Maitenance Inspection
“Hello Tom -
You did the maintenance-oriented house inspection for my unbelieving elderly mom in Aurora some time back. And she’s been having no choice but to replace some of the things that you told her were going to break down, because, guess what, they’re breaking down!”
Surviving A Chicago Winter
Christmas has come and gone and there are only 90 plus warming days until the springtime warmth and festivities that we are all eagerly awaiting. In the mean time, let’s be safe and stay warm despite the low temperatures. In our continued efforts to relate building science to anatomy and physiology, we offer the following tips for the winter months:
• When you go out in the cold weather you wear a scarf, jacket, boots, and maybe thermal underwear and wool socks. Your home would appreciate the same concern for its health and well being. It’s never too late to insulate the pipes or the attic in order to keep the home warm and the pipes from freezing. The good news is that the President of the United States is willing to help pay for the extra layers of clothing that your house wants. Go For It!
• Over working and becoming stressed out is bad for the body and its an experience that many people are familiar with during the holiday season and winter months. Over extending your electrical circuits with portable space heaters that can overheat the wiring, stresses out your building and can lead to fire. I know Chicagoans have the best firemen in the world, but why go there? Avoid the use of multiple extension cords and don’t place them under carpets where they will generate more heat or possibly spark. If you have to use electric space heaters, avoid long extension cords and plug them into outlets that don’t get hot or cause the lights to dim when the space heater is turned on.
• Keep doors and windows locked and tightly closed and consider rope caulk along the inside of the windows and other drafty areas. It is too cold for regular caulk. Rope caulk is purchased in a big wheel and looks a little like clay. This can be used to effectively stop the drafts.
• Never use your oven to heat the home! My first case as an expert witness involved a family that was heating their home with the oven to full tilt with all of the burners on and a pot of water on the stove to maintain the humidity. When the six year old daughter stepped on the open oven door to see what was going on with the water, the pot and its boiling contents fell on her and created burns that she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. The City of Chicago remains interested and committed to helping tenets make their landlords turn on the heat. Simply call 311 for the service and tell them what’s going on. Finally, the produced Carbon Monoxide from the stove could be enough to kill a family.
Humpty Dumpty
The Children’s rhyme Humpty Dumpty carries unique significance for the current real estate market. Humpty was a fat cat who sat on a wall, oblivious to what was happening around him. Other people’s problems evoked smirks and laughter. But if you remember what happened to old Humpty, he fell off of that wall and nobody could put his pieces together again. Humpty is a representation of the real estate market, which has fallen off its “wall” with the fall of the economy. Today, there are thousands in the real estate market scrambling to put all of the pieces of humpty together. I believe the new humpty will be much different than the older one. Some of the changes will include:
1. The successful real estate agents will be those committed to the buyer rather than to the deal. As new standards are developed by national associations and states as well as local boards. Real estate conflicts of interest (providing the mortgage broker, the appraiser, the home inspector, the attorney, and the property) will be a thing of the past. After this crash, buyers will be aggressive, demanding, and interested in purchasing real estate only when it makes sense.
2. Lenders, appraisers, attorneys, and inspectors will seek out new means of marketing rather than following after the real estate brokers and picking up their crumbs. Buyer advocacy will have new meaning in the marketplace.
3. Tougher standards requiring transparent ethics will take hold in the real estate market. These will either come from state or federal laws, which is a shame, or the professional societies involved will police themselves, demanding accountability and high ethics from their members.
4. There will be better quality housing stock. For years, many of us have witnessed the use of real estate agents as sometimes nothing more than agents of distraction focused on prohibiting buyers from learning the truth about their purchase. As their roles change, the buildings will become easier to read and property owners will provide needed maintenance and upgrades if they want to sell.
The Three Little Pigs: A Masonry Fairy Tale
It’s funny how much truth there is in fairy tales. One of my favorite fairy tales, The Three Little Pigs, holds a lot of truth for homebuyers today. Recent green building standards have encouraged people to build home out of straw bails, yet wood frame homes compose the vast majority of the buildings that we inspect. But were the three little pigs right in choosing to live in the brick (masonry) home? I say No! Today’s brick homes would scare the life out of the three little pigs, causing them to run back to the wood buildings or even the straw bale homes.
The construction standard in Europe, where the originated, was that stone and brick or masonry homes were a foot or more thicker, allowing them to stand up to strong winds and heavy rains. Buildings are still built that way throughout Europe. Brick buildings, in the Chicagoland area, however, have given way to wood frame buildings with brick attached to the outside like a siding. The problem is the brick has become a rain screen, not a structural component. Most new brick homes include one layer of brick and it’s a layer that architects and home inspectors expect to leak, but where does the water go?
With proper flashing detailing, the water goes back to the outside. Yet, like the little piggy that was in a hurry to build his house, contractors are under tremendous time pressure to complete the construction of new buildings. This usually results in poor quality construction detailing and water on the floor of your home. The Big Bad Wolf, otherwise known as mold, is right there, on the other side of your poorly built brick wall.
The solution for the consumer is simple: quality control, good design, and supervision. This is the lesson the third little pig taught us while relaxing in his brick home against the huffs and puffs of the Big Bad Wolf. Let’s take the third little pig’s advice and look at our new homes and planned home purchases with a critical eye. Well built, high quality, masonry homes are out there and the price is cheaper than I have seen in a decade. When building a new home, hire a responsible architect that will hold your hand throughout the process and a tough, picky, and knowledgeable inspector to represent your interests.
Sincerely,
Tomacor, Buyer Advocacy.
Love those closing credits!
Hey Tom, hopefully you recall doing an home inspection for 1234 ABC street a little over a month ago. To refresh your memory, my wife Jane and I were attempting to buy a 4 bedroom townhome in a Belgravia development c1995 just west of Sheffield, across from Jonquil Park. Anyway, we did buy it and I’d like to take you up on your offer to review the remodeling quote we have received. Perhaps you’ll have some insight for us?
We appreciate your services and it was money well spent. We ended up receiving a $4250 credit at closing on account of your findings. 
Looking forward to hearing from you,
John and Jane Doe
Flashing and Weep Hole HORRORS!!!
In the last week I have inspected four more buildings with huge problems related to the mistakes in masonry and construction detailing while the building was being built. In every case, the required flashing and weep holes were missing over windows and doors or they were poorly installed, sending water into the building.
It makes no difference what you’ve paid for the property or if you have had it custom built. Yesterday’s home was 4 million dollars over looking Lake Michigan, last week was a $200,000 condo, and even the town homes across the street from where live are without flashing and weep holes and they’re 15 years old. In this industry you’ve either got flashing and weep holes or your wet, it’s just a matter of time.
New construction standards allow water to get behind the masonry walls of a building where it is then managed and sent back to the building’s exterior through flashing and weep holes. Simply stated, the building gets built and after a while it settles and the brick cracks which allows water behind the brick where it drops down to a large plastic skirt above windows and doors and above the joint between the foundation wall and the brick above.
The metaphor we use to explain this stuff is simple. In the old days, people picking apples would climb a ladder and throw the apples down to a person with a very large skirt at the bottom of the tree. The apples were then sorted and sold. Flashing and weep holes exist at every point in the masonry wall where water gets thrown down from a crack or opening above. The flashing then sends the water to the building exterior keeping the inside dry. Most of the new construction homes we look at are without the skirts to catch the water and apples and the water goes into the building where it creates mold, mildew, panic, and hundreds of people struggling to find $30,000 to repair their condominium unit or single family home. 
Get it?! There is not quality control in the masonry business in the Chicagoland area today. Get real and get your building inspected. Don’t get wet and moldy!!
Tomacor Inspector Discovers Carbon Monoxide- “Supposed Deal Killer changes to Life Saver”
“Tom,
I wanted to thank you for the thorough and complete home inspection you recently conducted for us. The level of detail of the inspection was outstanding. The realtors referred to you as “the deal killer” because of your advocacy on behalf of the buyers. You certainly earned every penny of your fee.
In addition to “deal killer,” you can add “life saver” as well. During the inspection, you noted a crack in the heat exchanger in the furnace. The property owners, an elderly couple, were unaware of any problems with the furnace. At the conclusion of the inspection, you let them know what you found. They immediately called a heating repairman who agreed with your findings, possibly saving the couple from carbon monoxide poisoning. They are replacing the furnace and sleeping with the window open in the meantime.
Thanks again.”
IITI Announces 14 week Pre-Licensing Course
The Illinois Inspector Training Institute is now offering a 14 week course. This course will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning February 9, 2010, 7pm-10pm. If you are interesting in obtaining a home inspector license while continuing to work during the day this is the class for you!
Please email nwilliams@tomacor.com to RSVP for one of the following open houses:
-Wednesday, December 16, 2009 6pm-9pm
-Thursday, January 28, 2010 6pm-9pm
Stairway to Heaven
Three weeks ago I spent an entire day in a North Shore single family home where the buyer was demanding that the seller repurchase the property. The main topic of examination and cross examination involved the installation of three flights of stairs in the new building. First, some background:
The house was sold in the height of the real estate bubble and we all know what happened to that. In addition, so much water was discovered in the home which was entering through the roof, the foundation, the stone work, and other areas, that the house was unable to dry out between 2 inspections completed with more than 1 month between them. Mold was beginning to develop and the home buyer lost interest. The Northwestern Code Department, noted their objection to the poorly designed stairs in the blueprint. Over a year later, the blueprint complaint was still in place yet the stairs were not built to compliance with the code.
The arbitrator on the site spent most of his time asking me questions about the cost of changing these stairs to what would be code approved. It was my opinion that should the stairs be done over again, someone was going to be out of pocket up to $30,000 or more.
What’s the real world problem? Other than the code violation, if someone tripped going up or down the stairs the insurance company would not have to cover the claim if the stairs where not code complaint.
After inspecting hundreds of new homes I have discovered that most contractors do not follow the code requirements for the installation of new stairs. In the case of this North Shore home the contractor’s neglect resulted in hazardous staircases that the City could force the new homeowner to change even though the problem came from the developer. The ruling in the arbitration is still up in the air yet it appears as if my client has a good shot at wining.
Steps to the Lowest Possible Price for Your Dream Home
If you follow these 10 steps, you are guaranteed to own your dream home at a reasonable price!
1. What type of house do you want? Determine the neighborhood and amenities that you want when purchasing a home. What can you afford? What neighborhood do you like best? Make up your mind whether you want to line in a vintage home or newer construction. Is it important that you purchase an energy efficient home? Ask yourself these independent questions in order to flesh out what is best for you!
2.Line up an independent real estate agent, attorney, and independent home inspector once you have decided what you want
3. Choose a real estate agent that is a buyer’s broker and more importantly, one who will work with you. Get a family friend that won’t be able to stand the shame if they represent you poorly. Never ask your agent to give you the names of attorneys, home inspectors, or mortgage lenders. Seek these on your own through referrals.
4. Choose an attorney willing to help you negotiate the purchase based on the deficiencies discovered during the home inspection You could spend $800-$1500 or more on legal fees, but these fees will seem small compared to the $10,000 to $20,000 savings from the inspection report.
5. Choose a Home Inspector that is willing to be tough and quote budgets for repairs. Your inspector should also tell you in writing if the problem needs immediate attention or can be scheduled as a long-term project. These dollar figures will help you make your decision about buying/not buying or negotiating cost.
6. Find the house of your dreams and make an offer within 10% of the seller’s price. (If you think it’s worth it based on your assessment of what comparable homes have sold for in the area). When negotiating the contract to purchase make sure you insist on a 7-10 day “contingency period” to have a home inspection. (You are entitled by federal law to 10 days to get a lead inspection, if you don’t waive your rights.) Also, insist on an attorney-approval period of at least 15 days.
7.Once the house is under contract, call your attorney to review it. Your attorney will order a title search to make sure the title to the property is clear. A good attorney will also check the plat of survey to make sure there are no easements that you don’t know about and that all of the property lines are proper.
8. Don’t let yourself be pushed around in the process. Walk through the inspection along with the inspector, and be an ACTIVE participant! Insist that all budgets for repairs are included in the report. Have the inspector state which problems are urgent and which ones can wait. Other suggestions about the inspection are:
-Budget 4 hours or more for a thorough inspection
-Make sure to have booked extra time to discuss your report with the inspector away from the agents and the premises.
-Be ready to call contractor for bid prices on repairs that need to be done (this is the reason you insisted in a 10 day period in which to complete your inspection.) When your inspector is finished you should have a few more days to bring in a plumber, electrician, or asbestos abatement contractor for estimates.
- Use the inspector’s budget figures during negotiations.
9. Begin drafting your summary of deficiencies letter for the seller the day after your inspection. try to answer the question, “how much do I like this house anyway?” If you are in love with it , forget any negotiation and tell your attorney you accept the house “as is”. If you like the house, the seller, and the price,. you aren’t out of anything if you don’t negotiate the deficiencies. You’ve gained the peace of mind concerning the home’s quality by having a tough home inspection. However, our clients who have negotiated a lower price after the inspection say you must ALWAYS be willing to walk
away.
10. If you decide to negotiate, get your lawyer’s advice and throw in all your “wants”. Use your attorney to finalize your letter to the seller. This deficiency letter will require a certain amount of tine and language that only an attorney can get away with. If the seller was a tough negotiator for the contract, you may have to threaten to walk away from the deal (and mean it) to get them to negotiate. You have every right to expect every system and component to be in “good working order.”
11. Wait for the seller’s response. If they are willing to deal, you can expect to have problems remedied or dollars taken off the purchase price. You and your attorney will have to decide beforehand how much time, energy, and money you will put into the negotiations.
12. Remember that sellers under contract are never good repair contractors. They see a buyer, and they just aren’t motivated to hire “licensed” electrical or mechanical contractors, carpenters etc. Consider asking for cash at closing rather than asking the seller to fix anything.
13. Don’t forget to pass on names to others in the home purchase market We also inspect leaseholds and are state approved as an education provider for those that want to enter the home inspection business. Send those “wanna be’s” our way! We speak their language!
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