Vegas Bob just found out that (Clint McKie) passed away ;o( Clint and I were buds at the Activerain network and he was the backbone behind my CUSTOMER SERVICE group. He even mentioned to VB about a possible move to Vegas in the future. I just read Kerrie's post, and just found out. Here are several of Clint's posts to the Group Customer Service and if I'm not mistaken his very last post was (No posting for Five days, Hmmm)... Vegas Bob will miss you buddy along with many others ;o(   RAINMAKER692,335 Clint Mckie Desert Sun Home, Comm. Inspection 1-575-706-5586 UNFOLLOWBLOG RSS FEED M: (575) 706-5586 O: (575) 706-5586   Need a home inspection? Have a question?    *  *  * SUBMIT   Service Areas Carlsbad, NM Jal, NM Hobbs, NM Hagerman, NM Lake Arthur, NM Dexter, NM Roswell, NM Artesia, NM ... 05/28/2014

When home owner maintenance goes unchecked. Home owner maintenance is critical when you own a home. In fact no matter what the structure is like a home a garages or even a back yard storage shed. There are very few home owners that get a bi annual inspection of there home let alone an annual inspection. These unsuspecting home owners are just asking for trouble when it comes to selling a home. Many as I have been told over the years is that they don't want to pay for a annual inspection because all we find are issues that would cost the home owners money to get repaired. Let's see of that is a good call by the home owners. Price of annual inspection $100.00 Repairs to roof found at inspection $250.00 Repairs to exterior trim $250.00   Total costs for issues found is $600.00 On to buyers... 04/29/2014

Your rubbing me the wrong way. Electrical service feed. The over head electrical feed to this home was not installed correctly. Or was it? I can't imagine the chimney was added at a later date. Looks as if the chimney was an original design of the home. The over head electrical service to this home was rubbing on the chimney. So much so the line had already worn into the chimney about one and a half inches. Upon inspecting the incoming service line there was no damage at all. Was this service line replaced in the last couple of years? If it was then it should had been re routed so it would not rub on the chimney. The home owners must have known. The line had paint on it from the owners painting the chimney. Take a look at how the service line ties into the service mast? Here is a good l... 04/27/2014

Just hanging around the home. Not good. Home inspection electrical. It is amazing what we find when inspecting homes. In many cases the home owner was not the best person to be handling the "Electrical work" within the home. My guess is that the owners wanted to save money and "Not pay" for an electrician to do the electrical work in the correct way. Just hanging around. The first plug box I found just hanging around was at the furnace plug assembly. Take a look at the way the plug was in the furnace closet. Then when I got to the Laundry area. There was additional plugs that were just hanging around. Why these plugs were even located where they were was not known. I also noticed that there was no covers for them either. Not a good thing when being used around water. I recommended they ... 04/21/2014

Hanging out on the back patio. But not for long. When home owners have the brilliant idea to do something. They need to make sure it is done the "correct way". This looks like they had been wanting to do this for a long time. But the home has to be built right to start with. The Rafter tails. And the tie plate. On this home there was no rafter tail tie plate. That is the board that ties the rafter tails or overhang of the rafters together to keep them in proper alignment. This tie plate also helps keep the tails from warping and twisting when ever the moisture gets too high. Missing the Rafter tie plate the homes roof decking has no proper support. It will and has sagged over time. This home was built back in 1980. Even back then there were county and municipal inspectors that could hav... 04/16/2014

I'm a plug and I am Screwed. Taking short cuts when installing any electrical plugs is not a good thing. No matter if you know what is correct or not correct. The issues with this Dryer plug was obvious from the start. No cover for the plug. But as I got closer to inspect the plug I noticed there was no box in the wall. None. First view. I noticed the cover was missing. Then as I got closer nd really inspected the plug I noticed it was simply attached to the wall stud with roofing screws. This needs to be installed the correct way for safety. Even if it had been this way for 30 plus years. Have a great day every One. This is why you always get a "Home Inspection" by a Honest certified inspector. For the peace of mind. Call Clint at 1-575-706-5586 Have a great day every one. If you are b... 04/15/2014

You will need to call a plumber. Do not attempt this repair yourself. This is what I wanted to tell the home owner. But after he was telling me a story about how they had remodeled the kitchen.  I didn't have the heart to tell him. But it will be in the report. I have seen this before. Making changes and improving the homes looks. Like adding a garbage disposal and not wiring it correctly. Or a new sink and faucet that they didn't know was leaking under the sink. Having good intentions. Most home owners want to do things the right way. Most just don't have the skills necessary for the project they wanted to do. It works don't it? Just because it works does not mean it is correct by any means. Take for example this sink that was installed. The plumbing simply was connected to the existin... 04/14/2014

Garage wiring and time to start over. Garages are a vital part of the home selling. Most homes have a garage. So when you put your home up  for sale then you should have a complete inspection on the home and detached garage. A pre listing inspection would have found these issues and the owner could have had the issues repaired or the very least had them listed in the disclosure statement. Safety is number one priority. Having poor wiring creates safety issues within the building being inspected. But this garage had a very long way to go to get to a safe wiring system. Pictures tell the story. This is why it's so important the take as many pictures as possible.  Here is a few of those issues listed I the report for the buyers. This switch was live and in operation. No box no cover simply... 04/13/2014

Replace those part's that are not working. Of course if you know about the non working part at all. A home inspection recently I found a number of issues with the homes electrical plumbing and the roof. Plus the attic power vent. There were a lot of issues with this home. The owner was there and I asked him if he got a home inspection when he bought the home Four years ago. "No I didn't". (but he should have) He said that and then said "You are looking to find the faults with the home. There are a few. but I knew that when I bought the home". I told him "I am not looking for faults per say, I am inspecting the home to help the buyer make an informed decision on the home". I entered the attic and found several issues. Open electrical junction boes. Spliced wires a horse and this little g... 04/13/2014

When things don't work. Time to replace. Performing home inspections is a very challenging profession. We inspectors have to know what we are doing for the client's we serve, each and every time we are at a home for the client. Wording is important. When filling out a report for a buyer or seller. The wording is very important. Take for instance if the smoke detectors do not work at all and they are old. Do not write in the report, "Smoke detector's are bad and crap, replace the smoke detectors before you have a fire". In My opinion This is what I would add to a report for non working smoke detectors. " Several smoke detectors are in non working condition. These detectors are over ten years old and should be replaced for safety reasons. The expected life for a smoke detector is ten year... 04/12/2014

Foundation on the move. Not once but twice. New Mexico has a history of shifting sands. We average 500 Earth Quakes a year. Earth seems to move at will. Although it moves so little at a time to add insult to injury New Mexico has about 500 Earth Quakes a year. Most are so small they are not felt by the average residents. Foundations. Unless your home is setting on bedrock, your home will settle. Most homes with a very good foundation system seem to stand the test of time. The size of the home matters. Many owners of homes don't realize the impact the foundation takes each and every day. From the size of the home. To the simple movement of the occupants, the trucks and traffic going down the road to the movement of the earth. Like settling and the small earth quakes that happen each and ... 03/30/2014

Flipper home. Home Inspection in Artesia New Mexico. The last post about the flipper home was about the roof issue with the mis matched shingles. But what about the rest of the roof? There are other issues that need to be addressed with the roofs condition. After the repairs are made to the roof. Make sure the repairs are in place and good to go. Don't simply "Fix it and forget it". At Desert Sun Home Inspections based in Carlsbad New Mexico. We strive for the best home inspection for the buyer or seller. If the buyer knows of issues with the home they want to purchase, then they can make an informed decision on the purchase of the home. This will also help the sellers of the home. By listing the issues with the home if any, the seller will be notified as to the required repairs by the ... 03/25/2014

Up, Up and away. What not to do. Plumbing blunders. It's simply amazing some times, well a lot of times when inspecting homes what we inspectors find with the plumbing.  And they are proud of their work. I see it and you probably have too. The plumbers will write on the unit like the water heaters and furnaces, when it was installed and by what company. This is a good thing. No doubt on who to call back for the changes or repairs when needed. Many of these HVAC and plumbing companies think we are out to get them when ever we inspect a home. This is simply not the case, I would like to inspect a home and not find anything at all. Makes my job a lot easier for me and the buyers. I would venture to guess that about 80-90% of the water heaters and furnaces installed in my areas are not inst... 03/19/2014

Complacent home owners. You buy the home, then you remodel the home possibly several times over the years of home ownership. Many home owners get used to the way the home is. They don't think of the issues the home has as much as time goes by. Less and less infact. Unless there is a person who come forward to inform them of the defects they don't think it is a defect at all. This could be as small as a door that sticks, missing safety chains on the screen doors and non working smoke detectors just to mention a few. There is help available. One call away. There is help out there for the home owners who don't have a clue as to what may be wrong or an issue with the home they live in. Give your local Home inspector a call for a home maintenance inspection. These issues could be as small as... 03/17/2014

Plumbing issues and a "what now" thought. Just about every single home owner has ran into this issue when remodeling a home. "All I wanted to do is change out this or that and find other issues that needed to be repaired". I was looking at my friend's home offering a bit of advice on how to install some new fangled vinyl flooring from a  big box store. He had bought this home from the builder which also lived in the home for several years before he retired.  I advised on how the best way to install the floor coverings, but then I noticed the way the washer's plumbing was ran. I told him there was an issue with the way the plumbing drain was installed. He looked at me in a confused look on his face. I told him there was no "P" trap in the line. But maybe just maybe there was one just bel... 03/16/2014

I found the main electrical panel. Not good for the seller. At Desert Sun Home Inspections in Carlsbad New Mexico, we try not to cite codes in many cases. There are codes for everything in and on the home. The codes are for a reason. Mainly the safety of the occupants of the home. But these codes are not any good if not properly followed. In many cases the codes are violated by the home owners.  When these codes are not followed, they can cause all kinds of issues when you as a home owner want to sell the home. Home owners just don't think when trying to improve the home to fit what they want. Get expert advise! When making any changes to your home, be sure to seek the advice of a licensed contractor in the proper field of where the improvement is located. IE: If making electrical chang... 03/15/2014

Installing appliances and meeting code. Desert Sun Home inspections. On this recent home inspection in Artesia, New Mexico. I ran into a lot of "What the" issues. The home had been upgraded over the years. The Two furnaces and A/C units were installed in 2010. These "New units" should be to code and good to go. Not the case. Neither furnace had a sediment trap. And neither furnace had a combustion air intake in the room. Plus the rooms for the furnaces had a solid door. No way to get combustion air from the homes interior. This is not installed to code. I believe there was no permits for these installations. If there were permits issued then the mechanical inspector never inspected the units. Both flues did not have the proper Clarence from a combustible material. Both are too just too ... 03/14/2014

When plumbers fail the inspection. In many cases of "The plumbers were here and the new plumbing has been installed". "The homes plumbing was upgraded last year". That was a good thing since the old plumbing was the old galvanized piping and fittings. The new plumbing is the PEX style plumbing which is a lot better over time than a lot of other products out there. In my opinion nothing beats copper and sweat joints. There is one small pet peeve I have with plumbers. This is when they re plumb a home. And this home has a crawl space. They hardly ever install a shut off valve under the home at the access where the water supply line comes out of the ground.  Even though they were there attaching to the copper feed from the city water supply line. Here is a picture of an example of not inst... 03/10/2014

Uncle Bob at his finest. Roof inspection and the failings. On this roof inspection for the buyers of this home. There was a concern for leaks, "Make sure to inspect the roof pipes and venting to see if there are going to be any issues". After just a minute on the roof I could see there was a lot more than what the concerns of the buyer had. The first thing was the missing ridge cap. Yep, only about Eight foot of the ridge cap was not even installed. This metal roof looked like it was installed using left overs from other jobs. I asked who installed the "NEW ROOFING". The agent said the seller told her they used a local contractor for the installation. Was his name "Uncle Bob's roofing"? "UH OH" said the Realtor when she heard me say that. She knows who or what Uncle Bob is capable or no... 03/08/2014

No electrical upgrade. There is no way. Seller standing firm. I was warned by the Realtor about this home. "The seller says they are not going to do any electrical upgrades no matter what you find. They feel the home is listed at such a low asking price they shouldn't have to upgrade anything". This electrical supply to the home is old. And I mean really old. About 60 plus years old. A 40 amp service to the home. That's all it has.This is a fused throw panel. Not as bad as some I have seen but clearly very outdated. And when I got a good look inside the panel, There was enough dirt to start my own farm. The rust was getting the best of the panel box. There has never been any upgrades done to this home since it was originally built a long time ago. The home breakers is an FPE panel. Not ... 03/08/2014