Steven Hockstein

One thing that I tell my clients is that an emergency sump pump contingency is not just about the power. If your 110 volt pump fails, the generator does not matter. A secondary pump is a true back-up system.

I use a tape measure.

It is amazing the price difference in obtaining a phone, even with the same provider. Here is what recently happened... We have Sprint. Where we need to use it, the service is great and the price is substantially less than Verizon. We also have unlimited data. Four of us are on the plan for about $200. Our two year contract was up in December. I went to the Sprint store and asked about phone upgrade options. They offered to sell me a phone with a $200 credit or allow me to lease a phone. I went to Best Buy and the deals were a little better but not much. I looked at Apple.com because I wanted to see my phone options and we all got new IPhone SE's with 64G of memory for "free", directly from Apple if we commit to two years of Sprint. If I wanted the 6s it would be $99 each. I actually like the SE better because it is essentially a 6s in a 5s size case. It was a seamless phone upgrade from the 5s.

I don't inspect many houses with wells. In NJ there is a Well Water Testing Act that requires the seller to provide documentation that the private well has been tested for specific water quality issues. I am not sure how it works with a shared well. I would advise my client to gather all available information regarding the well. This includes the responsibilities for operation costs, maintenance and repair. Also the history of past problems. For example, what if one of the owners wants to water his lawn every day and this causes the well to go dry. What is the remedy? Do you have to hope that the neighbors are nice and fair? Could be a great situation where everyone is reasonable. Could also be a nightmare. I would defer the legal stuff to the lawyers and technical stuff to a well specialist (because I am neither).

BH is our usual go-to for photo and computer hardware. I have also bought some gear from Costco in the past because of their liberal return policy. Pricing was a little more than BH but not so much to outweigh the ease of return.

That's funny. The banana is for the munchies.

I took this photo of meters on the outside of a 2-family in Sydney last spring. This was one of the neater jobs in the neighborhood. Click to Enlarge 50.17 KB

What about something like this to hide the ugly concrete? https://www.google.com/search?q=slopes+ ... Lnv-b_M%3A

Windows and Mac IOS like to run stuff in the background to keep tabs on us. I shut-off everything I don't need and both operating systems run faster.

How about the fact that it is butt ugly.

I inspected a house in Western Jersey many years ago and the levels were over 700 pCi/L. There were two old people smoking like chimneys in the house and they appeared as healthy as could be. I figured they had lung cancer and were simultaneously receiving radiation treatment.

I have simple Whirlpool washer and dryer pair. 20+ years old. The cycle choices are limited. There is "Hot", "Warm" or "Cold." No computers. The dryer broke a few months ago. I went on you tube and figured out the problem and fixed it for about $15. In the process I found about $25 of change under the dryer. I considered it a sell-funding repair. They are the modern versions of beating your clothes against a rock and laying them out to dry. Simple is often better.

Could it be associated with some type of underground fuel storage tank/gas pump for the vehicles? Something similar to a manual water well pump but used for gas? Did you recommend a tank sweep?

As an aside: Note the canister vacuum with the funnel attached being used as a prop.

I saw one of these in an old Superman episode. It is obviously an access door for the Mole Men. Click to Enlarge 355.06 KB

Have them call me. Just the facts please. 973 258 0800

You are a horrible inspector/deal killer when they sell the house but your best buddy when they ask you to inspect the home they are buying and want you to be especially diligent.

I responded to a solicitation that was removed and my post was even more meaningless. I could not delete it so I did the next best thing.

deleted

They arrived today! Thanks. Check is in the mail...

The roofing material manufacturer's field rep may be helpful in looking at the roof and guiding you to who is an expert in the area. You should qualify the rep first because it may put him/her in an awkward position if the installer is a regular customer.

I use the stinger LED and use the old ones as back-ups because they use the same charger. I'll take them if you don't need them. Let me know the shipping cost.

Buy a new battery operated clock.

Most towns in this area require that there be a garage as part of a single family home. I have heard about people being forced to convert living space back into garage space and have been fined for improper construction after performing changes like you did. You should read your local land use ordinance.

If there are any large corporate offices near you, the HR department is also a good resource. They are likely the first contact for relocated employees that are possibly purchasing a home in your inspection area.