Gary N Smith.net

Podcast by ASHI – Inspect that foreclosure!

I always call people back to chat about this business and give the long answers to all of these questions; there is no such thing as licensing for home inspectors in Minnesota, so there is no ‘right’ answer to these questions. I’m happy to share my time chatting about this stuff, but I end up giving different suggestions every time. Like so many other frequently asked questions, I’ve found it’s nice to have a document already put together to direct people to for a well-thought out answer, not just the first stuff that comes to my mind.

  Collusion between agents and home inspectors isn’t the norm Q. I am a court-certified expert witness in construction defect lawsuits. Many of the cases I see involve home inspectors who fail to disclose defects. One inspector confided that an inspection report with “too many problems” might “kill” the sale, and then the agent would [...]

Statistics show that lowering home energy usage directly improves value. This notion is supported by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, ENERGY STAR, FHA and VA financing instruments. When you increase the value through energy savings the increase is recognized in the new loan. A potential buyer will consider cost to operate the home, but only if informed. Information and education is the key to using the homes energy consumption as a sales marketing tool.

Gary, I have a question about my personal home that you might be able to answer. The south side of my yard is considerably lower than the north. Therefore my flower beds on the south side are more “raised”. We want to lower the beds by removing dirt but it will make the actual foundation [...]

Three things to look into if your bulbs keep blowing. Your bulb supplier (cheap bulbs use thin filament), check the wire connections inside your bulb holder (loose wire in the fixture), and check to see