It's a cash sale! So why do we need a home inspection. Seller agent.  This is what the sellers agent asked me when I called to set up a time to inspect the home. The agent asked me why I was called to do an inspection on the home. "It's only two years old and there should be no issues with the home". Really? I met the Realtor for the inspection and there were some issues but not too bad. Here is a look at the issues with a two year old home. The first issue was not a real bad thing, just a little TLC was needed to keep the roof in good repair. Keep in mind that if there was a home inspection the first time around these issues would have been found and corrected when the builder was still on site. This hole at the roof line can be easily repaired.  The next shot is of the attic and the s... 09/16/2012

Why are the simplest things the hardest? Venting gone bad. Why is it that even the simplest things have problems getting installed properly. Is it because the builder hires a few young high school kids to help out then forgets to actually supervise the kids when working? There are a few things that a builder needs to remember. 1. You are getting paid to build this home for someone else. 2.  Lack of supervision can and will lead to failure in the long run. 3. Build a home as if you are going to be living in the home. 4. And most important. Never leave unqualified workers unattended to do tasks when building a home. Here is a look at a vent issues I had yesterday. Seems each home gets a little worse. I personally have installed a very large number of roofs and roof vents. If I was to ever... 08/30/2012

Gutters and down spouts. Installed incorrectly or that's all you get. This will make two home in a row that the contractor did not complete the job they were to do. In this case  the contractor did'nt finish the gutter system. The home owners were told the job was complete and they did pay the contractor. But at the home inspection last night, I saw a different story. Tell me what you think. In this picture there is and open end on the gutter and no down spout. I guess the contractor wanted the gutter to dump back onto the home against the facia. This is not very funny for the seller. I told the seller this needs to be finished. They thought the job had been completed and have lready paid the contractor. Is the contractor taking advantage of the inexperience of the home owners? Possibly... 08/29/2012

A look at water heater "DIY"repairs. "Uncle Bob" repairs? On this home I was inspecting in Artesia, New Mexico, I found the water heater to have been installed by the owner. He was quite proud of the accomplishment, until I sank his boat with the report for the home inspection. He was not a happy camper when the buyer added this to the "request sheet". Home owners want to take a few shortcuts when installing new items in the home. Notice the cover for the electrical connection laying on top od the water heater to the right? It was never installed. What is wrong with this picture. I will give you a hint. It would dump right on the floor. It needs to be connected to a drain line. There is a drain line within two foot of the drop from the pan. The owner was mad and said it did'nt need to b... 08/05/2012

Crawl spaces need a little TLC too. Many, many times when  inspect a home In Eddy county New Mexico, I see the crawl space access door is missing or in disrepair. You never know what will take up residence in the crawl space when it's not secured with an operational door. This is what you don't want the crawl space to look like when it's under your home. This access is very very small. I don't see how anyone got under the home to do any work. Under this home there was at least two snakes I could see with the flashlight. So I did'nt venture very far. Have a good night everyone.   08/03/2012

Roof problems? More than that I'm afraid. I was out and about in Artesia, New Mexico 88210 for a home inspection. The buyers are a young couple that really knows nothing of owning a home. Let alone one with "ISSUE". No home is going to be 100%. But there was only one home like that. Anyway back to the post. I was inspecting the roof of the home when I noticed that the rear screened in room had a lot of issues with the roofs covering. It's a rolled roofing application and it has seen it's better days.  The sides of the materials have "drawn back" at least two inches.  And yes this is a leak. I went down and inspected the underside of the roofing structure and found two trusses rotted to the point they will need to be replaced as soon as possible.   Notice how bad the truss is rotted out.... 08/02/2012

When inspecting a home, you need to get in as well. At a recent home inspection I was there before the client/ buyer. I performed all the exterior of the home then the buyer arrived for the appointment. I took the key out of my pocket that I had received from the Realtor's office to gain entry. Low and behold it would not work. It looked like a freshly cut key too. That makes me a little upset when i can'y gain entry to a home. After about ten minutes of trying to move and jiggle the key to get it to work I had failed. I then called the listing agent and asked if they had a different key and she said that one will work you have to "jiggle it a lot". Really? You would think that if a homes lock will not work without "JIGGLING It A LOT" it just might be time to have a new lock installed? ... 07/30/2012

Where there's smoke there must be a fire. Microwave ovens too. At a home inspection this week in Artesia, New Mexico 88210 I always ask the buyer if they had any concerns about the home before I start the inspection. Most buyers feel there are some issues and want to share that information with me so I can pay extra attention to their concerns. This buyer told me the only concern he had about the home was the smoke stains on the stone by the fireplace. O.K., let's take a good look at the fireplace. You can clearly see the stained stones at the top and the left of the fireplace. Then we get to take a closer look into the inside of the fireplace. When I asked the buyer if he knew how to operate the draft for the flue, he looked confused. He had never had a fireplace and did'nt know how to... 07/26/2012

Termites in New Mexico? Yes there is. Can you hear them coming home? At a recent home inspection in Artesia, New Mexico, I ran into termites. Not in the home it's self but they were on there way to having lunch and it's going to be on you as the home owner. The termites were found right on the fence line next to the home. These look to be some very busy critters. They has built capillaries all over the place. And it looked like they are headed straight for the home I was inspecting. Although these termites were found on the fence line, the fence line is only six foot from the home. Too close for comfort. Here they look to have made themselves at home. But then they eat it and move on. If in doubt, have a termite and pest control expert treat the home for any and all pests. Termites incl... 07/23/2012

New roof ? Or take the home as is? The owner say's the roof is O.K.   This is a featured post. When I do Home inspections in Eddy County New Mexico, I find all kinds of sellers that are big Fibbers. The owners of this home says the roof will not leak if it gets rained on. Lets have a look and see if we can tell how good the roof is through a roof inspection. As you can see in this shot.  The roof is worn out. About 60% of the granuals are missing. Look closely at the edges of the existing shingles. See any thing. Also the area at the base of the fireplace stack is badly damaged. And yes there is a hole in the roof. Here the home owner had a new furnace and water heater installed. Notice the vents are not installed correctly. Neither one of them My reccomendation to the buyer is that the... 07/22/2012

Sometimes the client's surprise you with a glowing review. I got a call from a client that wanted his inspection report. I did'nt know he did'nt have the report in hand already. I did sent it to him but for some reason he said he did'nt get it. The first thing I thought of was "man this makes me look really bad". I thought I had the report and the receipt handled. Now I look like I don't know what i'm doing. ARGHHHH. After I had sent the report for the second time I got this E-Mail  back from him, Hello Clint, Thank you for the through and impressive report. You did an outstanding job.  There was actually more in the E-mail but that's confidential. Then this morning the buyer calls me. Wanting me to inspect after the repairs had been made to the home he is wanting to buy. He told me he ... 07/20/2012

Do you feel that sinking feeling? You will over time. At a recent home inspection, I added up all the numbers for the roof. This home has no gutters. It a nearly four thousand square foot home. That makes this roof only 12,000 foot of coverage. With no gutters on the home at time of inspection, it makes you wonder "WHY" was'nt gutters and down spouts installed to keep the water away from the home. This is a very large home with an 8:12 pitch to the roof. So this is a steep pitched roof. You Can see why I have some concerns about the mass amount of water that would come off a roof the size of this one. They (the builder) did pour a three foot wide sidewalk all the way around the home. But I really don't think the foundation will hold over time. Install gutters and down spouts to help div... 07/18/2012

There is a right and wrong way to lay brick. You decide. I see this quite a bit. James from Connecticut just had a post about how the brick layers did not finish the job. I really can't understand why some things are left undone or they are simply overlooked by the home owner. Maybe it was the home owner that did the work. May be it was Uncle Bob. In any case, there needs to be more attention to detail and methods of installing components onto or into a home.  And why did'nt the brick layers finish the job around the drop for the TPV valve? Unknown. Here The brick facing at the top of the rear door was not completed. It was left open to the elements. Half of the homes brick exterior was layed correctly. The other half was not. Did the home owner have a different set of contractors finis... 07/07/2012

BBQ and the way to make it. Smokin' on the Pecos. I thopught it would be fun to look into the way the BBQ is made. Atleast it is the grills they use to make the very good BBQ. At the last Smokin' on tyhe Pecos There were contestants from all over the country. Here is a look at some of the smokers and grills Competition style. Here was the first of the "RIGS" for the competition. The competition team from Sante Fe called The Smoke Ring was in action the day of the competition. This "RIG" was a little smaller than the others, but it was a force to deal with. The team Lotta Bull BBQ, from Marietta Oklahoma was there for the competition.   These were some awsome ways to make BBQ. I wish i has some of that great food about now. LOL Have a great day Everyone. 07/03/2012

Cowboys, cowgirls, guns and horses. At the recent Smokin' on the Pecos BBQ event there was a lot of things to see and do during the event. One of those things was to watch the competition of the cowboys and cowgirls do exibition and competition shooting from horseback. The Balloons were just below knee high while on the Horse.  They try and shoot balloons attached to the top of a stick in the arena. There was a total of twelve balloons to break with a shot from the sixgun. That's why the copmpetitors needed to carry two of them. I was not allowed to take a picture of the riders while in competition. So I give you the next best thing. Here are only three of the competition shooters who were waiting their turn. The best time for the breaking of all twelve balloons was 14.01 seconds by a l... 07/01/2012

Smokin' on the Pecos, BBQ event big success. This two day event "SMOKIN' ON THE PECOS" was a huge success. With an estimated total number of visitors right at 10,000. Free admission and parking. Held at the Eddy county Fairgrounds on 13th street in Artesia, New Mexico. The event ran for two days starting at 12:00 noon on the 29th of June and culminating with the closure of the event at 10:00 P.M. on the 30th of June.   The event staff was wanting to see about 7,500 visiters but the number was eclipsed the morning of the second day. The event staff could not be more happier. With $35,000 in prize money, the event drew the interest of BBQ competition teams from all over the country. There are plans to keep the event as a yearly draw for the local community of Artesia, New Mexico. The even... 07/01/2012

Furnace install, what were they thinking? During a recent home inspection, I ran across this furnace that was installed in the attic. The home was built in 2008 and was really built well. Too bad the plumber and the mechanical contractors were not thinking along those lines. Here is the furnace hooked up to a ceiling light. No box, no separate breaker for the furnace and not even a wire nut for a little bit of security for the connection. They simply tapped into the power supply for the overhead light.   Then I checked out the plenum to the furnace. It was not insulated at all. Why use insulated duct work if you choose not to insulate the start of the trunk system? Makes no sense again. This home has and will have issues. I listed the issues on the report, but what the buyer wants to do... 06/27/2012

They moved out when? A look at days gone by. I was coming back from a inspection when I happened by the place. I could only imagine the stories it could tell. All I could think of Rob Thomas in Bristol Tennessee. He do'es a lot of barns and homes from days gone by. Sorry Rob I had to use the line. There was a farmer there coming out of the woods on a tractor. I quickly stopped and asked if I could take a couple of pictures of the old place.I asked him when was the last time anyone lived there, he said back in 1969 was the last year and he lived there. He said it was fine and to be careful. Then he was gane as fast as he was there. Was he a ghost? Good roof and very good framing. I'm thinking like a contractor now. But the interior has a ot of work to do as you can see. The home was buil... 06/24/2012

When agents don't show up for an appointment. When ever I have an appointment to inspect a home, the agent is usually there. They want to know what the issues are if any. This way they are not "blind sided" when they do get a copy of the report. The last home I just inspected for a young first time home buyer couple was an appointment for a three o'clock inspection. I usually show up early so I can start with the outsid eof the home and then get in when the agent arrives on the scene. This home listed for $269,900, in a nice neighborhood and built in 2005. This four bedroom and three bath home has been on the market for 60 days.  It was fifteen after Three when I called the Realtor and she told me that she was running late. About that time the buyers showed up with the lock box code so ... 05/26/2012

Home owner says "I'm not going to do anything with the roof". I was on a home inspection last Saturday, when The buyer and Realtor could not make the appointment. The sellers were there and let me in to get on with the inspection. I was walking around the home when I took a shot of the eave of the home. I asked the seller "what's up with the missing drip edge". He said " it was like that when I bought the home eleven years ago. There is nothing wrong with it and I'm not going to do anything with it". I got to looking really close at the roof from the ground and found out there had been and still is "SHAKE SHINGLES" on the rear section of the home. HUH? I could'nt believe that only half of the home's old shingles were removed. You can clearly see that there is no drip edge, and that the ... 05/06/2012