Real Estate Information |
|
Home Inspectors: 5 Tips to Choosing the Right One
Choosing the wrong Home Inspector can cost you a lot more than the fee you paid. If you choose a home inspector solely on price alone, your headed down a dangerous highway. I'm still amazed at people who will spend countless hours, days and months looking for just the right home and then choose a home inspector solely because he was $50 or $100 than the next guy. Home Inspector Schools are turning out record number of new inspectors. These people come from all walks of life. One week they are the door greeter at a department store, the next they're a "Certified" home inspector. Before choosing any inspector there are some things you need to know. Tip #1: Research, research and research some more. Find out as much as you can about the inspector you want to hire. Call them up and speak with them over the phone. Are they easy to talk to? Are they knowledgeable about homes? Will he/she email you a sample report? Is the report easy to read and understand? You may also want to ask your friends and coworkers for referrals. However, never take their recommendations blindly. The majority of people have no idea if they received a good inspection or not. They just know they like the inspector and he pointed some things out. Research, research, research! Tip #2: Never hire an Inspector solely on the recommendation of your Real Estate Agent. While you may think that your agent hung the moon, they could be pushing you to use a "wink and nod" inspector, or as we in the business call them, "Drive by Inspectors." They grab your check as the drive by the home their suppose to be inspecting. These types of inspectors "don't rock the boat" or are not "deal killers". These inspectors get their business from agents who control them. The agent knows the inspector will see to it that the inspection doesn't derail the transaction. Even if your agent recommends 2,3 or more inspectors, it's wiser to avoid the conflict of interest and find an inspector who works for you and you only. Tip #3: Why the word "Certified" may not be a good thing. Listen up. You can become a "Certified" home inspector by sending a hundred dollars or so to one of many home inspection associations. No experience required. Just send them the money and they send you a "Certified" certificate. Sure, it's good that your inspector should belong to some state and national home inspector associations. Most professionals in any business belong to industry associations in their field. Home inspectors are no different. However, there are many companies out there looking to make a buck off the backs of new home inspectors. Don't fall for the "Certified" or "Master Certified" home inspector label. Some of these organizations use the word "Certified" in their name to try and sound credible. Buyer beware. If you're looking for an inspector on new construction, you do want to look for a Code "Certified" inspector. Two national home inspector associations that you can trust are the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)- http://www.ashi.com and the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI)- http://www.nahi.org. ASHI has very strict requirements for membership including passing the National Home Inspector Examination. NAHI has similar requirements. Tip #4: You get what you pay for. Price should be at the bottom of your list of priorities when shopping for an inspector. A good, thorough and knowledgeable inspector will save you money while a poor inspector will cost you many times their fee. You may need that $100 bucks you saved to try and repair that $10,000 roof your inspector failed to warn you about. Let's take a 2000 square foot home. A top of the line inspector who knows what he's doing will cost you approximately $350 to $600 for this size home, depending on a few variables. You have to ask yourself, if the inspector I choose charges less, why? What will be missed or left out of the inspection? On the other hand, a good inspector will find things others will miss. You may want to go back to the Seller and renegotiate the price of the home. I've seen Sellers drop their price $30,000 because of the items we found wrong with homes. I've also saved my Clients countless thousands of dollars by brining major defects to their attention before they signed on the dotted line. Tip #5: Check with you state to see if they require home inspectors to be licensed. More and more states are requiring home inspectors to be licensed. Even in these states, there are some inspectors who can't meet the standards and will be performing illegal inspections. Check them out before hiring them. Choosing the right Home Inspector is a very important process when buying a home. Don't leave it to chance. Do your homework and you'll be money ahead. This article may be freely distributed as long as this sig/resource box is left intact with the article. Donald Lawson is a Professional Real Estate Inspector licensed in Oklahoma (#454) and Texas (#5824). He currently owns and operates V.I.P. Home Inspections, a multi inspector firm in Houston Texas. You can find more out about him and the home buying process by visiting his website at http://www.best2inspect.com
MORE RESOURCES: 16 Top Alternatives to Zillow and Trulia Yahoo Finance Gisele Bündchen's Houses: A Peek Inside the Supermodel's Real Estate Portfolio Architectural Digest Welcome to Real Estate Friday! theberkshireedge.com This new digital real estate platform wants to solve Denver’s unrealistic listing prices The Denver Post The Pipeline: Commercial real estate roundup for 3.29.24 RichmondBizSense A Real Estate Reporter Explains a Settlement That Will Change Housing The New York Times Most Impactful Real Estate Leaders 2024 - Forbes Lists Forbes Middle East Australia’s Gold Coast Is Primed for a Long-Term Real Estate Boom—and There’s Still Time for Buyers to Get In Mansion Global Nikkei Rises 0.5%, Led by Machinery, Real-Estate Stocks The Wall Street Journal Breaking Barriers: DePaul's Department of Finance & Real Estate holding first DEI Conference – REJournals REjournals.com REAL ESTATE | Auto Safety Center adds third location washingtoncountyinsider.com San Antonio real estate: Tony Parker's Hill Country mansion San Antonio Express-News REAL ESTATE | What would you like to see at the old Kettle Moraine Bowl? washingtoncountyinsider.com Refined Real Estate: 1937 Colonial Broadmoor home lists for $2,595,000 seattlerefined.com REAL ESTATE | Spring Storewide Sale underway at General Store Antique Mall in Kewaskum, WI washingtoncountyinsider.com Residential real estate market sees modest price and inventory increases so far this year Montrose Daily Press RI real estate transactions: What homes sold, for how much and to whom The Providence Journal See the latest Coles County real estate transactions Journal Gazette / Times-Courier Real estate terms and commissions are changing – Cache Valley Daily Cache Valley Daily FBI is investigating Eastside real estate firm iCap, lawyers say The Seattle Times Search the latest Macon County real estate transfers Herald & Review TU launches first in state Center for Real Estate Studies 2 News Oklahoma KJRH Tulsa Wylie High School offers new real estate class KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com Here's a roundup of 6 key first-quarter KC real estate developments - Kansas City The Business Journals Changes coming to real estate commissions. What does it mean? Wednesday Journal Renting versus buying a home: Has the math changed for today's Bay Area real estate market? San Francisco Chronicle What you need to know about the NAR real estate commission lawsuit? Sarasota Herald-Tribune Solano Real Estate Scene: The Dream For All lottery opens Wednesday Fairfield Daily Republic How New Rules for Real Estate Commissions Could Affect First-Time Buyers The New York Times MAKING YOUR REAL ESTATE DREAMS A REALITY | Real Estate- Sale/Rent coastalbreezenews.com The future of real estate starts now CapeGazette.com See How Commercial Real Estate Deals Are Being Cut As Debts Mount Business Insider Current Real Estate Roundup - March 28, 2024 Nantucket Current Ethereum-Based Tokenized Real Estate Platform USP Launches On Republic Brave New Coin Insights VIDEO | REAL ESTATE | Sneak peek inside the new Auto Safety Center South in West Bend, Wi washingtoncountyinsider.com Why S&P Cut Outlook for Five US Regional Banks With Heavy Commercial Real Estate Exposure Investopedia Cincinnati real estate market: Realtors talk about spring season The Cincinnati Enquirer Cervera Real Estate opens Palm Beach, West Palm Beach offices South Florida Agent Magazine Pummeled Blackstone Real Estate Unit Seems Poised for a Revival | Chief Investment Officer Chief Investment Officer Real estate giant Compass to pay $57.5M to settle clams it overcharged US home sellers New York Post Longtime Minneapolis real estate company to bring industrial buildings to Colorado Springs' east side Colorado Springs Gazette Kevin O'Leary Says a Coming Real Estate Collapse Will Lead to 'Chaos' — Here's What You Need To Know Yahoo Finance Christie's International Real Estate The Laurel Magazine of Highlands NC and Cashiers NC Heiwa Real Estate REIT : Notice Concerning Change in Name of Asset under Management Marketscreener.com Claremont Hotel bought by Ohana Real Estate from Fairmont Hotel and Richard Blum - San Francisco Business Times The Business Journals The Office Market Is in Turmoil. So Why Are Rents More Expensive? The Wall Street Journal Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSEARCA:XLRE) Defense World Squatters 'claim everything to be theirs,' real estate agent says WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm $900000 Homes in Rome The New York Times Top-selling residential real estate team opens Petaluma office North Bay Business Journal Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ:WHLRD) Short Interest Up 352.0% in March Defense World Suspect in $200K Gwinnett real estate scam arrested The Atlanta Journal Constitution Cape Girardeau voters to decide real estate, property tax levy for police, firefighter salaries KBSI Fox 23 Cape Girardeau News | Paducah News Neuberger Berman Real Estate Securities Income Fund (NYSEAMERICAN:NRO) Share Price Crosses Above 50 Day ... Defense World The longtime Hamptons home of a late billionaire real estate developer now comes $25M cheaper New York Post Opinion | Real estate feels too darn expensive. But are commissions to blame? The Washington Post How will the NAR settlement impact the Buffalo real estate market? - Buffalo Business First The Business Journals Crombie Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:CRR.UN) Given a C$16.00 Price Target at Raymond James Defense World Check-Cap to Be Bought by real estate Marketplace Nobul The Wall Street Journal |
RELATED ARTICLES
3 of the 5 Ways Real Estate Can Take Advantage of Blogs and RSS Earlier this month, Realtor Magazine announced that they would be featuring an article about Tampa Bay Realtor John Mudd and the success he has been having in attracting prospects and media attention with his blog on real estate. Since then, many others in the Real Estate market have been curious about how to implement similar strategies to capture leads in their areas. Achieving Positive Cash Flow from Your Real Estate Investments Even if you're counting on rising property values to eventually make a profit on an investment property, it's far more desirable to have a positive cash flow each month. If you're losing money on a property every month, it may not take long until your future profits will have been lost. Home Buying: Things To Keep In Mind So you've decided you want to own a home and now you want to begin your search for one. Before jumping into a home search, there are a few things you should keep in mind when going about buying a home. Top Ten Suggestions for Selecting a Real Estate Agent In order to find a real estate broker or agent who meets your needs and makes your buying or selling experience a positive one, Century 21 Real Estate Corporation recommends you:DO NOT blindly walk into or call a neighborhood firm and ask for an agent at random.Ask friends and family for recommendations. Las Vegas Real Estate - Luxury Properties Las Vegas is known for it's over the top hotels and casinos, larger than life celebrities and jaw dropping shows.Over the past couple of years the Real Estate Market has taken center stage breaking national sales records in 2003 and 2004 with record appreciation rates as high as 52%. Investing In Commercial Property Investing in commercial property is well beyond the financial means of most people. Few can afford the large sums of money involved in buying commercial real estate. Curb Appeal First impressions do make a difference when selling your home. Oftentimes, before making the phone call to schedule an appointment, a homebuyer will drive by your home to determine if they may be further interested. Market Reaching its Peak I do not profess to "Know" what the real estate market will do in the next year or two, but I would like to share some information with you that might help you in making decisions regarding buying or selling property in today's market. The following information relates to the types of mortgages that are currently being taken out by those who are currently purchasing or refinancing homes. Real Estate: A Strong Investment Description: Even in uncertain economic times like these, history shows that real estate is one of the soundest investments a family can make. Also remember that the stock market is not the only place where people can make their fortunes. How to Sell Your Home Without a Real Estate Agent Considering the rapid rise in home prices over the past several years, home sellers are taking a hard look at the commission they have to pay to a real estate brokerage to market and sell their home. Real estate commissions vary across the country; they average in the four to seven percent range. Homes For Sell By Owner - FSBOs and Buyer Brokers You're selling your home as a FSBO (for sale by owner) and you get annoyed when real estate brokers call you, right? That's a reasonable response when you're doing all the work to market your property to save thousands of dollars in broker commissions. However, when a "buyer broker" calls, you might want to listen. Home Equity - Don't Spend It on Risky Investments The housing market has exploded in the last five years, and homeowners are finding that the equity in their homes is greater than it has ever been. The equity in a home is the difference between the market value of the home and the amount still owed on it. Should You Use a Property Management Company or Manage Your Real Estate Investment in Florida? When considering investment properties, first of all, it must be determined that it is profitable and a good idea to purchase rental properties. Let's talk about this aspect. 10 Ways To Find Investment Properties If you really want the best deals in investment properties, you have to increase your odds by finding more deals. Who is more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor that looks through the MLS listings and calls it a day, or the one that uses ten resources? Here are the ten:1. Get To Know About Building Codes & Town Planning Applications, If You Want To Build A House These are real building questions that I received from readers of my e-book, "Residential Development Made Easy" with answers from me, Colm Dillon, and a major USA Construction Master operating in 48 States.Question 1. How to Buy Your Own Home Buying Your First HomeBuying Your Own Home isn't nearly as complicated as some folks make it out to be. Your first step should probably be to contact a Mortgage Broker (check out the on-line Mortgage Companies on my Site -- they're a great way to quickly find out how much you qualify for, and they often have better rates than the standard Banks. How Can I Stop Foreclosure on My House? We understand the being in foreclosure is a scary thing. You are probably wondering how can I stop foreclosure on my house. Getting Raw Land, Not a Raw Deal! There is more to buying raw land than meets the eye and more than a few individuals have wished they'd had a second chance upon finding themselves duped, conned, misled, ill-advised, uninformed, oversold, undereducated and often unprepared. They realize, often too late, that a raw land purchase should be properly investigated, evaluated and negotiated using a logical and rational plan. Investment Real Estate Made Easy - Make the Most from Each Investment Dollar When it comes to buying investment real estate, there are many schools of thought on how to get the most out of your money. Some say lease optioning your houses is the best and safest way to go. For Sale By Owner Listings Selling your home on your own, without a Realtor, is becoming less and less popular. This is surprising, considering that home values have skyrocketed and commissions have risen along with them. |
home | site map |
© 2006 TIGER MEDIA |