n/a30

A simple and very sensible answer.

It is a good idea, but it probably costs more than some builders would want to pay without passing the cost along. They could use it as a sales feature to show that the builder is thinking about their buyer and trying to add features and quality into their final product. I see good products advertised and promoted all the time in Popular Mechanics / Popular Science and other similar magazines but few new products make it to shelves of hardware stores. Marketing these new items is very expensive.

Yes, immigration does play a huge part of the problem related to the errors created. Denial of that fact is delusional and counterproductive. Most of the qualified workers have left the business and only a few of the remaining workers can speak English properly. Some of the more qualified workers become managers and many others outsource the services. Some contractors just use day labor workers that congregate at street corners. There needs to be better compliance to the demands of quality performance. It is not only the construction industry that has been highly diminished. Almost every industry has been undermined by the lack of quality control. The public is screwed. It is difficult to find any construction workers that are competent and capable of proper communication and proper ability in this country. It takes more than little technical education to have a conscience and dedication to doing the right thing to insure quality control to protect the public from substandard work and service providers. The bottom line is if you want quality artisanship, you may find it a difficult task to locate anyone with a competitive bid because many American craftsmen cannot compete with the substandard and poorly done work done by others with lacking skills /creditentials / abilities. For a variety of obvious reasons, you will not get quality work from many in the current workforces due to the lack of control over the industry.

They probably come from Mexico and can not read, speak or write much English. It is the illegal visitors from the south that do most of the construction, including residential building and they make the majority of the very stupid mistakes.

There are shades of Enron trading at work when any power (including internet services) comes into play. Enron may be gone but the practices of shady game theory trading still exists at the top of the money pile. "Everybody needs some power I'm told To shield them from the darkness and the cold Some may see a way to take control when it's bought and sold." lyrics by John Hall

Some one in Kentucky might have gotten some road kill laced with mad cow disease. That notice is dangerous and does not represent the best interests of the public. Erby please set them right.

Speaking from personal experience with TREC and some other governmental entities, it does little good to speak to the many entrenched bureaucrats. The closer you get the governments operations the waste, incompetence and corruption becomes more obvious.

The mess with the insurance is typical of corrupt government and lobbying efforts to force capital into the pockets of politicians and campaign contributors with vested interests. The lawyers are already starting to ramp up litigation to tap the insurance companies.

Many years ago I went to an inspectors association meeting were many inspectors were standing around in a circle. One inspector was left out of discussions. He wore a P 2 P shirt. Being naive at the time I wondered why they shunned him. It was not until the P2P guy spoke his mind that I understood why they threated him like an untouchable. The entire P 2 P business model is built around Realtor referrals, not quality service to the public. In these days of centralization and prepackaged dirty deals with entangling alliances, grouped entities serve the needs of those who want to make any deal happen, where profits for tainted entities are maximized and the details of kickbacks / quid pro quo relationships are kept secret. Consolidated bundeling of servces trough a marketing funnel only serves financial benefits of the gatekeeping bundler. It is what the public does NOT know is the associaions are often questionable.

Les thanks for the compliment on my website. A lot of work has been put into it. A clarification: Two hundred inspections THIS year? No, business has been fairly poor and the rough 200 number is an average over the last 8 plus years. This year it has been only around 50 full inspections and that is very slow. A few other jobs were partials such as pools, stucco, foundations and septic systems. When the business was better I would get 1 to 2 inspections a day 5 to 6 days a week and some times 7 days a week. Out of the total number this year, only 3 came from unsolicited agent referrals. Out of the 3, 2 came from one agent who later called and reminded me that with those referrals comes a need for me to go easy on the properties and the reports. She also wanted me to report directly to her and not my clients. In that manner she could interpret the report for the buyer. Her demands were met with an independent stance that will not be compromised. The other agent just showed up to unlock the property, briefly introduced themselves, minded their own business and left me to do my job alone. I generally have gotten only 1 to 2 Realtor referrals per year in the last few 5-6 years.

Only 1/2 of 1 percent (1 or 2 this year) from agents. They have not helped me to any real degree and thus I ignore them. I have not advertised to them in 7 years. The over abundance of agents and compromized inspectors in my area makes it very difficult to make a good living. Most general people in the public do not understand the need to have an independant inspector. Try as I have to make that clear it is very much an uphill battle against the evil forces. The following is taken from my company'sweb page. http://youtube.com/user/tlam100 Please view the above links. Disclosure New measures at the Texas Real Estate Commission requires that inspectors provide clients with the following disclosure form, whenever fees or valuable consideration are being paid or received by a party other than the client (Fee or Other Valuable Consideration Disclosure). You will not receive one of these forms from me. I do not pay or receive referral fees or kickbacks in any form. A huge number of inspectors do however get involved with kickback schemes and referral lists. The simple legally required disclosure does NOT stop the kickbacks or the intrusive sales pitch. The only fee that I collect is the fee that you, my client, pays me us for the inspection. I serve the interests of my clients and only my clients. If you have been referred to me, it is based on merit. No referral fees were involved.

Are you using your computer as a server? Are the local files read directly from your computer or they read from a internet server computer providing hosting services? It would seem that the time stamp of posts would be taken from the host computer.

In relation to comparing reports, education and services, the industry is full of questionable service providers. Without some concrete legal guidelines, that includes nationwide licensing and enforcement the bar cannot be raised across the board. Adequate licensing and a solid educational baseline is probably not the long-term answer because the government and its entrenched bureaucrats are frequently heavily tainted by the financial influences of corrupt political forces with personal stakes and entangling alliances. The public is often left in jeopardy with a false sense of governmental oversight and competence.

Although many of the better inspectors represent the interests of our clients correctly, we CAN NOT do not make up their minds for them, nor should we. All we can do is to represent the property in a perspective that is non-emotional, factual, and as comprehensive as time, education, and circumstances will allow. At some risky times, we probably might like to make those decisions for some buyers but in the end, it is the responsibility of the potential purchaser to make the final determinations. In representing a problematic property and its troubled areas, the buyer might think that it is being represented as a money pit or disaster zone. The facts just represent themselves but people can react emotionally and without adequate regard to the truthfulness of factual representation. In building a working level of trust, it is important to be friendly yet stoic, pragmatic, and descriptive without adding to the emotional turmoil that some buyer’s fall prey. The wording of any item should be direct enough to make sure that the client knows the significance of any problem without trying to lead them to a position where critical decisions are made FOR them instead of BY them.

Not being self conscious about trivial matters or giving a hoot for what anyone thinks about cosmetic issues, I have three tool vests. Each has different features, just like tool belts and other similar creations. They wok quite well as long as they are organized with the proper tools. My favorite one is one that is commonly used by professional photographers. Army surplus stores have a variety but they can get expensive. Fishing vests are too limited. Here is a good one. http://www.shushans.com/travelvest.html

Here is a blanket answer to many foundation failures. Pages 451 thru 462 (and in some instances extending to 484) of an appropriate industrial text deals very clearly with the subject matter. An engineer or technician familiar with the topic of footing and soil mechanics would easily know which text is referenced. A collection of the empirical data is necessary to make a 3D detail load and bearing diagram. The variables need to be collected to fit them into the mathematical model. That takes an orderly approach. Accurate modeling enhances predictability. Time line reconstruction can also map out a history. A drainage / soil type, density and moisture survey could also be done. Some engineers will give an honest estimate of the repairs based on a variety of factors. That estimate and analysis should be untainted by the usual bias from a foundation contractor or other third party. Companies that do wide-ranging analysis commercial property work usually have an engineer on staff or they outsource the work to an appropriate engineer with regional experience. Less viable residential properties and trades people just fall through the cracks. Pun intended. In the instance of the property with the photos, it is obvious that repair work needs to be done. The manner and means in which it should be done is what is in question. The determination of who should perform any repairs and give opinions on the subject is also in question. The specifics within the engineer’s report would help the potential buyer and contractors determine the best path of action. Anything less is unnecessarily risky and imprudent. I would be interested in reading the engineer’s report. Without the collection of data and an analytical due diligence summation, the conclusions are perhaps only hopeful well-intentioned wags or swags.

"But even if they drill a dozen piers into the soil, there is no guarantee they will find bedrock. " taken from the article. There is no guarantee that any foundation will not fail at some point given a combination of stress factors. In some areas there is no bed rock to be found. Perhaps only expansive soil exists until a bed of shale, sand or gravel is reached. The foundation needs to be designed to accommodate existing soil type which in some instances means have a floating slab, or a "super" slab. Other options exist in different areas.

An engineer should be consulted at any time a serious foundation problem is observed. Do not make guesses where ones education is lacking. Those are both active tense sentences.

You can always wrap the magnets in a sheilding material such as aluminum foil. The strength of the magnet might determine how much sheilding is required. Try it out.

In most businesses you need backup plans or professions. Necessity is the mother of invention and necessity can also be a bitch in an aggressively competitive dog eat dog world. Times change and we need to move with the markets. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/best_careers_2007/ and http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/ar ... .intro.htm and concerning real estate agents. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/ar ... estate.htm

The answer to the original question is yes. I have been using a Compaq IPAQ pocket PC for at least six years. There has never been a problem with it. I also have no major problem with MS Vista on a laptop. There is a small learning curve involved.

Plastic decks are not usually a problem as wood decks are in relation to WDIs. http://plasticlumberyard.com/foreverdeck.htm There are also many problems related to ALL plastic products. Natural gas is used to produce plastics. Prices too are sky high. http://www.plasticlumberyard.com/plasti ... #Landscape Here is a bit about stone pavers http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_deck_patio_ ... 11,00.html and flagstone patios http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_design_pati ... 15,00.html and brick patios http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_design_pati ... 08,00.html patio makeover http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_design_pati ... 82,00.html

The price was miising from the ad copy. The link given first harvests email and other personal data. What is the actual sales price?

Many people do not need an actual fifth grader to be able to do the tasks that a fifth grader can do. There is probably something in the public domain or as shareware that does the same simple macro task of inserting photos into a word document. It is extremely easy to put your photos into a movie file. With the free Microsoft Movie Maker program, you can batch process with flexibility and all the photos are auto formatted. There are many simple time saving solutions. Good luck in what ever path you take.

thanks hausdok Getting the regional municipal inspectors to actually do their job fully for compliance may the the most difficult task.