Archive for April, 2011
Staten Island Home Inspection – Why Do I Need One?
The objective of a home inspection is to make the buyer aware of the current condition of the home in Staten Island. A home can be attractive, but to the untrained eye there could be underlying problems in the structure of the home, such as the foundation, electrical or plumbing. A home inspection will raise attention to these areas giving the buyer the opportunity to opt out of the purchase of the home, to ask the repairs be completed before the purchase of the home will take place, or ask for credit off the agreed upon price to enable the repairs to be made.
The Need for National Guidelines and Testing in the Home Improvement Industry
It is time for Washington to step up and put legislation in place that will force states to better regulate the home improvement industry. Up to now Washington has left the regulation of the home improvement industry up to state regulators, and for whatever reason(s) many states have fallen considerably short.
There are still some states that do not even have contractor licensing in place for home improvements. For some of the states that do have licensing, the license requirements do not include that the applicant demonstrate the ability to do any type of home improvement work. (That is like saying I will issue you a license to cut hair but you don’t have to demonstrate that you know how to cut hair……… ouch!) Then why do states bother issuing licenses if there are no requirements to demonstrate competence? Revenue? Or could it be that they need more consumer complaints for Consumer Affairs and BBB to handle? The unfortunate consequences of this problem are that homeowners are the ones who are paying the price by receiving poor workmanship and a cascade of home improvement problems.
The Home Inspection – You Shouldn’t Buy A House Without One
Home inspections are done after your offer has been accepted.
Generally, you make an offer contingent on the property passing
its home inspection. Basically, the home inspection is to protect
you and the seller in case there happens to be something wrong
with the house. It should give you a good idea of what you are
about to purchase, what problems you may encounter, and allow you
time to negotiate the sales contract with the new information that
you have gained about the house.
A thorough home inspection would include checking electrical,
plumbing, gas and water lines in addition to individual outlets,
light sockets and faucets. The foundation, roof, windows, siding,
attic or crawl space would be inspected. The air
conditioning/heat unit should be inspected. In other words, a
thorough overall inspection of the house should be done.