Reuben's Home Inspection Blog

Should The Seller Fix This?

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"Does the seller need to fix this?" This is a common question I'm asked when I find defects at houses that I inspect, and the answer is always no. When I find defects during a home inspection (and I always find defects), there are four ways for the buyer to deal with them: Do nothing, have the s...

02/27/2009

Inspect The Common Areas On Townhomes? Yes.

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Townhouses should be inspected the same way that single family homes are. I always quote the same price to inspect a townhouse as a single family home, because I inspect townhouses the same way; the roof, siding, windows... everything on the outside. Some people feel that these items don't need...

02/26/2009

Why I Rarely Test For Lead

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Lead isn't something to be afraid of, but rather something to be aware of. When people call asking about lead testing in Minneapolis or Saint Paul, I usually end up talking them out of it. I tell my clients that if their house was built before 1960, it's almost a guarantee that the paint in the...

02/25/2009

Anti-Tip Brackets

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A defect that home inspectors find at 49 out of 50 houses is a missing anti-tip bracket at the range. An anti-tip bracket is a device that is installed at the floor below the range or on the wall behind the range to keep it from tipping over, should a child attempt to climb on an open oven doo...

02/24/2009

Vacant Buildings in Saint Paul

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I've been getting a number of calls from potential home buyers asking about Saint Paul's recent changes to the way vacant buildings are handled. The Star Tribune ran an article a couple weeks ago about the woes of a person who bought a Category III Registered vacant building in Saint Paul, and ...

02/23/2009

Sellers Inspections

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While many cities in the Minneapolis / Saint Paul area require a Truth in Housing evaluation before listing a house for sale, more and more Realtors are having their sellers get private home inspections before putting them up for sale, whether a Truth in Housing evaluation is required or not. A p...

02/22/2009

I didn't kill the deal, the house did.

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I received a phone call from a home seller last summer complaining I killed the deal on his house. I inspected his home for the new buyers, and they decided not to buy it after I inspected it because there were so many issues identified at the inspection. A few of the issues included an improper...

02/22/2009

How To Fix Or Prevent Ice Dams

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After the big snowfall in Minnesota last night, it's a good time to talk about ice dams. Ice dams are caused by the same thing I've been blogging about for the last several entries; heat loss! The most obvious sign of heat loss in attics is ice dams - those huge masses of ice that build up at t...

02/20/2009

Frost In Attics, How To Fix

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This Minnesota winter has been an especially problematic one for frost in attics, and it seems that most people don't understand why it happens or how to fix it. There is a lot of mis-information floating around about why frost gets in to the attic and how to fix it, but I'm going to give you th...

02/20/2009

Photos Of Attic Bypasses, The Least Understood Attic Problem

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Yesterday I talked about what needs to be done before adding insulation to your attic - seal bypasses! Today I have several photos of bypasses that I find in attics every day. These bypasses cause serious problems with attics, but a lot of people just don't understand this. Bypasses cause fros...

02/18/2009