Warranty? What Warranty?
The Chicago Tribune published an article entitled Home warranty leaves family sweating about a family that suffered through this hot, sweltering summer without an air conditioning unit in their new home. The unit in the home quit working and, because it was warranted, the homeowners expected to be cool in no time. Unfortunately, this “warranty” Read More
Resisting Common Area Disclosure
Last week I completed a condominium inspection in the City’s “new west side”. When the buyer met me, our initial conversation consisted of the difficulties he had persuading his real estate agent that he could use Tomacor to inspect the condominium. He explained that although his real estate agent and the selling agent were upset Read More
President Obama Recognizes the Importance of Home Inspections.
“Consumer Protection With Home Inspection” Law Impacts Homebuyers was published by Real Estate Rama on July 28, 2010. This article is about a new piece of legislature that was recently signed to Law by President Obama. This law: …requires the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to modify its existing housing counseling programs Read More
Free Condo
Yesterday I performed an inspection on a condominium in Rogers Park that was being offered to my client for FREE. I immediately thought the offer was too good to be true. Low and behold, I was absolutely right. The seller owned one of the three condominiums in the building. The person who owned the other Read More
Home Buyer Ju-Jitsu 101: Free Public Seminar
Tomacor is committed to educating the public about the myriad of issues which can arise when purchasing property. This education, in turn, empowers people to make educated decisions during the purchasing process. After 25 years in the industry, Tom Corbett has learned all that you need to know to get quality property at affordable prices. Read More
Buying New or Relatively New? Here is What to Look for Before Making an Offer.
Floors 1. Everyone knows that stainless steel appliances are state of the art in the construction and development industry. When shopping for a new home or condominium, look for stainless steel appliances. They paid more for them! 2. Don’t forget to bring a hard rubber hand ball or marble. Roll it along the floors in Read More
Ignorance Is No excuse For Blocking Common Area Inspections
Last week, I was involved in three condominium inspections where the real estate sales agent for the seller claimed that there was “No access to the common areas”. I have begun to think that this is the name of one of the more popular continuing educational courses offered to real estate agents. Many of the Read More
Signs You Should Buy a Property
Because of all of the problems and deficiencies discovered over the years, Tomacor inspectors are excited when they come across quality construction detailing. Here are some things we like to see that can help a buyer determine whether or not the property is in good condition and has been properly maintained: 1. Concrete: Recently finished Read More
Make Your Real Estate Agent Work For You!!
After 11,000 home inspections, its not unusual for me to over hear the agents discussing how quick the deal went “All I had to do was answer the phone and show them a couple of properties” is a common comment which often times nets the agents $30,000-$40,000. The smart buyer makes their agents get any Read More
Where Should The Home Buyer Place Their Trust?!?
Tomacor completed an inspection last week for a client who was steered away from our service eight years ago by her agent. She ended up purchasing a home full of termites and plumbing problems. It was nothing $20,000-$30,000 couldn’t fix!. As past chairman of the Committee for Ethical Practices and Procedures of the American Society Read More
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