3 Challenges of Buying and Inspecting a Foreclosure
I got a call yesterday to inspect a home in foreclosure. For the inexperienced inspector, this could be quite the challenge. We have little to no access to data or history about the properties we inspect and when the home is owned by a bank or other governmental agency the opportunity to ask questions or uncover […]
3 Land Mines to Avoid When Moving a House Using an FHA 203(k)
Moving a house to vacant land. An older home is being either torn down or moved. Your client has chosen to purchase the house and have it moved. She wants to finance the deal with an FHA 203(k) Mortgage. The borrower owns the land and has an agreement with house mover to relocate the building. The […]
5 Warning Signs of an Unsafe Deck
There about 40 million decks in the US. About 1/2 of them need either repairing or replacement. The cause? Improper construction or/and lack of maintenance. July 28th – 2013 ::Â Tinley Park, ILÂ Fourteen people were injured Saturday night after the second-floor deck of a home in the 16700 block of Beverly Avenue collapsed during a party […]
Granite :: The Love/Hate Relationship
For millions of years we’ve been cutting stone. Early humans used stone tools to hunt and to defend themselves. As far back as 5,000 B.C. man has created stone structures. It has a classic durable quality and embodies a uniqueness like no other natural building product. But…talk about getting run over by the “Fad Freight Train”! Are […]
How Secure Is Your Folding Stairway Pulldown
Normally, you’d find a string hanging from the cover of the stairway. For outside locations that might present a bit of a security issue. A quick pad lock will help secure the hatch. Done…unless there was NO string to pull!