Steven Hockstein

I live near NYC and here are some of my recent observations: Black Friday- got a close parking spot in the Short Hills Mall and did not have to wait to sit down for dinner in a restaurant that is usually packed, even off season. I went into a local Staples store on Black Friday at 4PM and the "Doorbuster" specials that were in limited quantity since 7 AM were almost all still available. The manager told me that sales were way down. Drove into NYC on the Sunday after Black Friday to pick-up my son expecting to hit mobs of people but there was - no traffic- . Many Broadway Shows are closing. A family friend went to see Spamalot and the balcony was empty. Who can afford to bring a family of four to the theater? The tickets are over $100 each, plus dinner, plus parking, and whatever else you buy. Yankee Stadium, Giant Stadium, Shea (Citibank?) are all having issues with selling season seats because of the costs. Typically, there are waiting lists for Giant season tickets. I think the big money spenders don't have it to spare this year. Thet hedge fund money has dried-up. The Walmarts, Targets, Costco, etc.. are OK, but not as busy. None of my home inspector or real estate friends are busy. Hope it gets better soon.

Thanks for your input!! I knew I could count on you all to tell me the real deal. I will use the information to improve the site.

Thanks. That is great input. I will place some "Invisible" text on the front page to increase the SEO.

Thanks Randy, Did you try any of the thumbnail flashes?

We are currently updating our Website and I know all of you love to inspect and critique so I would appreciate some constructive criticism. One of my particular concerns is the speed at which our project gallery loads. We have a fast internet connection in here and I was wondering how the gallery loads with a DSL connection and from other areas of the country. We are still adding photos but before the additional time is spent I wanted to know if there are issues that need to be addressed. http://www.ahmarchitects.com/ Thanks in advance for you help. Steve H. PS: Wishing all of you a Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

It sucks that those of us that have lived within our means, saved for a rainy day, and worked hard to grow our nest egg now have to suffer because of this mess.

Very true that perception vs. reality is an issue. But most (if not all) of those cost of ownership calculations work off of MSRP; they don't take into account the fact that deeper discounts or rebates lower the initial purchase price of the US branded cars. But then again, those same discounts/rebates hurt the profit margin of the manufacturers. It's a mess. I'm not a fan of a bailout based on what I've seen , but if done, any bailout needs to come with very strong strings. I doubt that'll happen. That's the part that scares me. Kevin, My personal experiences regarding the cost of ownership are that the times I bought Ford products (a 1998 Windstar minvan, and a 1999 Ford Explorer). I thought they both were reliable and did not need any major work while I owned them. I sold them when they were four years old and they each had around 60K miles on them. I sold them for about 1/4 of what I paid. After that I bought another Explorer and my wife leased the Honda Oydessy. After four years, My Explorer was worth 1/4 of what I paid and my wife's van still had over 1/2 of the original residual value on the four year contract. It cost me $150 more a month to drive my Explorer than it cost to drive the van. The were both valued the same when new. Again, we did not have any major problems with the vehicles. My comment regarding residual value is that it seems to me that the public market does not value used American vehicles as high as foregn cars and that adds to the overall cost when compared. FYI- I now drive a 4-motion Passat and my wife drives a Honda Pilot. The Honda is wonderful, the VW is plagued with electrical problems.

Now that I can afford to fill my gas tank it would be nice to drive to some inspections!

The "American" Cars are as good or better than many "Foreign" cars but there is also the issue of perception. The residual value of many of the cars offered by American companies is often lower than comparable cars offered by the foreign companies and that in combination with the higher labor costs results in an added cost of ownership.

I probe exposed framing in the basement with a large steel rod with a handle attached (custom welded). I pound on the sills and also listen. Sometimes you can hear if the sill plate is hollow. Sometimes the probe breaks through hollow areas that looked good. I gently probe finished surfaces with a screwdriver and/or my fingertip. If there are rotted and/or insect damaged areas I call them out and recommend that a damage assessment be performed and all damages be repaired. I further explain in my report that destructive investigation is recommended and that this is beyond the scope of my inspection. I warn my clients that there is no way to know the extent of damage without some destructive investigation.

Was Norman Bates around when you were there?

More detailed TPR requirements can be found in IPC (International Plumbing Code)- Section 504

According to the IRC (Inane Realtor Code): Section 101-Bedrooms Section 1.01.1: A bedroom is called a bedroom when it helps the sale of the house and adds to the commission (See Exception Below). Section 1.01.1. A (Exception to 1.01.1): A bedroom is not a bedroom if it negatively affects the ability to sell the house and/or reduces the value by calling it a bedroom. Section 1.01.2: Calling a room a bedroom is completely independent of all other codes or rules.

An idea about the cost to install?

http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/ ... index.html

Check their references (ask for clients from 2-3 years ago as well as recent references) Ask references if they are responsive on warranty and service. Make sure they are insured. Check their licenses Don't give a large deposit before they start. Ask if you can call their supplier to see if they owe them a lot of money. Ask what towns they work in and call the local construction office to see if they have a bad history. Ask for model numbers of equipment they intend to install. Ask who will be supervising the job and who will be on site to do the work. Cross your fingers!

I predict that one day a home buyer will go on line, Google Map the house address, Google will scan the house from space, and issue a building condition report that includes the health of the homeowners, history of utility costs, tax records, building permit history, etc.. ,all for three equal payments of $29, but if you act now, you only have to pay two payments... Shortly after that, the spam ads will attact your Email with deals from moving companies, contractors, supermarkets, etc..

How much work is involved with relocating the transformer? It seems to me that it would take the electrician less time to move it out of the panel than to argue about it.

Steve, I don't know if you remember about 8 years ago, around Christmas time, an entire family in the Cloverhill section of Flanders died in a fire caused by aluminum wiring. The Fire Department found all but one member of the family huddled near a 2nd floor window; they just couldn't get out in time. Darren, That was really sad and horrible. My point was that so many people get hung up on the size of the opening claiming that it is for a fireman to be able to get through with their equipment when in reality the firemen often make their own openings in the building. Hope to see you at the next ALPHI meeting. Steve

Has anyone ever seen a fireman enter or exit a burning house through an open window?

That is dope--like ya know-word- TTYL

I showed this picture to the guys in my office and nobody knew what it was. Now I feel old too!

Wrong product. Brandon got it right. I think you could use standard shingles but if if the pitch is too low for shingles it should be this type roof or equal from another manufacturer: http://www.gaf.com/Content/Documents/20801.pdf

New construction/renovated bathrooms-There should be a GFCI electric outlet for each basin (within three feet of each basin). They are not required to be spaced like in a kitchen. I believe it is in section 210 of the NEC Existing construction- I recommend all outlets in bathrooms to be GFCI protected. Many of the local C.O. inspections in NJ are requiring retrofit of GFCI outlets when a house is sold.

Is that house only 12 years old? A little drift but may be helpful... There are replacement window kits that do not require new sills or framed units. The downside of these windows is that the existing frames have to be square or they don't seal well. The best part of these windows is that you don't lose daylight because there are no additional frames required around the windows and you don't have to have white vinyl windows (you can get them with many finish options). It is a good choice in old homes where there is going to be an addition with new windows and you want to replace the rest of the windows in the house to match. There are minor aesthetic differences between the replacement and new windows but most people can not tell. Marvin and Weathershield brand windows are common in this area. A good installer can neatly replace each window in less than a half hour. For those of you that want to see how they should be installed... http://www.weathershield.com/assets/doc ... 2_vr13.pdf