Active Rain Blogging works. Give it a try.   I have been on the Active Rain since August of 2011, not that long when you look at other members who have been in the Rain since the beginning of time. :-)   When I post On the Active Rain network, I am trying to tell a story about things I find when Inspecting homes for Desert Sun Home Inspections in Carlsbad, New Mexico. I hope from my posts that someone learns a couple of things they didn’t know about in the past.   I received a call from a new client yesterday that was a surprise. I don't know why it was a surprise, after all why do we post in the Rain in the first place? It's to get exposure for your business and in hopes that many potential clients will see the posts and like what they see and give you a call. This is what happened y... 01/12/2013

  Cement roofs, tiles and cracking up about it. Sometimes there are homes that need a lot of maintenance. When you defer home maintenance you are asking for trouble. Many home owners don't realize the need for home maintenance. Being a home owner has it's responsibilities along with taking out the trash. There are a lot of issues with this home and the biggest is the lack of a maintenance plan for the home. Each home owner needs to have a plan if they want to keep their biggest investment in tack and keep the value of the home at it's best. Let's take a look at this homes roof. Cement tiles and cement seals. In this homes case, there was no maintenance for the roof for a very long time. The good thing is we have had very little in the way of rain and snow in the recent three years. Here... 01/11/2013

Home inspection in Carlsbad N. M. I saved the lives of four people. At A home inspection in Carlsbad New Mexico for Desert Sun Home Inspections, I was at a brand new home that had not even been cleaned yet. The closing is Monday and the buyers were wanting to get a home inspection completed and any issues resolved before the closing of the home. The inspection was a pretty good one till I got to the electrical panel. The buyer was following me around and writing down any and everything I  or he thought was or could be an issue. The buyer went into the home to talk to the wife and I was checking the electrical panel. This home has all underground services so no overhead lines or weather heads to worry about. I was going through my regular routine when I came across the left leg of the su... 01/08/2013

Flipper home making good progress. The flipper home that we have been working on for a what seems a year. But has only been six weeks is now ready for the new flooring. The only rooms in the home that have not been painted is the bathrooms. We are waiting for the plumber to finish what ever it is that they do when they are not on the job like they are supposed to be to get the job done in a timely manor. Was that just a RANT?  The new windows are in and trimmed off the best we could do wht the wierd way the old windows were installed. Remember this? Now we have the new siding and door in the home and will be pouring the slab as the last exterior step after painting the home. The new windows are amazing on how much better they make the home feel. Here is what we have as of to date. Now t... 01/07/2013

Framing inspection. There were a few issues. Here are a few shots of a home hat was inspected for a framing inspection. The builder was not present at time of inspection and I could'nt ask any questions about the framing. This inspection took place a couple of months ago. Since then I have met with the builder and the repairs have been completed. This first shot is of the home a view from the road. Let's take a look inside the home. Here we have a few issues with the framing. The first thing I saw was the header fot this doorway that was too short. Then there are other issues. Here is another header that's too short. Plus the exterior OSB has been cut badly.  This home needs some TLC and quickly. There are more issues for a later podst. Too many for this post today. Have a great day eve... 01/04/2013

What happened to the flooring? Getting to the bare bones. I have done a lot of inspections for Desert Sun Home inspections in Carlsbad New Mexico. This is the very first time I have ever seen a bare bathroom floor. As I opened the door to the master bath, I saw the flooring was a bare landscape. I turned to the Realtor and asked them if they knew about the missing flooring. She looked at me with a little confused look on her face. After looking at the floor she then picked up her cell phone and commenced making a phone call. I could hear her talking to the sellers agent. The commode did have a leak from the wax ring and the floor covering was removed because it had go too wet to leave in place. To limit the floors damage it was best to remove the flooring and get it dried out as soon as... 01/03/2013

Pre Listing Inspections. Roof repairs and selling the home. I get to inspect homes and I genuinely love doing so. But many times I have more questions about why things are the way they are. At Desert Sun Home Inspections, we try and give a in depth report for the buyer or seller so the transaction will be as seamless as possible. As an inspector, I call it like I see it. I have no vested interest in the home whether it sells to the buyer or doe's not sell at all. I would like to see all the homes I inspect go to the closing table with all parties involved at the comfort level that they should be at when buying and selling a home. This is why I have been preaching for years about the importance of getting a "PRE LISTING INSPECTION". I have talked to many sellers that think a "pre listing... 12/31/2012

Ever Play "skip a rope"? You could with this power line. When we inspect homes for our client's we are diligent about the safety of the buyers or sellers. Even if the seller has an issue with safety. And they are present at the inspection, I will tell them about the safety issue so they can get the concern resolved as soon as possible. On a recent Home inspection in Carlsbad, New Mexico. I found this power line in the back yard that was so low, I could actually reach up and touch the power line. It was about eight foot from the ground. Way, way too low to be safe. Not only  for the residents of the home but for any children that may visit the home. At Desert Sun Home Inspections in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We strive for the best inspection we can provide. And safety is paramount when inspe... 12/27/2012

Plumbing gone on vacation? Or just bad install? Slow drains. When I am getting ready to perform a home inspection for Desert Sun Home inspections, I always ask the buyer if they have any concerns with the home. The buyers have already been to the home and checked the home before making an offer. On this inspection the buyers had a few concerns that they wanted me to pay special attention to. One of the concerns was the slow moving drains. When they ran water into the sinks and bath tub, then released the water down the drains it would go down really slowly. I would have found this on my initial inspection, this is a way I check the drains for proper operation.   Here is a look at the kitchen sink draining very slowly. There is a drain problem when the drain has bubbles coming back up th... 12/26/2012

Paying it forward, Christmas eve and Christmas day. Merry Christmas. There are a lot of people out there in the world who need help and don't ever ask for any. We know a few of these families through being a relative or through friends. Desert Sun Home Inspections has helped a lot of families have a brighter future and a brighter Christmas by donating our time money and efforts to those in need. We have spent the last two day getting ready care packages for the less fortunate families in the area. Here is a quick look at the care packages we were getting ready to deliver. There were a total of twelve of these that are already or are going to be delivered to homes as of today. Not only do they get the food goods in the gift box, but they get a dozen freshly made Tamale's as well. Nice an... 12/24/2012

Home buying and finding a "fire in the hole". Not a good thing. On a recent home inspection by Desert Sun Home Inspections in Carlsbad New Mexico, The home was not even listed by a Realtor. The home was and is a private sale but the buyer is wanting and is using a Realtor for their side of the transaction. The actual Disclosure statement reads like this. "there are no disclosures about the home at....The sellers have no knowledge of any concerns with the home" And that's it. Is this a way out for any seller to simply say I have no knowledge of any concerns with the home I am selling? With this disclosure in hand the buyer wanted a full inspection. They were thinking it was a red flag for the home. I hav'nt seen this for a long time. I entered the crawl space for the inspection and found... 12/20/2012

Flipper home makes progress. A lot more to get done. I have been posting about the flipper home I have been trying to get done. I have made a lot of progress on the home . But there is still a lot to get done. After waiting for what seemed like weeks to get an electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections. The inspectors finally showed up and we passed the inspections. The small steps that seem like it's taking forever to get done with are a necessary evil when flipping a home. Here are a couple of shots on how the home had progressed in the last week or so. Here is a reminder shot of the side door to the carport before the ramp door and window was removed. Here is a new look on the progress of the homes exterior. Here is what the rear door looked like before the removal. Now here is ... 12/16/2012

Sun damage and means of egress. Issues abound on this home. On a recent home inspection here in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Desert Sun Home Inspections got the call for a pair of first time home buyers. Wanting to keep the costs of the first home to the affordable level, they wanted to but a manufactured home that had been repossessed. During the inspection the Young couple had told me that when they were talking to the Realtor, the Realtor told them that she did not want to sell a first time home buyer a "Manufactured Home". This young couple had told her that they did'nt have a problem living in a manufactured home. But the Realtor kept telling them about more expensive site built homes. After finally convincing the Realtor it was the home they could afford and the home they wanted to buy t... 12/08/2012

Don't leave the nails in the walls. Remove them please. There are times when the buyers want certain things as their areas of concern. This home was no different. The buyers wanted me to pay extra attention to all the screw and nail holes in the exterior stucco. My advice to the renters and or owners wanting to sell a home is when ever you have nails and screws in the exterior stucco or any siding, 'REMOVE THE NAILS AND SCREWS PLEASE' Then repair the siding for the new owners. Remember the nail holes will be in the report.  How hard is it to remove a few nails and screws? The holes then need to be repaired for a better looking home and a faster sale. No need to let the little things mess up or hold up a sale of a home. There are a lot of these around the home. What were they for? No one... 12/07/2012

FHA loans and Roof inspections. I recently went out to a home that is getting a FHA loan for the purchase. I was called by the seller to inspect the roof only...I repeat the roof only. Why just the roof? At Desert Sun Home Inspections, we stive to offer the home buyer or seller the most options for them so we can help with the sale or the purchase of a home.  Apparently the buyer was happy with the home after they had seen it on a recent visit. But the FHA did want a roof inspection. I have done about a dozen of these for the FHA criteria for a roof inspection. Why don't the buyers get a full home inspection? There is no explanation for this one. Until the buyer calls me for a full home inspection I will do just the roof inspection for the seller. Let's take a look at the roof after the... 11/30/2012

Attic's and what not to touch. Inspecting the right way. There are a lot of things in a home that should not be touched by a home inspector. Many things like a loose or bare wire are mo brainers when it comes to a home inspection. But what about in attic's when you really can't see all that good? There are dangers like putting your knee or foot through the ceiling. Never a good thing. Here is a look at an attic that the roof was replaced and they did'nt finish the job. The drop for the old swamp cooler was never romoved. This home had a new furnace and air conditioning system installed two years ago. But the drop for the swamp cooler was never removed. Notice the plug box with no cover plate for the plug box. Leaving it in place can lead to leaks in the future. This should have been rem... 11/28/2012

Flipper home getting interesting. So is the job. The flipper home I had posted about a couple of posts ago has been moving along with the  renovation of the interior. I was called to the office of the parent company yesterday about the job. "bring us up to speed". I then had a layout of the plans I wanted to implement in the home including a time table for the plans and completion. "it looks like there will be a timeline of about six weeks for this home. Providing the staff is in place to make it happen". That sounded good to them. Then they did something I was not expecting. They offered me a full time job running the Housing division of the company. They offered me a full time job as the Manager of housing. This company owns a lot of places in Carlsbad. But their housing division is a... 11/26/2012

Christmas on the Pecos. A river ride you don't want to miss. For one of the greatest light showings in the SouthEast New Mexico Chistmas on the pecos is a yearly event with the Pecos river and the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico. If you like to see Christmas lights and enjoy the river and a boat ride, then Carlsbad, New Mexico is the place to come and see for yourself. Beginning on November 23rd and ending on December 31st, 2012. That's over a month to come and see what Carlsbad and Christmas on the pecos has to offer. This has been a yearly event for many years and has been a huge success for the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico. If you need to book a motel and need information about hotels or motels with available rooms contact the Chamber of commerce at www.carlsbadchamber.com There are a t... 11/23/2012

Uncle Bob getting busy again. Now what? Many many times when I inspect a home, there are signs that the owners "Uncle BOB" has been there and did that. Is it because they (the owners) don't want to pay for a licensed person or technician to come out and repair the homes needs the right way? Could it be that they did listen to their Uncle Bob just to think the repairs that were completed were completed the right way? Just because the light doe's work after Uncle bob had been there to get it to work doe's not mean it was repaired or installed correctly. How many homes over the years have burned down without knowing it was Uncle Bob's fault. Many repairs uncle Bob doe's remain anonymous until the repair becomes an issue like when a home inspection is needed. Let's take a look a a couple of... 11/22/2012

Flipping homes and getting started. There is a brand new company in Carlsbad, New Mexico that wants to flip a few homes. They want to flip about three a year. They had approached me after they had already bought this home and want me to manage their rehab of the home. They want mid grade and the fun is about to really get interesting. Demolition has begun and the challenges are many. I will keep the Active Rain Community informed at to the progress and all the way to the end of the final walk through of the home upon completion. Let's get started. There are some really interesting challenges with this 1,400 square foot home. Like the garage that has been turned into a living space. the plans are to add a third bedroom a new 3/4 bath and a new utility room. The existing bath has been str... 11/21/2012