John Martino's (looksmart) Blog

Cracking in homes is a common concern that can point to structural issues. Cracking can also be quite normal and expected caused by houses settlement over time. Experienced NJ home inspectors encounter numerous types of cracks in foundations, floors, walls and ceilings. Understanding the causatio...

As an experienced home inspector, I have seen thousands of different problems and homes, even beautiful homes with nasty secrets lurking behind the scenes. Home buyers tend to focus on how the home would be useful for their family and how the different rooms in the home will look once they are fu...

The Role of Infrared Cameras in NJ Home Inspections: Benefits, Limitations, and How They WorkInfrared (IR) cameras have become an important tool for NJ home inspectors. These cameras use thermal imaging technology to detect differences in surface temperatures. They are useful because sometimes th...

Performing home inspections in the winter presents unique challenges for both the home inspector and the buyer of the home. The most challenging aspect of performing home inspections in the winter is snow-cover. Snow can cover the roof, walkway surfaces, the deck top, and the driveway. It is chal...

When buying or selling a home sometimes emotions can get the better of people. Buyers are envisioning their family living in their new home. While sellers anticipate moving on to their next chapter in their life’s journey. In the center of these emotions lies an important step that can either mak...

Sellers can do so much before their home gets inspected to put their home in the most positive position and make the job of the New Jersey home inspector easier. If many issues are found during your home inspection this can cause issues with delayed closings, canceled real estate transactions, an...

Most home inspectors can provide services in addition to the standard home inspection. NJ Home inspectors typically also perform radon. Radon testing is important because radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil and in rock. People are exposed to radon all the t...

When a client purchases a newly constructed home sometimes, they assume that everything is in tip-top condition and the home does not have any issues. Buying a brand-new home does not mean the home is without issues or is flawless. Even newly built homes can have problems or defects that only hav...

NJ Home inspectors do have limitations on what they can view and inspect during the home inspection. However, you as buyer can help alleviate many of these problems by requesting that inaccessible areas be made accessible before the home inspection takes place.One such problem area is the attic a...

NJ Home inspectors typically can provide a Pre-sales home inspection or a "sellers inspection". A presale home inspection is when a seller of the property hires a home inspector to do a home inspection before it is listed for sale. Presale inspections are an important piece of due diligence for a...