Beware: Inspecting for Hantavirus By Rich Parker As inspectors (and appraisers) we face potentially dangerous situations daily, from a simple broken step on a front porch that might cause us to trip and fall, to a backyard hole, obscured by overgrown grass or weeds, that can cause an ankle sprain, to breathing mold, to a...…
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Diversifying with Environmental Reports By Benjamin V. Cesare Home buyers today have more questions to ask than ever before—and they frequently turn to their home inspector for answers that will help them make a good decision for themselves and their family. Today’s savvy home buyer wants complete information about the properties they are considering —…
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Rose is a Rose Inspecting AND Writing You wouldn’t expect home inspectors to be discussing the fine points of misplaced modifiers or use of the passive voice when sharing report writing tips, but this is exactly the advice veterans gave to a newbie inspector asking for report writing do’s and don’ts, recently on a home…
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Editor’s Note: First of a multi-part series on report writing from Alan Carson. You can find the piece in its entirety by clicking Home Inspectors: Report Writing 101. Inspecting is Easy – Writing is Hard! by Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop An inspection report must serve both the inspector and the client. That’s why report writing...…
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Inspecting On a Rainy Day In many places this winter there’s more rain then snow – at least so far. Do you inspect on a rainy day? In case you’re wondering, most inspectors we talk to do not slow down when it rains – in fact many assert there are items they can see far…
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Pros and Cons: Lowering Fees in Slow Times This time of year inspectors agonize whether to lower fees to make it through the traditionally slow winter months. Appraisers are facing similar issues in this slowing real estate market. Some inspectors drop fees to generate business using “coupons” and “seasonal specials,” but seasoned pros say lowering...…
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Home Inspectors: Inspecting Your E&O Insurance by David Brauner, Senior Broker, OREP Here’s a riddle that more and more inspectors are solving easily: how do you obtain errors and omissions insurance (E&O) and General Liability Insurance from an “A” Rated, Admitted carrier including an Additional Insured Endorsement for Agents and other Referring Parties, Termite and…
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Inspectors: Golden Rules for Avoiding Liability By David Brauner, Editor Seasoned home inspectors say the golden rules for avoiding liability are simple- write what you see, say what you write and don’t sugarcoat anything! More specifically, report what you see and also what you don’t see- and why you couldn’t see it. They also suggest…
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Inspecting Wet Basements by Alan Carson, Carson-Dunlop The problem is all-too-familiar to many homeowners. It is said that more than 98 percent of all houses have had or will have basement leakage at some point. Identifying the Problem The presence of efflorescence, a whitish mineral deposit on the interior of foundation walls, indicates moisture penetration....…
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Home Inspectors: Key to Limiting Liability By Ross Herlands, ESQ Probably the single most important thing a home inspector can do to protect him or herself in the event of a lawsuit is to obtain a signed pre-inspection agreement prior to the inspection. Furthermore, one of the key provisions in such a contract is a…
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