducted mid-March—which already feels like a very long time ago—revealed that…
This Would Kill You! Live Electric Wires By Water.
It’s not often I hear of something found in an inspection that alarms me, but I recently watched a video of an inspector entitled “This would kill you” that caught my attention. The video showed something he found on an inspection so dangerous it’s amazing someone had not been killed. Tom Munro, an inspector up in Vancouver, British Columbia, was recently doing an inspection on a home with a pool. As he stated in a video he loaded to this video on Youtube, “I found something incredibly dangerous.” In the shed that housed the pool pump and electrical supplies he points…
