Steven Hockstein

Exactly! Making it look good would be a big bonus too!

Check out the market from yesterday and early today. The solar panel companies are taking a beating. Apparently they underestimated sales and now it is coming back to kick them in their butts. OOPS

Maybe I don't understand math but if a home a inspection fee should "start at $1,000" it seems to me that the cost of "starting at $595" contradicts that practice. Maybe he was just hopeful about the price?

The elecrical work is great. I am distracted by what you got growing in your basement!

Before your client starts monkeying around with the chimney you could suggest that they look at the option of upgrading the mechanical equipment to new energy efficient, direct venting systems. Energy use will be less, chimney can be removed (or abandoned until they can afford to remove it), and there may be some rebate and/or tax credits. The net cost may be less.

Tell them you are sorry that their radiator is corroded but that is not part of your inspection. The radiator worked and it is a cosmetic issue. If you want to be a wise ass you could tell them that you only reimburse for dog pee and that cat pee is excluded.

say what you just said. If they are buying this home I doubt they are expecting a cream puff house. Make sure you add some CYA stuff about the limits of your visual inspection. Good Luck. It sounds like a fun one.

When I first started doing home inspections (1981) we regularly turned-off the main breaker and then opened the panel. After hearing some horror stories about people losing data on their computers because of a power loss and also about various problems caused by turning the power on and off, we stopped checking the mains. The stories could have been a bunch of urban legends but it was enough to scare us from shutting them down. At the same time I wondered about these homes when there was a local power failure because the same thing would have happened anyway. DO most inspectors check electrical mains?

Weird how things can happen to our body and the problem goes away before anyone can figure out what caused the problem. Glad to hear you are healing.

Thanks Mike. You feeling any better?

Bill, That is what I did. I have posted announcements in the past and they have appeared in a day or two. For some reason this particular announcement was not posted, even after I attempted to add it a few times over the last month. Does not matter at this point because the event has already occured and fortunately attendance was very good. Just wondering for the future.

I have tried more than once to post a message that announces an NJ ALPHI education seminar for October 4th but it does not post onto the calendar. What am I doing wrong?

NEW JERSEY COURT HOLDS HOME INSPECTORS NOT SUBJECT TO CONSUMER FRAUD ACT OR NEGLIGENCE CLAIMS, AND CAN MODIFY THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN THEIR CONTRACTS Zarwin Attorneys Joseph W. Denneler, Esquire and Charity A. Heidenthal, Esquire obtained a decision on a motion for summary judgment wherein they convinced a New Jersey Court that licensed home inspectors in New Jersey are not subject to the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, are not subject to negligence claims, and can modify the applicable statute of limitations on home inspection claims from the statutorily provided four years in their contracts. In Vaz v. Sweet Ventures, Inc., et al., No. UNN-L-004619-10 (N.J. Super. Ct. Law Div.), the Plaintiffs alleged they were damaged due to the Defendant Home Inspector's failure to identify and disclose certain defects in a home they purchased. The Defendant Home Inspector had a Pre-Inspection Agreement with the Plaintiffs which included a clause limiting the time period for the Plaintiffs to bring suit from one year after the date of completion of the home inspection. The Plaintiffs original lawsuit alleged negligence in performing the home inspection. The Plaintiffs then sought leave of court to amend their lawsuit to add claims against the Defendant Home Inspector under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, N.J.S.A. 56:8-1, et seq. The Court issued a thirty-five page opinion holding that home inspectors are not subject to liability under the Consumer Fraud Act because they are 'learned professionals' and excluded from the scope of the CFA. The Court further held that due to the gist of the action doctrine, if a home inspector has a contract with its client, any claims related to any omissions in performing the inspection are claims for breach of contract and cannot be asserted as claims for negligence, misrepresentation or other tort based liability. Additionally, the Court held that although the statute of limitations in New Jersey for claims against home inspectors is four years, a home inspection contract can shorten that period, provided the modifying contract clause meets the usual standards for consumer contracts and that the home inspector adheres to all of the rules pertaining to pre-inspection agreements found in the New Jersey Administrative Code, N.J.A.C. 13:40 -15.1 et seq

I propose that the lending banks require that every home with a mortgage have an annual maintenance inspection performed by a licensed home inspector to protect their investments! Where do I submit this suggestion?

Douglas was correct. And Jim was also correct. We do say "close" the light as well as "shut" the light. I said "flip off the other circuits", I should have also said turn off the main power. I considered a generator transfer switch. At $250. bucks and the time it would take me to wire it, I decided on the cheap method. But I would never leave this set up for someone with no knowledge of electricity. I should also point out that having lived in my house for 33 years I have only had to use this set up 4 times. But enough of this, I am off to Eastern Europe for two weeks where I will have to deal with DC power and which plug works in which country. Then there's that damn money thing. Not everyone uses the Euro. John, If dealing with the money is a big hassle and it detracts from your enjoyment of the trip, I will be glad to accompany you (at your expense, in my own room, and with my wife) as your financial assistant so you can fully enjoy your trip without the distraction of converting currencies. I also minored in music as an undergraduate so I can advise you on which concerts to attend while travelling. I know that this is very generous of me to offer this service but I think it is important to give back to the home inspection community. Sorry, not this trip. Actually was traveling with another couple. They had severe damage to their house during Irene. Service Master had the place stripped down to the studs and floor joists. My friends wife was at the house, dancing over the joists, slipped and fell. Over thirty stitches in her leg, bruises and a sore shoulder. They had to cancel. Always buy trip insurance. Like E&O, you don't need it until you need it. They will get a full refund. Have a safe trip! Enjoy!

Douglas was correct. And Jim was also correct. We do say "close" the light as well as "shut" the light. I said "flip off the other circuits", I should have also said turn off the main power. I considered a generator transfer switch. At $250. bucks and the time it would take me to wire it, I decided on the cheap method. But I would never leave this set up for someone with no knowledge of electricity. I should also point out that having lived in my house for 33 years I have only had to use this set up 4 times. But enough of this, I am off to Eastern Europe for two weeks where I will have to deal with DC power and which plug works in which country. Then there's that damn money thing. Not everyone uses the Euro. John, If dealing with the money is a big hassle and it detracts from your enjoyment of the trip, I will be glad to accompany you (at your expense, in my own room, and with my wife) as your financial assistant so you can fully enjoy your trip without the distraction of converting currencies. I also minored in music as an undergraduate so I can advise you on which concerts to attend while travelling. I know that this is very generous of me to offer this service but I think it is important to give back to the home inspection community.

Thanks for the feedback. I did not think about the risk of somone switching breakers on and possibly shocking a serviceman. For now I will get a couple of extra extension cords. I will have an electrician install a transfer switch soon.

After seeing what many of my neighbors have gone through during Hurricane Irene I bought a small generator to power my sump pump, refrigerator and a few lights when there is another storm related power failure. I was thinking about the best way ( and least expensive) to connect it to my equipment. I could run a few extension cords directly to the pump and refrigerator but I was wondering if I shut-off the main breaker could I back-feed the circuits by running an extension cord ( for each circuit) with plugs on both sides from the generator to an outlet that is closer to the generator (on the same circuit) and use the wiring in my house instead of extension cords to distribute the power. Is there a problem with doing this? The generator is grounded. There is a circuit breaker on the generator for each connection. Feedback please.

After $14,000 I certainly hope not. Good grief! No. It's from condensation. In winter, warm moist air is getting into the attic and condensing on the cold underside of the sheathing - usually the sheathing on the north side of the house. Because it's wet all the time, mold grows on it. The mold produces enzymes that stain the wood. It has nothing to do with mold in other parts of the house. However, if you have enough moisture in other parts of the house to cause mold there, that moisture can migrate through the house to the attic and contribute to the condensation problem. You need to eliminate the sources of moisture. I'd certainly start with the bath exhaust fan ducts. They should go directly outdoors through tight vents that allow no opportunity for the moisture to blow back into the attic. Another source of moisture was probably the basement water issue that's, presumably, been solved. There might be any number of other moisture sources - recessed ceiling light fixtures are a common one. You need someone to help you sleuth out the moisture. I'd recommend your home inspector but since he was enough of a wuss to call mold a "bio-organic material" he's too concerned with his own butt to bother protecting yours. Don't even think about cleaning or treating the mold until you've gotten the moisture issue under control. After that, I don't see much benefit to treating the mold. If you manage the moisture, the mold won't continue to grow. If you fail to manage the moisture, the mold will just come back whether or not it's been cleaned or treated. Now if you happen to be some kind of whack-job mold sissy, then by all means, hire a pest control contractor to apply an EPA registered fungicide such as Boracare with Moldcare, Sporicidin, Concrobium, or something similar. If you're a chump whack-job mold sissy, then hire a "mold remediation specialist" to do the same thing but be sure to pay him $14,000. Now, be aware that after all this, there will still be staining up there. If the stains really bother you (that is, if you're an anal-retentive whack-job mold sissy) then you can paint the attic with a stain-killing primer such as Kilz or Bin. But be warned that any inspector going up there in the future is going to see the paint and think, "Geez, some anal-retentive whack-job mold sissy must have owned this house.) Is the master bedroom deck *above* the window? If so, I guarantee that the ledger is leaking into the wall. There might be concealed water damage and maybe even *gasp* mold. Open up the wall to find out. My advice: Stop focusing on mold and start focusing on water. Keep your house clean and dry. If your family members get sick, take them to the doctor. Don't pay any attention at all to anything you read on the internet or hear in the popular media about health concerns associated with mold. Great Answer! No moisture=No mold. If this was Facebook I would have "Liked" your response. It is amazing to me that we all survived the "Mold Problems" in our homes before the Mold Testing and Remediation Businesses were invented.

Slightly off-topic but ...Bernie Madoff is in jail for perpetrating a Ponzi scheme. Seems to me that the Social Security System is the government doing the same thing!! We are all in deep s**t if we are counting on that money when we retire.

Your question is difficult to answer because there are variables (i.e.how high is the crawlspace, how hard is it to access). Some crawlspaces are like a low headroom basement and others require someone to crawl on the belly. Get a couple of more estimates for comparison.

If the radiant heat is bad you can abandoned the pipes and add baseboard radiators.

Are the houses connected to a municipal sewer system? I see this type of viewing port when there is a private waste disposal system on the property.

I tell me clients that they need to use common sense, regardless of code minimum requirements. I proceed to explain that if it was my house and my kids were playing on my terrace, and the terrace was 29 inches above the macadam driveway, I would want the edge protected. If one of my kids fell 29 inches off the edge and onto his head, his head does not care about the code. In your situation it is an easier argument because you can use the code to back-up your opinion.

This can also happen when someone swaps out a standard furnace for a higher efficiency furnace and they do not upgrade the same chimney connection. The new furnace discharges cooler combustion gases that do not adequately exit the top of the chimney and the result is condensation that causes visible effloressence and staining. It mostly occurs on chimneys that are located on exterior walls but I have seen it happen on exposed chimneys in attic areas when the attic is well insulated and ventilated.