Wed, 01 May 2024 22:26:54 -0500WeeblyMon, 08 Oct 2018 20:22:18 GMThttp://capitalcityinspections.com/blog/youve-gotta-feed-the-beast​A home inspection will not reveal every problem that exists in the home (I call houses beasts), but only those that are observed at the time of the inspection and some things don’t become observable until they break.  I can’t tell you how many things in the past 18 months have broken for me around my house.  (Just a few that pop to mind are: Failed sump pump and water damage to basement, failed seal at skylight and mold,  furnace and AC issues, pump motor died, the crazy weather has caused water to come in my basement where it never has before, a refrigerator died, a dishwasher broke and outside of the house my wife's car died) all these were unexpected, one day they were okay- the next day they weren’t- and they all cost me $$$$. 
 
Life as the owner of a beast (house) is full of joys and burdens and it really sucks the first time you get saddled with an unexpected repair or expense for the house (beast) you haven't owned very long.  It sounds cliche, but "Welcome to owning a beast"  Repairs and responsibility are the two primary reasons some people opt to stay renters- they don't want either when it comes to where they live.
 
Did you know that the average single family home (beast) requires about $3000 a year for maintenance and repairs, that’s a weighted average, so some years its more and other years its less, but this figure doesn’t include making improvements to a property, which have their own expenses.
 
Try to think of house repairs as the food required by your beast's stomach (your house is an investment)-  growing pains often hurt, but they make the investment grow.  You’re paying for them today (and it sucks), but chances are statistically pretty good that you’ll get your money back and then some when you eventually sell your house (investment).  I lived in my last house for about ten years.  Over the span of those years I spent an average of $3500 per year on house repairs and some improvements, but when I sold that beast, I got all that money back and it was like I never paid any rent! (The average rent in that neighborhood was about $1400/ month at the time and I lived there 10 years- that’s  $168,000 that I saved) and the house was way better than when I found it- it was a win / win situation. 
 
This is why that despite having unexpected expenses (repairs) from time to time, you as the owner of a house are still gonna be way better off than when you gave your cash to a landlord…..feed the beast, yes a house is a beast.  ;)]]>Mon, 08 Oct 2018 18:52:32 GMThttp://capitalcityinspections.com/blog/beware-of-your-contractorI hesitate to even write about contractors.  In fact I frequently request that repairs be made [to components of a home]  by qualified contractors.  Contractors are in business for one reason and one reason only.  And that one reason is to make money.  Don't get me wrong, a qualified contractor is well worth the money, but contractors are not biased parties in a transaction.  They are in business first and foremost to make money, not make repairs. 
From time to time every home owner will need to have a contractor in to their house. (If you've never owned a house you may not understand why- so let me tell you a secret- houses cost money.)  When you have a contractor come to look at a certain component of your house you will most assuredly be told that something needs to be fixed or replaced or improved.  The contractor has invested time to make the trip and now they need some return on their investment.  Contractors are not just repair people they are sales people...

A friend of mine spoke to me recently about the "garage door guy"....I had dropped by his house to borrow a tool and noticed that his overhead garage door tension spring was broken.  I told him about it and so he called a couple local garage door companies to get some estimates for repairs.  
The first contractor showed up and immediately started looking over the entire door, not just the broken spring.  My friend, a smart buyer, quickly realized what was going on and waited.  This contractor began telling him that all sorts of things were wrong with his door and that he would be best off if the entire door and all its hardware was replaced....if my friend wasn't a smart buyer he might have fallen for the sales pitch and dropped several thousands of dollars for a new door.

I've had a few clients that have told me horror stories of what chimney contractors have told them when they've come to do some maintenance on brick chimneys-  "This chimney doesn't meet code, we need to replace the entire crown at a cost of $5000"  When all the crown needed was some cracks sealed.

I've known people who have hired contractor's and believed every word the contractor told them without questioning it and at a cost of several thousands of dollars. 
 
Contractors are not unbiased, if there is a legitimate problem of coarse they want to fix it, but most of them want to fix it to a level that isn't necessary. 

I couldn't tell you all the times I personally have heard of contractors using the "scare and sell" technique.  This technique is used on anyone, but especially when the sales person (contractor) perceives that the buyer (client) doesn't know any better.  If a contractor leaves you feeling scared, you might have just been a victim of this technique.  Now there are definitely scenarios where an honest contractor does give you some honest and scary information.  Use you common sense, don't let emotions dictate your response.  Salespeople love emotions.  When people act on their emotions the result is often a much bigger sale 
For example you notice some small stains forming around your chimney.  You call a roofer to come out and check it out.  You have never been on the roof and don't know anything about it, other than that the house is about 12 years old....
 The roofer gets a ladder and climbs up on the roof. 
In less than two minutes the roofing contractor comes back down and he begins telling you about the cheap shingles that were installed by the builder.  He asks to look in you attic because the roof decking may be leaking already.  You don't know any better and let him peak inside the attic and because you've never looked in the attic, you have no idea what it should look like.  After 15 seconds, the roofer tells you that the roof decking is too thin for new shingles because the building codes changed and that  you need to get the new roof installed ASAP or have water dripping on your head real soon.  This is terrible news and your emotions tell you to act fast, so....what could have been a couple hundred dollar repair by the handyman next door, turns into a $12,000 drama....
 
If you're in the market for a contractor I have some advise.
Don't hire the first person you meet-interview at least three and don't inform them of what anybody else has told you- tell each of them the same thing.  For example, you might say. "I noticed that my floor squeaks". What should be done? And how much will it cost me?  Then takes notes about what each one of them says, but don't tell them you're getting more estimates or meeting with other contractors.  If you tell them what the other contractor has said, they'll almost always agree and maybe even exaggerate the problem.
Chances are pretty good that you'll get at least three different suggestions (depending on the problem) and three different prices.
Compare and contrast your notes. Which one seems most logical to you?

If you want an unbiased opinion about a "problem" in your house consider hiring a home inspector- they have nothing to sell you other than their opinion.

]]>Tue, 07 Nov 2017 21:45:37 GMThttp://capitalcityinspections.com/blog/preflectionsI used to think I knew it all...but that was along time ago.
Its cold again here in Wisconsin and most of the leaves have fallen from the varied deciduous species in my neighborhood.  The season is one of rest, relief, and anticipation.  Rest from the busy season of my day job, relief from tired feet, and the anxious waiting for what is expected to be a joyful time for most of the families I know.  Unlike most businesses, November - January are the slowest months for a home inspector, which means my schedule is less full and I have time to stop and think.
I used to think life was long....but now I know how short it is.
I used to think a house built early this century was new....but nothing is new for long.
I used to think new appliances wouldn't need repair...but I was wrong.
I used to think a mortgage payment would be enough to include in my annual house budget...but that was before I owned three houses and learned things quit working or get broken on a regular basis- repairs and upkeep should all be a part of a homeowner's annual budget.   So how much should you budget for repairs on your home?
Determining the dollar amount you might spend on your home in a given year isn't easy.  There are a lot of variables and unknowns that make this part of budgeting a real pain.  If you've lived in your home for at least five years and you've kept good records of expense you can probably come up with a pretty good number of what your home actually costs to operate and maintain.  And if you've slept in the same camp for the last five years you probably have some guesstimates on what major components of your home will need to be replaced next- hopefully you're saving a little bit in anticipation of those big expenses (such as HVAC equipment or a new roof covering).
But if you're a new homeowner you may be scratching your head right now and thinking to yourself- "um, how much should I budget for repairs and maintenance?"   Well, I'm glad you asked!  If your house is more than 20 years old, a good rule of thumb is to estimate between $1.25- $1.50 per finished square foot of the home.  So for a house that is 2000 sq ft the formula is 2000 X $1.50= $3000 per year.  3000 divided by 12 months  = $250 per month in estimated expenses.  Sorry to break it to you, but your home is gonna expect you to fix it from time to time.   In the last month I have personally dealt with a backed up floor drain, a failed sump pump in my finished basement, and a gas oven that quit heating up.  All of these cost me hundreds of dollars and time.  And while cleaning out the gutters today I just discovered that a gable vent in the attic has been damaged by an animal-  and that's just the way it is for a homeowner- there is always something in need of repair, so budget and plan for it.  Your home inspection report can only report on what was visible and problematic at the time of inspection, it is not a guarantee that your home is or will ever be maintenance free. 
-Enjoy the holiday season!
​Marc]]>Thu, 09 Mar 2017 04:03:34 GMThttp://capitalcityinspections.com/blog/that-old-houseWe all love the charm that can only be found in turn of the last century homes.  Especially if you're lucky enough to find one that still has the original broad and detailed wood trim still in tact and that hasn't been painted.  But have you thought much about that old house foundation?  In Wisconsin many of these old beauties were built solidly on field stones combined with mortar, which turns out is a pretty stable combination.  This combination however is not waterproof and is often prone to water intrusion in the basement.  Water is the enemy of any structure and has an impact on these foundations too.  Mortar, like concrete absorbs water and has to dry out.  Over a long period of absorption and drying cycles the surface coat of the wall, known as the parge coat begins to deteriorate and crumble, which if left unchecked will result in decay of the foundation wall.  So don't just work on restoring your old house's cosmetic features, maintain it, including it's foundation, both inside and out.]]>Thu, 23 Feb 2017 22:15:18 GMThttp://capitalcityinspections.com/blog/when-you-have-to-walk-awayIf you are like most people you hate to invest in something and then try to forget about the time, energy, and money you spent on it. That happened to some clients of mine recently.  Their story was an important reminder about why I inspect homes. 
It's true that most of the houses I inspect are in relatively decent condition.  That is not to say that most are perfect- a house that doesn't have a few small issues is extremely rare.  If the house you've put an offer on has a few small things to repair you should feel good about your purchase.   Houses are like pets or kids- they eat your cash and your time. Period.
From the street the house looked pretty.  It wasn't until we started the inspection process we realized that there were several significant problems with the structure.  Some of them were just poor maintenance, but some were just poor construction practices. The unstable foundation had a repair price between $35K - $70,000!!  The roof had three layers of shingles and needed to be replaced- $6000 (it was a small house).  And the detached garage was suffering from settlement problems of its own.  Can you put a value on the price of that inspection? 
Needles to say these clients ultimately decided to search for a different home. 
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