Tim Maxwell

I've actually had several buyers that have bought numerous homes tell me when scheduling "you don't have to do the 30 page report, just tell me what's wrong." Of course I still do the full report but remind them that there is a summary at the end of the report. Not using a template for common findings (3pung recept, revpol recept, open grd, missing shingles, leaks, moisture damage.....) don't make sense to me. How many ways can you say it to type it in every day or every other day. I use the template comments and modify as needed as to location and any variances from the norm. If getting a report finished on an average home took me 3 - 4 hours I'd have to do something else where I hopefully could make more than an hourly wage...

I have liked 3D and have been on it for about 10 years. I use a laptop but typically do not finish the report on site. I do get a good bit of info entered, mainly the problem areas. Then finish the more general items at the desk and put pictures, captions and arrows in. I would guess about an hour to hour an half of report time. More on tough houses. I did the mod/ser numbers back when I first started and dropped it after a year or so. No one said anything about it and I sure didn't miss it. I still include brand, BTU, and mfg date on HVAC equip and water heater. That and a picture should cover any switcheroo. I've only heard of units getting stolen and that's just been in the past few years.

I had two houses like that in the past month. Both had finished the basement area tapping onto the existing HVAC equipment. The other concern on both the ones I looked at was no thermostat for either basement area. Zoning the system with two thermostats and the automatic dampers may be the only way to make something like that work. I also just left it to the HVAC technician to figure out...[:-magnify

[:-yuck] Right....I'd much rather have an Amana......[]

I almost went to one recently just because the food sounded very good. Open houses are not popular here and I've never been to one. Seems the agents here think they're a waste of time and sellers are usually the one that push the agents to have them. I don't think I would spend any time at one, especially with a table and marketing. You'd be better off waiting for a trade show.

Same here Mike, but I go all the way back to high school. I took two quarters my senior year. It was a lot of fun and the best thing I ever took as an elective in high school.

I like my bottle playing a little more advanced..... One jug does it all.

.....it needs pressure washing.

ask for a FREE 3 month demo. If it works you can sign up for a 3 year contract and pay back the 3 free months.....sounds fair enough to me if they really think they're that good.

I've never seen one release. Was this an electric or gas water heater? Could you tell what the problem was, like was the burner stuck in the on position or something?

I would like to personally thank the pressure washing roof cleaner guy for officially getting Mike into the holiday spirit. Merry Christmas ya filthy terrorist.....[:-party]

Right on Erby. The new ones I just got for the camera lasted about a month on the first charge. Copper tops would not have made it three days. 9$ for a 4 pack. I bet they will last a year or more.

In the past year the most common cancel/postpone problem has been loan glitches. I had one yesterday. It is not easy to get a mortgage nowadays unless all your stars align just right.

October in NY....it needs harvesting.

I've had four in the past two years with no insulation in the attic. Builder foreclosures and they just never got to it. I remember the first one I saw, I told the buyer and agent that they should check to see if a CO had been issued. It had not, so they had to go through the county final inspection too.

I have a local friend/inspector who had been in business 7 years that quit his HI business to take a job with the salary you describe.

I had one very similar to that back in the spring. It was a show stopper along with all the other stuff I found, but that was the biggee......

This is one example of why I love the digital cameras. I take notes in a small note pad and take pictures. Before sending the report I go through the pictures and notes one by one and make sure you have all the defects in the report, especially the ones with deadly potential. The last rusted vent I had, just a couple of weeks ago, had spots rusted at all visible sections from the crawlspace to the roof.

Every time that I have seen a mold problem in a house that was a true concern it was very obvious what the problem was and what was needed to fix it. It would not be cheap or easy in any of the cases but there was no need for any mold testing from anyone.

I started many years ago adding it to my report where the resets are. Once you set it up as part of your boilerplate/formset it's just a couple of clicks here and there.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions in detail Jim K. It alone was enough to clear any doubts about staying/leaving ASHI. My other dilemma and staying point is that with no licensing or regulation to speak of in GA, it leaves me with almost requiring that I belong to a professional organization to have some credentials. I've always thought (without any chest thumping or soap boxing) that ASHI was without a doubt the best of the available organizations.

I've been at this for 13 years and have never seen a hand written report that I liked, especially one that I would use all the time. Not while there are computer generated reports that you can add photos to, work the summary as you go, back up and edit, and so on. I'm sure there are plenty of hand written reports out there. I had some on hand years ago for the last minute buyers that had pushed their time down to the wire. But I just hated them and quit using them. I deliver the report the same evening on email and if that's not good enough I just can't help them. I have missed several inspections recently because I could not be to the house the same afternoon. I just don't understand some of these buyers.

For the most part that's my guess. I've only seen the snake skins in the attic and never a live snake.

I actually lived in a house for 13 years that had PB and I never had one leak and I sold the house with the PB still in place. The buyer wanted me to replace it and I passed on that request. The buyer moved in and within a few months they replaced the piping. So I think it all depends on how comfortable you can get with knowing it's there and when, if ever, it will become a problem. You also have to consider resale. If you don't replace the next buyer may want you to replace it when you sell. I would make sure that there are no current leaks with the system. I would look to see how hard it would be to replace (slab, 2 story bigger house) I would also want to know if it has Big Blue between the meter and the house. If it does have big blue it will eventually break if it is the 160 psi version. As an inspector it seems year to year I see less PB. Maybe it is slowly being replaced. You may also want to ask a local plumbers opinion.

That's right. It's just a big conspiracy. If you go through the process as ASHI has intended then passing the test is fairly easy by the time you are truly ready to take the test. But of course that's alot like work. Instant gratification AND certification is what it's all about. GA has no licensing or certification requirements to speak of so back in '97 when I started it was obvious that ASHI was the one to go with for a certification that actually meant something.