Pamela Pratt Properties

The top ten defects found in home inspections

If you’re buying a new home, it is important you know the most common problems found at home inspections. Here is my list of top 10 home inspection defects:

1. Improper Surface Grading/Drainage
This is the most frequent issue I find. If the drainage around a home is not adequate, moisture intrusion problems and even structural settlement can occur. The soil grade at the perimeter of a home should drop at least six inches in the first ten feet.

2. Improper Electrical Wiring
Electrical issues almost always find a place in my home inspection reports. Amateur wiring, shock hazards, inadequate electrical service to older homes, fire hazards due to faulty wiring connections, lack of GFCI outlets

3. Roof Issues
Evidence of previous leaks, damaged roof materials, and improper installations are frequently found. A home inspector needs to get on a roof to see these problem areas. Many roofing defects will be missed if a home inspector only views the roof from the ground or from a ladder at the eaves.

4. Plumbing Issues
Plumbing problems rank high on my list of top 10 inspection defects. Leaks at fixtures and waste lines, deteriorated drain piping in older homes, amateur installations, slab leaks, and problematic water piping such as polybutylene or galvanized steel are often found.

5. Venting Systems
The flue assemblies for gas-burning appliances often have inadequate clearance from combustibles, improper terminations, or they are sagging or disconnected due to amateur installation. These conditions present a fire and carbon monoxide hazard.

6. Heating/Cooling System Issues
Substandard installations and repairs, poorly maintained, or inoperative heating and cooling systems are seen quite frequently. Less than optimal performance is often found when these systems are tested.

7. Breaches in Fire-Resistance-Rated Walls or Assemblies
Unapproved or improperly operating garage fire doors, missing fireblocking and draftstops, and unrepaired openings in fire-resistance-rated walls or assemblies are found at many home inspections. These breaches are fire safety hazards to the occupants.

8. Poor Overall Maintenance
Sadly, most people take better care of their cars than they do their homes. Neglected painting of exterior wood components results in dry rot and termite damage. Crumbling masonry, trip hazards, amateur wiring or plumbing, and broken fixtures or appliances are quite common.

9. Structural Related Issues
Many houses, as a result of problems in one or more of the other categories, sustain damage to structural
components such as foundation walls, floor joists, roof trusses and rafters, or wall assemblies.

10. Environmental Issues
This category includes the presence of asbestos, mold, lead-based paint, or other hazardous material discovered during a home inspection. Lab testing of suspected material is necessary to confirm their presence.

So, when you’re buying a home, remember to bring along my list of top 10 home inspection defects.
When showing you property you will find that my knowledge of these issues will be invaluable in your decision to purchase your new home.

Thieves Target Tax Documents, Watch Your Mail
Tax season is here, which means you need to take some extra caution when receiving your important tax documents in the mail and ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands, identity theft experts warn.

Year-end credit card summaries, W-2s, 1099 income tax forms, and brokerage statements contain critical information about you, such as your full name, Social Security number, and account numbers. In the wrong hands, that type of personal information can put you at risk for identity theft.

“People don’t understand that ‘walkers’ follow mail carriers and look through your mail for any bonanza they can find,” says Linda Foley, chairman of the Identity Theft Resource Center. “Mail thieves know the prime time is between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Others take advantage of the dark of night and/or consumers’ tendencies of not checking mailboxes each day.”

Some experts warn that some thieves are even opening envelopes and making copies of documents and then resealing your mail and placing it back in the mailbox — so you never suspect a thing.

Here are some suggestions from experts on how to better protect your mail:

• Purchase a secure, locked mailbox for your home or get a post office box to prevent others from accessing your mail.
• Get your mail soon after it arrives and avoid having mail left in your mailbox for long periods of time. Put a vacation stop on your mail if you are going to be out of town.
• If you think your mail has been stolen, contact your creditors or bank about your bills and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to investigate any missing mail or mail theft. You can file a mail theft complaint online at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactUs/filecomplaint.aspx or call 1-877-876-2455.

Source: “Mail Thieves Are Waiting for Your Tax Documents,” The Dallas Morning News (Jan. 17, 2011)

You are young…………………….

You are frugal…………………………

You are concerned about your financial future……………………………

You see yourselves as Energy Efficient but not Necessarily “green” …………………………..

The Neighborhood you choose to live in is very important.   …………………………….

So let us observe and discuss the latest  survey by American Lives (A consumer research firm in California)The survey has established that our first time homebuyer’s  percentages are as follows.   I mean REALLY?

What the hell is young? 40 is the new 30, 50 the new 40 etc…..Sooooo who is really in the know?  I know you that are having and wanting the babies.  I so love babies.  You want a good home in a good neighborhood with a really good school.  (Be prepared to keep the school open, govie’s  higher ups use our schools as a way to cut the budget)  Wait doesn’t our property tax’s pay that?

70% of us that is between 25 and 35  observed that the economy is “not so good”  BUT the 30% is stating the economy is getting better at least will be better within the next year.  What knocked my socks off all the way to Canada is that 55% of you folks are concerned that you will lose your jobs.  WOW! Really WOW!  If you are concerned you may lose your job than why in the hell are you ever going to be eager to buy a house.  Need a job for that!

Being energy sufficient today is so important that our waste management companies have delivered to us 3 types of garbage cans.  Recycle, Organic grasses and then there is real garbage.  There really is not that much garbage left, after you recycle any way.  (The plastic bags ARE a killer?) The survey shows that only 16% of all of you would pay extra for recycled or renewable construction materials.  To me this would be very hard to assess, building new homes that are going green is way more expensive than buying a property that has been sitting in that special subdivision in the right school area and  city you wish to live in.  I KNOW that green is going a long way for all of us.  Green is Queen but in the baby Princess stage.

We all do what we are suppose to.  Go to college, fall in love, get married, find your career, have babies, enjoy life as your work your ass off to enjoy it.

Stupid as it sounds, we really are all in this together,……I have much to say!