Watch out for this guy. He is the bargain basement home inspector.

A recent article I published about “good, fast and cheap pick two” will be revisited to explain why cheap home inspectors and cheap home inspector services should be feared.  Feared?  Yes that’s right!  Lets do the math.  The purchase price of the home you are about to purchase is $200,000.00 for a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom home.  Your discount inspector charges $200.00 for his professional home inspection services?  This sounds like a good deal?  Unfortunately for you this home inspector does not carry E and O insurance, generally liability insurance, no pictures on the report and no abilities to even be in this business.  In fact he has only been in the home inspection industry for 2 years.  Not bad?  What did he do before home inspections?  You forgot to ask.  He was a mechanic at Jiffy lube!  That’s great!  

How do I know all of this info?  I was hired by his old clients from the Libertyville home inspection to do a real professional home inspection.  My inspection fee for this home was $425.00.  You ask why?  I carry 1 million dollars in E and O Insurance and general liability insurance to protect my client and all the affiliates I work with.  I use Fluke thermal imagers that cost $10,000.00 and other equipment to perform a professional home inspection.  

Do I get calls where people try to get”deals” on a home inspection.  Absolutly.  I dont do discount for anyone because I give a professional product that my clients can hang their hat on when purchasing a home. 

My clients from the Libertyville home inspection were smart enough to ask their realtor for an extension on their attorney and inspection period and request a 2ND home inspection.  Luckily for them my inspection found items that would require repairs that exceeded $8000.00.   They see how important a professional home inspection is…now. 

Hopefully you will learn that cheap home inspections can costs you thousands from my clients at the Libertyville home inspection. 

If you have questions on what to ask your choice in home inspector please contact me at The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Jim Kolke

This is an example of a breaker that is overheated and will require service from an electrician.

Everything looks good to the common eye when looking at an electrical panel?  I beg to differ.   Issues can still lye dormant even when electrical testing equipment is used on wiring in a breaker box.  I believe that a thermal imager should be used on every home inspection.  This is exactly why my clients hired me to perform a home inspection on their new home in Deerfield, Illinois.  

In this article I will be concentrating on electrical scans primarily.  Please understand that the uses of the Fluke or Flir thermal imager is unlimited.  We use it for scanning of exterior walls for water intrusion, insulation issues and energy losses.  We use it for scanning ceilings below bathrooms for water issues from tubs, toilets, showers and sinks.  We scanned the interior walls of the Deerfield home inspection and found issues around the front and patio doors that had issues with energy deficiencies.  

The Fluke and Flir thermal imagers are used on a breaker box to see if there is a temperature difference.  When we see that there is an issue like in the image supplied  we suggest an electrician come and investigate further.  The issue at hand is overloading of this circuit with to many fixtures in the home.  The remedy for this electrical box is to separate the fixtures throughout the home and run a dedicated breaker to eliminate overheating.  

Remedies or repair costs for electrical issues that were found at the Deerfield home inspection range in costs from $200.00 -  $1000.00 depending on how much work it takes the electrician to find the junction box and start the separation of various circuits and fixtures.  

If you are hiring a professional home inspection service I would ask if they use Fluke or Flir thermal imagers.  If they don’t you might want to find a professional home inspection service that does.  Its your home and your money why not do it right?  

If you have further questions about the use of Fluke or Flir thermal imagers on electrical panels please contact me at The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228.  

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.  

Jim Kolke

Clearing a roof for a home inspection

Do you inspect roofs as part of your home inspection service?  This is a standard question we receive when a client calls to inquire about a home inspection from Pinnacle Property Inspection Services, Inc..  If you are from the northern portion of the United States you know that we get quite a bit of snow in our winters.  When it snows it creates hindrances to do a proper home inspection on a roof.  

I was hired to do a home inspection on a bungalow in Chicago, Illinois.   Luckily for me the roof was a 4/12.  That measurement basically means that the roof has very little pitch and can be walked.  My clients from the Chicago home inspection were concerned if I would inspect their new homes roof.  I explained to them as I do to all of my clients.  Safety first!  I have no problem going on a roof with snow on it as long as there is no ice on the roof.  If there is ice I will not attempt to walk this roof due to possible safety issues.  If there is snow I will broom the roof off in various areas to inspect the roofing material, valleys, flashing skylights, plumbing venting, chimneys, chimney flashing and so on.  Our standards of practice for home inspectors does not require us to climb a roof.  I believe it is hard to give a homes roof a clean bill of health with out landing a foot on it. 

Luckily for my clients from the Chicago home inspection I cleared the snow from the roof and inspected the roof properly.  The homes roof had areas of roofing shingles that have been damaged and would require replacement.  Roofing repairs can be costly and thats why we do this type of inspection. 

So we find ice on the roof and we cant walk the roof.  I would suggest that you, your realtor or your attorney hold money back at the closing table that would be put in escrow until a proper roof inspection was done.  By doing this you are covered if problem areas are found and are in need of repairs or replacement. 

As you can see snow can cause problems in your home inspection process.  Now that you know what to look for it should make your buying experience a little easier.  If you have further questions about roof inspection please contact me at The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228. 

Thank you for stopping by and be safe. 

Jim Kolke

If you are looking at homes to purchase right now then you probably have looked at foreclosure, short sale and regular homes for sale.  These deals are generally structured a little different than each other from the realtor side.  When a home inspection is needed they all need to be treated the same.  What I mean by that is that all the utilities will need to be turned on prior to the inspection date and time.  Why do we need the utilities turned on for a foreclosure home inspection?

• Water main- The water serviced needs to be turned on and the property needs to be de-winterized prior to the arrival of the inspector.  A home inspector will inspect to make sure that there are no leaks in the water service or the waste service.  These issues are generally ones that can compound in to costly repair costs if not found at the time of the home inspection service.  The standards of practice for home inspectors does not suggest that home inspectors turn on or install water meters and/or de-winterize the home prior to inspection.  Unfortunately the water meter was not installed at the home inspection I performed in Mount Prospect.  Luckily for my client I’m a licenced plumber (Chicago Lic. # PL-194988) and was able to install the water meter and complete the home inspection properly.  I do catch quite a bit of  backlash from home inspector associations about standards of practice.  The bottom line is that my clients want the home, the realtor wants to sell a home and I want to inspect the home and I have the means and the extensive background to make it happen for my client.  We all win!
• Gas Utilities – The gas needs to be turned on prior to a home inspection to test the furnace, water heater, dryer, and stove to make sure they work and that there are no leaks in the gas supply lines.
• Electric panel -The electric needs to be on and generally never is shut off by the foreclosure companies do to the fact that that most homes have sump pumps and will need electric to run in the case that there is a need for a sump pump.

I receive calls weekly from perspective clients looking to do a foreclosure home inspection without the utilities being turned on and I always explain that I would suggest that all utilities be turned on prior to the inspection.  If you decide to do  a home inspection with the lack of utilities being turned on you take a risk that there may be very expensive repairs after the closing of the home. 

My clients from the Mount Prospect home inspection were very happy that we were able to assist them with their lack of water main service.  They were promised that the water would be turned on and it did not happen.  This happens more and more with the abundance of foreclosed homes on the market.  If you have questions about foreclosure home inspection or any other issues that you can think of please contact me at The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228.

Thanks for stopping by and be safe.

Jim Kolke

Installation of screens over drain tile that enters into a sump pit can cause water issues in a basement.

Recently I received a call from a perspective client, who claimed that he had water infiltration issues that seemed to be coming from the foundation.  I’ll give you a little info about the property before I go into details.  The Lake Bluff, Illinois home inspection  was done on a home that was only 5 years old with superb finishes.  The home boasted 5 bedrooms , 5 bathrooms and a finished basement to die for.  That’s where the problems started.  The basement was getting water near the sump pumps.  The water was definitely coming from the slab and foundation connection but did not seem to be substantial. 

As most of you know, not only am I a Thermal Home Inspector,  but a licensed plumber (pl-194988).  So when I enter a home, I think very deeply with the plumber part of me of what could be causing this water infiltration in the basement.  I check the water main to see if there is any movement on the main service.  The next place I look in the Lake Bluff home inspection had to be the best place for my clients. 

The sump pump had recently been replaced with a new Zoeller sump pump about 5 weeks ago.  It seems that the plumber installed a piece of mesh screening over the drain tile line that enters the sump pit.  This piece of screening was loaded with mud and dirt that would cause the 4″ drain tile line to be totally filled with water to the point that the basement floor was inundated with water below the concrete which was seeping up from the lowest areas in the basement.  We had 1 major rain in the Chicagoland area about 3 weeks ago prior to my inspection of the Lake Bluff home. 

I’ve never came across the installation of a “screen” over a drain tile system that entered into a sump pit.  My advise to any home owners that see this in their sump pit is to remove the screen  and have a Zoeller battery back up sump pump for the times that the electric goes out or if your main sump pump fails. 

My clients from the Lake Bluff home inspection were ecstatic that the problem was something so small and something that could be corrected so easily.  They were preparing to spend thousands in repairs.  In this case they spent under $200.00 for the diagnosis and the repair of their problem. 

Hopefully you never have problems like this in your home.  If you do and you need help with these issues please contact me at The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228. 

Thanks for stopping by and be safe. 

Jim Kolke