OUR BLOG
Pre Sale Inspection
Every home buyer knows hiring a home inspector to check out a property before closing is a good idea. In fact, a home inspection is often a requirement for a mortgage. The trickier question is this: Should home sellers also hire a home inspector to conduct a...
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10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home
10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home Most people don’t know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy, and here at InterNACHI, we want to change that. Drastic reductions in heating, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished...
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15 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own
The following items are essential tools, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to ask an InterNACHI inspector during your next inspection about other tools that you might find useful. 1. Plunger A clogged sink or toilet is one of the most inconvenient...
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How Homeowners Can Prevent Duct Contamination
Whether or not a homeowner decides to have the air ducts in their home professionally cleaned, committing to a good preventative maintenance program is essential to minimizing duct contamination. To prevent dirt and debris from entering the system, the homeowner...
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The Home Inspector’s Guide to Air Duct Cleaning, Part 4: Helping a Homeowner Choose a Duct Cleaning Service Provider
To find companies that provide duct cleaning services, a homeowner should go online or contact the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). Homeowners should not assume that all duct cleaning service providers are equally knowledgeable and responsible. They...
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The Home Inspector’s Guide to Air Duct Cleaning, Part 3: Whether or Not to Recommend Air Duct Cleaning
Research about the potential benefits and possible problems of air duct cleaning is limited. Since conditions in every home are different, it's impossible to generalize about whether or not air duct cleaning in a house would be beneficial. If no one in the household...
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The Home Inspector’s Guide to Air Duct Cleaning, Part 2: What Is Air Duct Cleaning?
Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing concern and increased visibility. Many companies market products and services intended to improve the quality of a home’s indoor air. You have probably seen an advertisement, received a coupon...
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Home Inspector’s Guide to Air Duct Cleaning, Part 1: Some Factors to Consider
Whether or not a home inspector should recommend that their homeowner-clients have the air ducts in their house cleaned is a decision that's based on several important factors, including the Standards of Practice they follow and the scope of the home inspection....
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Inspecting Aluminum Wiring
Between approximately 1965 and 1973, single-strand (solid) aluminum wiring was sometimes substituted for copper branch-circuit wiring in residential electrical systems due to the sudden escalating price of copper. After a decade of use by homeowners and electricians,...
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Beware of Electric Shock Drowning
From our good friends at Excel Electric: Faulty wiring on a dock or boat or in a pool can send an electrical current into the water. When an electrical current occurs in a body of water, the electrical current passes through the body, causing paralysis, and ultimately...
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Well Maintained Yards Can Fetch A Higher Price And Quicker Sale
Your next home improvement project may be as simple as planting a tree. The effect of trees on property values is often overlooked. Planting a tree just may yield the best return on investment. The value of a well landscaped home with mature, healthy trees can be as...
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Residential Electrical Grounding Connection
A typical residential electrical installation requires the house to be wired to the earth. One method used is a ground rod. The ground rod is that metal rod that is typically located within six feet of your main electrical disconnect and usually sticks out of the...
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Do I Need A 4-Point Inspection When Buying A Home?
A 4-point inspection is not a comprehensive home inspection and does not necessarily include a deficiency list or a detailed analysis, which would be part of a comprehensive inspection. When buying a home, a comprehensive home inspection is recommended. Buyers...
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Hard Water
Hard water is the result of excessive amounts of minerals such as calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. This may represent certain problems to homes but it is not considered to be a health-related problem to humans. For water to be considered hard, the content...
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Air-Sampling Mold Inspections
Molds are part of the natural environment. Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores which are invisible to the naked eye. There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water. Molds have the potential to cause health problems (allergic reaction,...
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