Brian G

Originally posted by chrisprickett Here's the bet: Loser writes a 100 word rhyme, to post on TIJ, about the glorious victory of the winning team. Done, Birdman. If you start now you'll have it ready in plenty of time. [] Brian G. Coming Soon...Prickett the Playoff Poet [:-paperba

Florida 41 Ohio State 14 Wow. I don't think anyone predicted that outcome. I was thinking maybe the Gators could grind out a 24 - 21 victory, or something like that. That was a pure butt kicking. Well, it's good to have the football championship back where it belongs...in the SEC. [^] Brian G. Wait Till Next Year [:-fight]

Originally posted by Jerry Simon Our Bears have been sand-bagging. If so I'd have to say it was a masterful performance. Grossman should be up for an Academy award. [:-slaphap Even-up, I'll take the Bears,a ten-spot. If they wind up playing the Saints we'll talk, but I ain't puttin' squat on the Seahawks. [:-yuck] Brian G. Workin' For the Weekend [:-footbal

Originally posted by Brian G. Eagles over Giants Correct, but no blowout. The Eggles looked less sharp than they had been and the Giants looked like they really, actually tried. If the Giants management doesn't fire Coughlin and half (or more) of the staff, expect nothing different next year. Patriots over the Jets Right-O, making the GP 3 out of 4 in round 1. The Jets fought a good fight for most of the game, but in the end it wasn't close. Watch out for those Jets next year; they've got themselves a sharp coach and more room under the salary cap than any other team in the NFL (28 million). Next Week: Saints over Eagles No point in wasting any time making that pick. My beloved Saints are having a great year, and I'd have to pick them if they stunk anyway. Everything depends on the Saints offense: If they're sharp, the Eagles can't score with them. If they're out of sync, the Eagles have a decent shot. If the Giants sputtery offense can score 20 on the Eagles, the Saints should hang 35 or more on 'em. Should. Any wager you'd like to make Herr Prickett? [] Ravens over Colts This could get ugly late, if the Ravens offense is on thier game. The Colts didn't look that good against the Chiefs defense, which is barely a pale shadow of what the Ravens bring. Chargers over Patriots The Chargers are the best balanced team in the playoffs, period. The Patriots have improved significantly from where they were early in the year, but they just aren't strong enough to take the Chargers down without help. The Pats need to be +2 in turnovers to have a chance, but I gotta take the Bolts at home. Seahawks over Bears I have no great confidence in that pick, and I reserve the right to change my mind until the game starts. Bad vs. Ugly...who knows? Brian G. Geaux Saints! [:-footbal

Originally posted by Brian G. Colts over Chiefs Correct, in an ugly, ugly win. The Colts will not survive the next round, no matter who they play. Cowboys over Seahawks Wrong, but I should've had that one right too. Just kick a stinking 19 yard field goal and make the Seahawks have to come back...but no. Apparently my coin was slightly inferior to Frank's. [] I would say the Seahawks are toast next week, but they're probably gonna play the Bears. I may need a dart board, a magic coin, and a Ouija board to predict that one. [:-boggled Brian G. The Confounded Prognosticator [:-paperba

Even in a small, relatively unsophistocated market like mine a good website is becoming more and more important. The number of clients who find me just by searching the net is creeping up slowly, and meanwhile it's a great sales tool. Lots of people here don't want to "sold" when they call around for price & availability. For them I go very easy and suggest they check my website for more details about my inspections; virtually all ask for the web address. Ala Mode has very good non-computer-geek software and support, but it isn't easy to look different than all of the other Ala Mode sites. The other thing is that they're constantly adding features I don't need and don't want, then using that as an excuse for trying to bump the price up. Their boilerplate is crappy, but so is everyone elses; you'll want to do your own no matter what. That's where you can set yourself apart from most of the competition. Brian G. Workin' the Web [^]

Originally posted by kurt Personally, I though the bowl highlight so far was the Boise State win. No question about that. At the end that was one of the wildest games I've seen in years. Great stuff! [:-party] Brian G. Playoffs for the Fans, Not Profits for the Bowl Owners [:-dog]

Yes, I know what "bowl" it is, but I want playoffs; therefore I will not utter the name of that event. The Great Prognosticator will not even pretend to be unbiased here. One team is from the SEC and the other is not; go Gators. I think this will be a tough, close game, no matter who wins it. Both teams are well-coached and talent-heavy; both will bring the entire playbook plus wrinkles in an effort to win. Brian G. Temporary Gator Fan [:-paperba

Well the mighty playoffs start tomorrow (it's still night as I post this), so the Great Prognosticator has arrived to practice his craft. Here are my predictions (aka wild guesses) for the first weekend, in no particular order. Colts over Chiefs This is a somewhat intriguing match up, since the Chiefs are run-heavy and the Colts can't stop even bad running teams from getting 100+ yards. But the Chiefs have been too inconsistant the last couple of months and the game is at the Colts. If it went the other way I wouldn't be shocked though. Cowboys over Seahawks While the Cowboys haven't played well lately, the Seahawks haven't played well all year. They have only one win against a team with a winning record...one. Romo has fallen back to earth and may have his head on straight(er) by now, but if he just doesn't blow it Dallas should win. The Cowboys are the Bears with a mediocre defense. Eagles over Giants This is the easiest one of the whole weekend. Brother Prickett's Eggles ended the season hot, balanced, and united; the Giants are the opposite of all of that. Yeah, the Giants finally won one at the very end, but Tiki ain't gonna run for 200+ yards against the Eagles. I see a likely blowout. Patriots over the Jets Inspired coaching and a generally weak schedule put the Jets in the playoffs, but the GP sees "one & done" in thier future. They did manage to upset the Pats once this season, so credit where credit is due, but they aren't going 2 out of 3 against a better team/quarterback/coach combination, especially at the Patriots house. The GP has spoken. [^] Brian G. Bring It On!!! [:-footbal[:-footbal[:-footbal

Originally posted by lstation As a new inspector in the business, I own a few rental properties and I'm writing my business plan and completing the market research before going live in March. Is this common practice? No, the common practice is to dive in half-cocked and try to make it work. I get one or two calls a month from people who want to ask about getting into the business. When I start telling them the truth about the expenses and liabilities involved most will brush that stuff aside and ask about the money. Hell, if I had known exactly how much it would really cost to get me going that first year I probably wouldn't have done it myself. Ignorance is bliss. [^] Brian G. Diver-In'er, Making It Work [:-party]

I'm with Fritz. When I retire I won't be looking for a way to serve and deal with the general public, no more than is utterly unavoidable. There has to be a fish or a golf shot waiting on me somewhere. [:-captain Brian G. Host to Several Addictions, But Work Isn't One of Them []

Originally posted by kurt The customer is confronted w/a page of information that, by it's very nature, tends to minimize all of it. Yeah, but at least you're telling them. That's about all you can do with stuff like that. Don't forget how many of our brethern are out there saying nothing, nothing at all, that might rock the boat. [:-censore How do you give the client an accurate, useful perspective on the highly-unlikely-but-possible danger of a minor issue if you can't even figure it out for yourself? Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Damn. [:-irked] Brian G. Sort of Like Being Married [:-headach[-crzwom]

Originally posted by kurt In my perfect world, I would have a section of the report titled... "Safety Concerns You Should Know About That No One, Including You, is Ever Going to Correct" I think I may very well add such a section to my report, but I'll shorten the title to "Safety Concerns You Should Know About" and follow it with a short 2 or 3 sentence paragraph that explains the rest (technically this stuff isn't right, but only in very rare instances will any actual harm ever come of it, but when it does it could be bad so fixing or not fixing it is up to you and only you). Stuff like the returns and tip brackets would go only there, but stuff like GFCI's and smoke detectors would go both there and in the summary. I do know of a small handful of clients who have read every word of the full report, but not many. For them, it would be in there; for the rest, it wouldn't matter. If I see something I know isn't right I feel I am obliged to report it. Whether or not they do anything about is out of my area, but I have to say something. I don't think I have to pretend it's always a big deal and may very well kill Granny tomorrow if they don't fix it. Where to draw that line is up to each inspector. Brian G. We Live Behind The [8]

I think a pan over a conventional floor is just good sense, but it has to have a drain line to mean anything. I doubt if one would make Average Joe Homeowner any more or less apt to ignore that which he already ignores. Should we eliminate auxiliary condensate lines because the homeowner neither knows nor cares about them? Nah. I wonder if I could make custom drip pans for the rich & famous.... "Have you seen my new drip pan J-Lo? It's a Goodman original!" [^] Brian G. The Tao of the Pan [8D]

I only see them once in a while, and half of those have no line. I'm dumbfounded when I see a fairly recent, professional replacement over a conventional floor and no pan was installed. Stupid. Nevertheless, I write them up relentlessly, on conventionals or a slab (unless they're in the garage). Brian G. Pans Are Cheap, Water Damage Isn't [:-dunce]

Originally posted by K Vander Warf The Rheem may have more updated components,however; if the Goodman has a scroll, it's probably a pretty good unit. Actually that was a factor, but it was the Rheem that had the scroll. Hell I just hope it matches the one I replaced for durability. 36 years is pretty damn good. Brian G. Scrollin', Scrollin', Scrollin, Keep That Heat a-Rollin', Rawhhhiiiiiddde! [:-cowboy]

The package heat pump I recently put on my old mo-bile home is a Rheem. The place I got it from had Rheem and Goodman. They liked Goodman and couldn't believe that I, a Goodman, wanted the Rheem instead. I don't know that much about Rheem, but I've read plenty about Goodman's being cheaply built. The first bill for a full month was down more than half from the same month last year, and I'm told it's doing a better job to boot. [:-angel] Brian G. Change Can Be Good [:-thumbu]

I'd like to offer my hearty thanks to Brother Prickett's beloved Eagles for beating the Panthers and leaving the Saints with a 2 game lead in the division (with only 4 left). Saaaa-lute!!![:-thumbu] Brian G. Next Week...At Dallas [:-crazy]

I wouldn't consider pulling a blower for a second, but I always try to get a look into the burn chambers. Sometimes I can see that everything looks pretty good, sometimes I can see rust flakes plied so high they cover parts of the burners; I think I owe it to the client to at least look. Martin, if you're about to have a baby in the house you can't settle for a cheapo CO detector. They typically alarm much too high to protect children, elderly, or those with respiratory problems. Get a CO Experts or something equvalent (starts beeping at 10 PPM and gets louder & more frequent as the level rises). And congradulations! [:-propell Brian G. CO Crusader-in-Residence [:-batman]

Originally posted by Jim Katen Buy and read Strunk & White (aka The Elements of Style by William Strunk & E.B. White.) Try to get one of the older, pre-1999, versions. Amazon has a lot of these, one being sub-titled The Original Edition. It's a paperback, and they start at 1.79 for a new copy (plus shipping). I think I can swing that. Hey John, they also have On Writing by Stephen King for about 3.00 and up. Brian G. Write On [:-thumbu]

I've been fortunte to only have a few instances where someone else was trying to sign for the actual client (all but one were realtors who were in the hurry-up-and-expedite-my-commission mode). I ask for a copy of thier Power-of-Attorney....if they don't have one they can't sign. I haven't seen one yet, but I'm not ugly about it. I just briefly explain that it has to be the client or a legally authorized representative. Brian G. Git 'Er Done...Right []

Originally posted by kurt Go here; read this. An outstanding little piece, Kurt. Nice find. Brian G. Passive Voice Was Deserving of Ridicule in Home Inspection [:-dev3]

Off the top of my head I would say to always check you work for the basic steps of sound reporting. 1. This is what I saw/found/smelled/you name it. 2. This is what I know/think/suspect/you name it about that (based on my observations/training/experience/you name it, but don't bother saying that unless you feel the need). 3. This is what I recommend/you should do/you name it. and if you want.... 4. Here's where you should go to learn more if you're interested (good for complex/enviroment/you name it issues that you don't want to go on and on about or pretend to be an expert in). Then there's the precaution of making sure anything stated as fact is indeed a fact, not merely an assumption or probability. Some HI's are a lot bolder than others about that kind of thing, so you'll have to find your own comfort level with it. Like most of the others, I strongly advocate a mostly conversational tone written in plain English. How much to write is debateable, so I suggest writing as if you were doing the report for a good friend. If you would be okay with giving a good friend just one or two sentences about a particular thing, go with that; if you wouldn't be comfortable without saying more, do. I like the way you're putting yourself out here, trying to improve your skills. Most of us have done that, and sometimes still do. Good for you. Brian G. Never Stop Learning [:-graduat

Originally posted by Bain I uploaded a few that were the original sizes and the lovable Brian G. told me to downsize them for the folks who were using dial-up. For the record, I now have low-grade DSL (much better than dial up). [^] I mostly ignored Brian, primarily out of laziness...... Counting my wife, that makes two of you now. [:-indiffe[-crzwom] Brian G. Truely and It Was Ever So, Dial Up Sucks [:-headach

"Exterior drywall".... If that isn't an oxymoron, it should be. What a stupid, stupid, stupid idea. Brian G. Endlessly Amazed & Dumbfounded [:-boggled