If you haven’t had your home inspected in the last 5 years (or never had an inspection) you may be missing the following:

• Knowing where repairs are needed now…
• Identifying areas with damage and decay. (Plus low-cost options that may be applicable)
• Finding out what needs to be done before you sell your home.

While most home inspections are done for the buyers of homes and properties, home inspectors sometimes also do Pre-sale inspections for the sellers. The rationale for doing this inspection is that if a sellers knows what problems will be revealed by a buyer’s inspection they can deal with these issues ahead of time.

This week I did an inspection for a couple who had lots of questions and concerns about their home. Most of these concerns were not warranted. The walls showed numerous seam cracks where the drywall met the trim. Hairline straight cracks at wall/ceiling intersections – or even just on the walls – are butt (seam) cracks. You can ignore these: they aren’t structural.

While termite control outfits are often called pest control companies, pests are a different thing. Many of the below creatures warrant removal by ‘pest control’ companies.

A termite/wood boring insect inspection may or may not be offered by your home inspection company. If not, I recommend that you have this done by a termite/pest control company. (This assumes that you are in area where termites may be present – which is most of the country, excluding the far northern states and dry/desert areas). This will not typically be a required inspection unless you are getting a VA mortgage or your mortgage lender requires this. Ask your inspection company ahead of time whether they offer this.

This blog is from my book, “The Ultimate Homebuyer’s Handbook” (available on Amazon with a free copy at the inspection) just notes the first of the many systems and structures that a home inspection does not cover.

Even if you haven’t spotted it yet, mold is probably in your home right now. Read on to learn which species are most prevalent, where they grow, and when you have a problem.

This chapter covers a number of environmental hazards relevant to your home buying effort that you need to know about.

I’m Ernie Simpson, the proud owner of Evergreen Home Inspection.

I look forward to sharing my story. I hope that you will enjoy getting to know me better.

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new website!

Finding a home inspector… Note: this is a selection from one chapter of The Ultimate HomeBuyer’s Handbook, which I will be finishing shortly and selling on Amazon. I hope you find this useful. Feel free to email me with feedback or questions. Choosing a qualified and diligent home inspector versus an inspector who rushes the inspection and doesn’t take the time to do a proper job can save you a few thousand dollars, or occasionally tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs (or lost value) over the period you own the home. The difference can also be getting an inspector who…

New Website Coming Soon!