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HOME
MAINTENANCE INSPECTION
If
you are a past client or have referred anyone to me, I will
include an Infrared Thermal Scan for FREE with your maintenance
inspection.
Though your home
isn't alive , it is still very much like a "real
person". It can have its bad days and good days. It
can get "sick" when systems break down, and it
can become "temperamental" when there are hidden
issues in need of repair. In most cases, you will not know
what is wrong until something breaks or someone is injured.
And as with the human body, one symptom is usually a sign
of a bigger problem that, if not treated or repaired, can
lead to even more symptoms and much bigger problems later
on.
Ironically, as large
of an investment as a house is, it is maintained far less
frequently than the family car though your house often costs
ten to twenty times as much as your family car. But unlike
what is provided for the family car, a home rarely ever
receives a "check-up". Instead, problems that
occur in a home are typically only addressed after
something breaks or after damage to its structure
and systems has become so severe that you are forced to
make repairs. Most homeowners give very little consideration
to the fact that, if found early on, home-related problems
can be addressed or repaired before those problems become
so large that the expense of fixing them cause a financial
strain.
But how do you know
something is wrong with your home to begin with? Just as
a 60,000-mile inspection and tune-up can help you to identify
and prevent problems with your automobile,
the only way you will be able to identify and prevent existing
or potential problems with your home is to give it an inspection
and tune-up, as well.
EVERY
TWO YEARS
It’s recommended
you receive a Home Maintenance Inspection every two years
after you have closed on your property. For about the cost
of a basic automotive tune-up, a Home Maintenance Inspection
can help to identify problems and damage in your home before
they become an expensive or irreversible threat to your
fiscal and physical well-being.
WHAT
WE INSPECT, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT
Much like a buyer-seller
home inspection, a Home Maintenance Inspection is a visual
examination of your home's systems, mechanicals and structure.
We examine everything from roof to basement to assure that
the items inspected are in proper working order.
Our report will review
the condition of the home's heating system, central air
conditioning system (temperature permitting), interior plumbing
and electrical systems; the roof, attic, and visible insulation;
walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors; the foundation,
basement, and visible structure. We also have other added
services if you wish to have performed.
Keep in mind that
a Home Maintenance Inspection does not prevent
further damage to your property, but it can help you to
identify and correct existing damage that you may not know
about. Our Home Maintenance Inspections are also not appraisal
inspection and cannot help you to determine the value of
your property (though it can help you to maintain its value).
MYTHS
ABOUT HOME MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS
In a recent survey,
we discovered that the number one reason that more current-occupancy
homeowners don't get their homes periodically inspected
is simply because they aren't aware that the service is
available outside of the real estate transaction period.
The fact is that Home Maintenance Inspections have always
been available, but they simply aren't marketed by real
estate agents or most professional home inspections - and
there's a reason why.
First, home-buyers
and sellers have been lead to believe that only time they
should be concerned about the health of a property
is when an initial financial transaction is occurring,
such as when a property is being sold or purchased. This
is actually a bit deceiving because every month you own
your home, you are engaged in making a financial transaction.
You may a mortgage, right? You pay utility bills, right?
So if you are going to make these payments every month,
then wouldn't you want to be sure that aren't paying these
sums of money into an "investment" that is falling
apart right under your fee or above your head? Of course
not, yet tens-of-millions of people do just that because
of a simple misbelief.
Second, many current-occupancy
homeowners do not get a home inspection because they believe
that the home inspector will find thousands-of-dollars of
damage that would cause a financial strain if fixed. But
regardless of what the home inspector finds, you need to
know the condition of your home. The home inspector cannot
force you to fix anything, nor can they condemn your property.
In other words, there is no "pass" or "fail"
score. There is simply knowledge, and knowledge is power.
Still, most homeowners are pleasantly surprised that a home
inspection discovers the kind of damage that can often be
repaired for only a few dollars before such damage grows
worse, and thus, costs the homeowner thousands
of dollars.
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