MID RIVERS Home Inspections LLC
Helping Buyers, Sellers and Real Estate Professionals
OverSeeIt Referral Network
OverSeeIt is a network of independent certified inspectors who offer the following services:
- Project and contractor oversight
- New-construction phase inspections
- Final walk-through inspections
- One-Year Builder’s Warranty Inspections
- Annual inspections for home and commercial property owners
- Investor consulting
- Pre-Listing Seller Inspections
- Foreclosure inspections
- Insurance inspections
- Home inspections
Radon Testing
Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon
The EPA recommends:
- If you are buying a home or selling your home, have it tested for radon.
- For a new home, ask if radon-resistant construction features were used and if the home has been tested.
Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.
You cannot see, smell or taste radon. But it still may be a problem in your home.
We will test for radon.
Testing is the only way to find out your home’s radon levels.
There are ways to fix a radon problem.
If we find that you have high radon levels, there are ways to fix a radon problem.
What Really Matters In a Home Inspection
If I am doing a my job, you are able to see what really matters in a home inspection. Hopefully you have been present during the inspection. After a some discussion about the property, there is a full written report.
Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, a checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this, combined with the seller’s disclosure and what you notice yourself, makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?
Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies for various systems and components, and minor imperfections. These are useful to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:
- major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure;
- things that lead to major defects, such as a small roof-flashing leak, for example;
- things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home; and
- safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electrical panel.
Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often, a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).
Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect.
Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller’s disclosure, or nit-picky items.